One of my pet peeves against the Christmas package is that it makes it difficult to talk about Jesus’ birth without it feeling out of season, so to speak. As soon as we start speaking of Bethlehem, and angels, and shepherds, and the baby in a manger, it conjures up all the tinsely entrapments that confine such things to one tiny window of distractions.
How then do we address the wonderful message that there is “good news of great joy that will be for all the people”[1] without reducing it to a materialistic season of enchantment? How do we revel in the Scriptures that describe Jesus’ entrance into our world without limiting them to a season when they so clearly offer us a lifetime of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit?[2]
After finishing up a very encouraging series on agapè-love, I found myself wanting to address our equally desperate need for joy. What I have come to realize is that the message of joy in the Bible does not match the experience of joy in so many church-folk. “Why is that?”, I wonder.
In the first message of this series we look at how clearly God intends for his people to experience a life of “good news of great joy”. This will be our theme for the whole series as we look at every aspect of joyful living we can find in God’s word. It is clear that he has spoken his mind on the matter. Our aim is to let his words dwell in us richly until what we feel inside us matches his will and work.
Join our home church as we attempt to throw off the trappings of the Christmas filter and receive God’s gift of everlasting joy as our right and heritage all year round, and on into eternity. Unto us a Savior has been born, who is Christ the Lord,[3] and we can enjoy his transforming love and joy every day of our lives.
© 2019 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8
Email: in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)
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