Christmas Joy

Christmas Joy

As we light our pink candles this week, we recall the joy we have because of our Savior coming! The biggest example in the Christmas story of joy is the shepherds who expressed utter joy when they saw the Savior. These men worked at the bottom of society in a less than ideal job, yet they returned from seeing the Savior to their jobs praising and glorifying Him! I don't think it was coincidence that God choose these lowly shepherds to share the good news with. 

I think it is so hard for us to express joy at times, especially in the privileged lives we live. In my mind, it is easier to express joy when you go from having nothing to everything, than it is if you have a great life and comfortable living to everything. You can have all the joy in the world about Christ's coming, but unless you actually express it and show people you have it, you are not being a message that Christ is enough for you. Why in the world wouldn't be joyful about this Savior Who came to take away our sin in the past, present and future!? 

Jesus did everything with joy. He served His Father. He served others. Yet He endured the most brutal punishment for us, giving us a new identity in Him. We have so much to rejoice about. 
Be that joyful light to others as you go about this busy season. From the smile on your face to the "post" button on facebook. Share the joy and let others know that you are happy because a Savior has changed your identity forever.  

The shepherds knew. This Savior changed everything for them, despite their living situation. They had such joy and shared it with everyone. Share your joy! You have much to be joyful about!

Luke 2: 8-20
"That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them."