Today is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! With Christmas upon us, it is good to reflect on our Eternal Advent. With it, we can see all the attributes of God. These gifts are available to us as well.
Hope, peace, love, and joy. But, joy is something to be celebrated! One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Joy to the World, the Lord is come. Let Earth receive her King.” Can you imagine what it would be like for the whole world to be filled with this kind of joy?
For weeks now, I have been writing about “Our Eternal Advent.” I am eager to learn how to receive all the gifts of Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. These gifts are from the Father. And with joy, God has saved the best gift for last.
Joy is defined as: “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune.” I would define it as the emotion experienced because of our blessings. For doesn’t everything we have come from God?
Last week, we learned that goodwill is God’s favor upon our lives. It is God’s unfailing love for us. Joy is the result of the “goodwill” God has for us. When the angel appeared before the shepherds, that angel proclaimed great joy that would be for all people. Not just some people. All people!
Jesus is our joy!
I love reading the Christmas story in the King James version of Luke 2:9-11.
“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Joy requires a response.
We all can remember a few moments of great joy in our lives. The feeling of love and the rush of excitement. Many years ago, when my husband and I were still dating, we decided to take a road trip up to the NC mountains. He wanted to show me his favorite spot which stood high upon a hillside, off an old dirt road.
Looking out over the valley, the view almost took my breath. When I turned toward Travis, he was holding a pretty little opened ring box. My heart began to race and I hardly remember what happened next. But, what I do remember was a rush of love wash over me which quickly turned to excitement. As we stood there, frozen in time, he waited. He was waiting for me to respond.
Psalm 4:7 says, “You have filled my heart with greater joy.” God gives us greater joy. It is a cause and effect which requires a response. The shepherds showed us how as they returned, glorifying and praising God.
Praise is our response to joy.
As we begin living from our Eternal Advent, embracing Hope, Peace and Goodwill, may we receive all the gifts God has for us. God has given us so many gifts, not just now at Christmas time, but scattered throughout our lives. Think back and remember those joyous occasions. Because of these gifts, we are filled with greater joy. May we respond with praise as we glorify our Lord and Savior now and forever more.
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing.”
Amen.
P.S. – Leave me a comment because I love hearing from you. Share this message on Facebook and tag me in it. Forward to a friend and ask them to subscribe. Let’s share this greater joy with those we love. -M
