The Season of Joy!

12-23-2018Weekly Reflection

We are at it again, Christmas season. Instead of bringing joy, the complexities of this season can rob us of the joy that God intended it to bring in our lives. Perhaps for you this season has become a time of loneliness and sadness because of the loss of a loved one. Or maybe you dread this Christmas season because for you, it is marked by intense stress-related activities the gifts you have to buy; hosting out of town family members; long trip to visit with loved ones; elaborate meals to cook; reconnecting with family members or inlaws you don’t want to see. If Christmas is bringing you something other than joy, something is amiss.

God intended the coming of Jesus to bring us joy. Luke 1:14 tell us that: “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at His birth.” At the Annunciation, the angel says to Mary: “Do not be afraid, I bring good news of great joy which will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).

It is in God’s plan that the birth of Jesus be a source of great joy and gladness for us. This incredible joy is rooted in the fact that his coming is to make all things right and rectify our relationship with the Father, and give meaning and purpose to our life here on earth and ultimately make us children of the resurrection in the life to come. state that depends on external events. Whereas the joy of Christmas peers through! It wells up within us and in itself breathes life to a withering us; even the soul of the wicked is made to rejoice and to seek a moment of kind lightheartedness: and that comes from light; it enlivens us from out of the blue; it transcends us, everything around us and everything we do. Why? The answer is that the joy of Christmas not only averts storms but spiritually weathers all storms, in a wondrous magical way. How it actually does this is one of those mysteries of faith; but we know that it is the spiritual state that the prophet Habakkuk speaks of when he says: “Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength,” (3:1718).

Neither the mountains nor the molehills, neither the trials nor the tribulations of your life can take away this joy that surpasses all human understanding. It was this state of joy that despite being stripped of everything that made life worthwhile inspired Job to reach down within him for a faith that proclaimed, “I know that my redeemer lives” (Job 19:25).

Even though nothing seems enough to console you, or fill the yearning of your soul, even though your wallet may be dried up, insufficient money to purchase all the gifts, cook the festivity meal, pay your rent: Sing in the spirit of Christmas, and the joy, through faith, shall stand fast to guard your mind and your heart because the Lord is with you (psalm 23).

About 300 years ago, Isaac Watts authored one of the most joyous Christmas carols of our time, in which he proclaimed, “Joy to the World”. Without the Joy to our World Christmas season would be bereft of its authentic flavor and also of a true essence of our celebration.

So, today, I too proclaim the joy of Christmas unto you! I proclaim the divine promise of joy, the joy from heaven, unto your life and unto your family: For the Lord is come, in Jesus name, Amen!

Merry Christmas to all of you!

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