The people that
walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the
shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou
hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee
according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
(Isaiah 9:2-3
KJV)
Note: This is a re-post from last year with some
editing. I am currently in the process
of discerning about writing some additional posts looking at Jesus’ birth
prophesied in the Old Testament, so there may be a few additional posts in the
coming weeks (likely in 2017).
*A special time
of year is upon us—the season of Advent.
On November 27, 2016, we marked the first Sunday of Advent; this post
takes a look at the third candle. To
read the previous posts in my Advent series please see: Advent, The Candle of Hope,
and The Candle of Peace.
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| Banner at Trinity UMC--Albia, IA. Photo Credit: D. Wright |
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with
songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
(Isaiah 35:10 KJV)
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| Word Cloud creation of K. Jolly, All Rights Reserved. |
Joy. Joy is a word
that likely brings many thoughts to mind, especially during this time of
year. In the natural, it is easy to
struggle with finding any degree of joy
at times. However, for those who are in
Christ Jesus, joy should be a natural outflow of a relationship with our
Savior. Joy is possible, even in the
midst of the incredibly hard times of life.
I fully realize how incredibly difficult it is to have joy
when so much “hard” seems to happen all at once and not stop, or when everyone
seems to disappear during this season and exclude certain people. This happens in families far more than we can
begin to realize.
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| Poinsettias at Trinity UMC--Albia, IA. Photo Credit: D. Wright |
On the third Sunday of Advent, we light the Candle of JOY
(or in some traditions it is the Shepherd’s Candle). Jesus Christ is our joy! The third Sunday of Advent reminds us that
in Jesus we have true HOPE, PEACE, and JOY.
Hope, peace, and joy that is true and solid—so true and solid that it
lasts for all eternity!
The story of Christmas is one of great joy. Remember how Jesus’ birth was proclaimed and
how the shepherds received the news with great joy, and how the wise men
traveled from a great distance to see the newly born King of the Jews?
As Christians, we can experience joy and peace that others
in this world cannot fathom. If not, it
likely means that we have taken our eyes off of the Lord and placed them in the
world or the flesh. Our joy and peace
should be seen by others; perhaps enough to make them take note and want to
know more.
How have you experienced this joy?
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| Word Cloud creation of K. Jolly, All Rights Reserved. |
Countless believers have counted the cost of following
Christ and found it a cost worth paying.
They have found the hope, peace, and joy that seems so very elusive at
times. The question is: have you found it too?
If you have not yet experienced this inner joy; what are
you waiting for? Jesus stands ready to
welcome you to Him—He has already said “yes” to you. Salvation is in Jesus alone; we cannot get to
heaven without Jesus as our Savior. No
one gets to heaven by being a “good person”—all our good deeds are but filthy
rags (see Isaiah 64:6).
Then he said
unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions
unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah
8:10 KJV emphasis mine)
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| Banner at Trinity UMC--Albia, IA. Photo Credit: D. Wright |
Christmas is a wonderful time to focus on JOY—an emotion
that is sometimes hard to come by in this world, especially during the busy
holiday season. What joy we should feel
when we deeply consider that Jesus came to this world He created to provide a
way for us to be reunited with our Heavenly Father. He did this willingly, knowing what He would
endure. He loves us so much that He did
what only He could do. Because of that,
I rejoice… What about you?
Take some time prior to and on Christmas Day to truly focus
on Jesus whose birth we celebrate.
Remember the
Reason for the Season!
What can you do to focus on the joy found in Jesus?
Please do not forget your single friends, family, neighbors, or
those in your church who will be alone on Christmas Day—consider inviting them
to join with your family (no matter how simple and informal the gathering
is)—the blessings will flow both ways! Whatever you do, please do not tell them, “Oh, God is with you…” and then walk off,
ignoring their hurting heart and heart-felt desire to fellowship with others on
Christmas Day. Do not assume they want
to spend the day alone. Your family may
be the only family they will get to experience…EVER. My prayer is that churches will not cancel
services on Christmas Day—to do so is to miss the point of the day and season
entirely!
Please join with me in prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the Joy we can experience because of
Jesus, who restores our relationship with You.
Direct our focus to that JOY, especially during those times that are
challenging and painful. Show us how to
be a comforting, loving presence to those around us who need to experience Your
love and presence with skin on. Jesus
Christ, Immanuel—God with us—our HOPE, PEACE, and JOY—we praise You! Help us to truly experience joy during this
season of Advent and throughout the year.
In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
From My Heart to Yours,
Kim
**Special
Note: Currently, I am planning to have a
post on Christmas Day that will wrap up the series on Advent. **
Rejoicing with you, Kim! In Jesus, we can always find joy, hope and peace.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Thank you Martha! Yes, in Jesus we really do have joy--a joy that is so different than what the world calls joy. The added bonus is that we have hope and peace too.
DeleteLove and blessings!