JOY!

The celebrating is in full swing…tree trimming, stocking stuffing, gift shopping, gift wrapping, parties, programs, banquets, caroling, lights, candy canes, sugar cookies, peppermint mocha coffee and wassel …you get the idea! The excitement builds by the day. Some people call it Christmas magic. Some call it sappy sentimentality. Rog and I call it Christmas joy. And we pray you have it too! It starts down deep inside at the thought of a loving Creator God sending His beloved Son to earth to die for the likes of sinful man. Consider the words to the following song:

I think about the baby and the man at Christmastime,
the mothers, sons, and fathers, and children just like mine;
about the power in unselfishness, love and sacrifice,
the Gift that we were given, and the price.

Roger reminded us in his message from Isaiah 12 on the first Sunday in December, that giving and getting and spending and debt is all often associated with Christmas. And even when we are trying to “keep Christ in Christmas”, we can get lost in it all if we’re not careful. Christmas cost God everything, and that means we have a reason to celebrate.

You can have a joy-filled Christmas this year. In spite of your situations, your circumstances, determine that the sacrifice Christ made for us is reason enough to have joy, especially this time of year. Pray one for another, especially for those so obviously hurting or alone. Love sacrificially. Give until it hurts. Keep reaching out! Get involved in your church or community, maybe in a way you never have before. Life is so full and God is so good. We don’t plan or ask for pain, disappointment, financial ups and downs, turbulent teens, parents battling aging and all its challenges, loved ones with serious illnesses, or precious little time with friends we love and miss. But we still joy in Him who by His mercy graces us with these many ways to trust Him, honor Him, praise Him. His love never fails.



O Lord, I will praise you!
Sing to the Lord, for He has done excellent things!
Cry out and shout… for great is the Holy One…in your midst. from Isaiah 12