Are you feeling a little ‘Grinchy’ these days? That green character attempted to steal Christmas from the residents of Whoville suffering from a lack of joy. “It could be, perhaps his shoes were too tight. But, I think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small.” (Dr. Suess) Are feeling something like that? Or just maybe you are more like Ebenezer Scrooge who dismissed it all with a snarling “Bah Humbug!” If this is you, I am sorry and I wish I could listen to your story and perhaps help you shift your point of view.
This third week of Advent we are choosing to remember the possibility of joy that was announced "for all the people!"
"I bring you good news of great joy," the angel reassured a group of frightened men, shepherds who were seeing the strangest sight there in the field outside of Bethlehem! The sheep herders were probably illiterate, most likely not attuned to the prophetic texts that foretold the Messiah’s coming. And still God chose to make the news of the start of a new era, coming to Earth in the Person of Jesus, known to them. Did the angel get lost on the way to Jerusalem? Did he miss the Temple courts by a couple of miles? Of course not! This was the plan of God and it has great significance for us.
God's
desire was to bring all people - shepherds from the field - and
wise men from the East - to worship the Savior who had come to restore them to
their Creator and Father.
Luke sums up it all up. The angels sang “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them."(Luke 2:14-18, NIV) And in that worship, they found joy.
So that I do not slip into “Grinchiness,” so
that I avoid the curses of Scrooge’s cynicism, I will choose joy and
here are a couple of things I will do.
First, I will focus my celebration on Jesus, to seek Him, that I might worship Him and find joy.
The lights, trees, gifts, and dinners can
become a distraction from the real heart of Christmas, God’s gift of His Son. We must choose to worship beginning with a decision
to step over the secondary things to find Him! Those shepherds could have
remained with their sheep but they chose to go to see the Baby. They became
part of a strange and wonderful story of God’s entry into our world. Wherever
you are today, whatever your situation – find time to look for the Savior, to
thank Him, perhaps just to wait quietly before Him offering your worship.
Second, I will work at being a person who brings joy to others.
My prayerful goal this Season is to bring
people the joy of Jesus. We are
surrounded by people who are just surviving loneliness, illness, disappointment,
the limits of aging, or the weight of guilt and regret. Santa Claus cannot alleviate that kind of
pain. The holiday décor cannot make sadness go away. The holiday music that plays everywhere may
only deepen the gloom of those whose hearts are broken.
So, I will pray to be a
messenger of joy, a loving listener, a burden sharer! My message will be that which Isaiah shared
about God’s gift, Jesus, Who will “comfort all
who mourn, care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, give them bouquets of
roses instead of ashes, messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising
heart instead of a languid spirit.”
I invite you to join me in this mission of JOY!
WE are people of the Spirit, “Christ’s ambassadors.” We have the
awesome privilege of leading others to Him, sharing with them the joy which we
have found.
Here is the Truth briefly stated.
Jesus is the
Healer of broken hearts.
Jesus is our Savior, the Priest Who reconciles us to
our Father.
In Him we are freely given eternal life, which we can own now,
while we wait for the Second Advent of our King.
Want to know the joy of the Lord? Tell Him your deepest need, yes, in your own
words, your own way. Ask Him to help you. His answer may not come in the way
you expect, but He will come to you. He promises!
Here is a word from the Word. "So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified. Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. And he came so the Gentiles might also give glory to God for his mercies to them. … They will place their hopes on him.” So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:7-13, NLT)
(Video of this blog at this link)
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Go Tell It On The Mountain
(Zac Williams might make you want to get up and dance. Enjoy!)
The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed the Savior's birth
Go tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and ev'rywhere
Go tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born
Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation
That blessed Christmas morn
When I was a seeker
I sought both night and day
I asked the LORD to help me
He showed me the way
He made me a watchman
Upon the city wall
And if I am a Christian
I am the least of all
John W. Work Jr.
© Words: Public Domain
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