The Source of Joy
“Let the heavens
rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let
the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest
sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes
to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in
his faithfulness.” *
Yesterday morning, there was a nice surprise
on the doorstep—a Christmas centerpiece consisting of a plant in a holiday tin.
In the middle of the plant was a cardinal made of red feathers and foam. Later
we discovered that our neighbor, Melinda Smith, had dropped it off as a way of
saying “thank you” and “Merry Christmas!”
In
addition to her surprise, today I was standing at the kitchen sink looking out
the window when a ruby red cardinal caught my attention. This one was real,
sitting on the bare branches of a shrub. Maybe he was drawn to the bright red
topnotch of a metallic woodpecker that Al had fastened to a nearby stump.
Cardinals
are plentiful in our area. Being a California native, I get happy whenever I
see one. Both cardinal surprises this
week have brought smiles and joy!
I’m sure you
have many things that give you happiness and a feeling of joy as well. For Al,
it comes from bringing me hot tea in the morning, cooking for me and knowing
that I love him, all of which make me even more joyful! Together we share the joys of watching our
daughter Shanda play the viola with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and of being
close to her and the family.
The underlying
source of my joy is the knowledge that God loves me, that He has a plan for my
life and that I can walk in a close relationship with Him through faith in
Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a deep and abiding state of being,
no matter the circumstances I am facing, the physical pain or emotional
distress I am experiencing.
When the angel
Gabriel appeared to Mary with the news that she had been chosen by God to be
mother of the Messiah, she must have been distraught, her world suddenly turned
upside down. However, she responded with a great statement of faith, “I am the
Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38 NIV)
Gabriel also told
Mary that her relative, Elizabeth, who was beyond child bearing age, was pregnant.
This was a confirmation to the young woman that nothing was impossible for God.
Perhaps it motivated her to make the quick decision to leave her home in
Nazareth and travel to the hill country of Judea where Elizabeth lived. Maybe
Mary had to see for herself; doubtless she was in need of encouragement and
support.
Not only did Mary
receive a warm welcome from the older woman, she also received these hopeful
words of blessing from Elizabeth as she was filled with the Holy Spirit: “Blessed
are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear. But why am I so
favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of
your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is
she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (Luke
1:42b-45 NIV)
Upon hearing
these words, joy replaced any other emotion that Mary might have been feeling.
She responded by singing a song of praise to God.
“My soul
glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been
mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will
call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his
name…” (Luke 1:46-49 NIV)
Just as the God
of hope filled Mary with joy and peace, so he fills each of us with joy when we
turn away from our sins and turn to Him in faith. May we celebrate Christmas
this year knowing Jesus is with us each step of the way! He is our source of
eternal joy. Rejoice!
“Joy to the
World, the Lord is come!
Let earth
receive her King;
Let every heart
prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing…”
(“Joy to the World,” Isaac Watts, 1719)
*Psalm 96: 11-13 NIV
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