THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT:  JOY

I can hear the conversation, as Joseph tells Mary, “Oh Mary, I wish we did not have to go to Bethlehem.  It is going to be so hard on you.”

“I will be fine, Joseph.  God will take care of us.  Did you get a reservation?”

“No,” Joseph replied.  “I tried the Hampton and Holiday Inn.  They have no rooms.  Motel 6 is so full they turned the light off.”

The journey ahead of Joseph and Mary would be filled with many trials and unknowns.  A journey.  No room.  A baby due.  Responsibilities.  Where would Joseph and Mary find joy?

JOY

The American Psychological Association describes joy as a feeling of extreme gladness, delight, or exultation of the spirit arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction.  The feeling of joy may take two forms: passive and active.  Passive joy involves tranquility and a feeling of contentment with things as they are.  Active joy involves a desire to share one’s feelings with others.

Ingrid Fetell Lee, a designer whose work focuses on the way design affects our lives and empowers people to find more joy in daily life, wrote, “There’s also research that connects experiences of joy, and particularly sharing joy with other people, to improved relationships.  When we share little moments of joy with other people, it forms a signal that lets them know that we’re actually going to be there for them not just when things are good but when times are tough.”

JOY

Okay, let’s do the obvious.  Joseph and Mary found great joy the moment they saw and held the baby Jesus.  But were there other joys while they were waiting for the birth?  Oh my YES ! ! !

Think back to when the angel came to Mary.  Now, picture a young woman, head bowed, shoulders relaxed, and breathing very slowly as she says, “I am the Lord’s servant.” She had a sense of well-being.  JOY.

Remember Joseph as he awoke from his dream and he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.  He would be beside Mary and the baby for life! JOY.

Mary went to see her cousin, Elizabeth.  Can you imagine the joy in the room the minute Mary entered and Elizabeth heard her voice?  If sharing joy can improve a relationship, Mary and Elizabeth’s relationship leaped to a whole new level.  JOY.

Mary and Joseph had hope and they found peace in their decisions, but their entire story is a story of joy.  Joy in their hearts as they committed their lives to God’s plan.  Joy in their lives as they followed God’s plan.  Joy as two babies connected while in the womb.  Joy when they heard the cry of a newborn.  Joy as the shepherds came.  JOY … JOY … So much joy the heavenly host praised God and said, “Glory to God in the highest heaven.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:10-12

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT:  LOVE

The Bible has 66 Books.  The New Testament has 27 books and, depending on the translation, 7,957 verses.  The Christmas Story, the birth of God’s Son, is told in 71 of those verses in Matthew and Luke.  Hope, peace, and joy are a result of the true meaning of Christmas:  LOVE.  Please read Matthew 1:18-25 - 2:1-12 and Luke 1:26-56 and 2:1-20.