At no other time of year is joy as palpable as it is during the Christmas season. Families reunite, familiar songs of hope ring afresh, and many grace the doors of a church for the first time in years. Rich food and lively festivities reach their peak as gifts are exchanged. Yet, at no other time is joy equally as elusive. Hope for renewed relationships falls short, the promises of this year’s most popular gifts fail to deliver, and our newest resolutions fade as the dreary winter days roll on. All the while, our busy lives reach a frenzied peak and we finish the holidays more weary than when we began, wondering whether we even had a second to remember the Story at the very heart of the Christmas celebrations.

Yet, the fact remains that joy, in its deepest sense, is central to the Story of the Incarnation. As the Shepherds stood in fear before the angel of the Lord, the heavenly messenger proclaimed, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” This joy feels unmistakably tangible yet just out of reach each December. Why do we so easily miss it? If the Lord promises it, how do we find it? This Advent season, as we remember Christ’s birth and look again toward his return, we’ll look at how the gift of Christ in the flesh is also the gift of joy for us. Amidst the holiday frenzy, we hope to pause and listen for God’s voice. May He open us up to see and receive this joy, and likewise to participate in giving it. Join us as we we look deeper into the angel’s great proclamation: Joy to the World.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 9:08 am and is filed under Advent, Sermons, worship.