JOYFUL

My mother used to wrap gifts for our kids prior to the big Christmas day.  She called it 'The Twelve Days of Christmas.'  There was one small, inexpensive gift for each day preceding Christmas, getting everybody in the mood for the magnum opus that is December 25.

We have continued the tradition she began by wrapping 12 small gifts for our own grandchildren so they can enjoy the whole season rather than wait for one great day.  Their parents send us the videos daily of the grankies opening the gifts.  Over the past five days we've had our eldest grankie, Elias, here with us while his parents were on a trip.  So we got to see it up close and personal.

Every day, whether in person or on video, you can see the delight in a child's eyes as they find a gift under the tree and rush to open it as soon as they wake.

No greater joy than right there - children teach us how to be joyful.

But it seems as we get older, we have a harder time with joy.  It seems to fade.  We're great through the first part of our lives, but joy starts to disappear with the adult years.

I get it.  Life gets complicated as you mature.  You're aware of more.  Experiences weigh you down.  Pressure rise.  Responsibilities grow.  Family - job - life.

It's almost weird.  We become a little cynical and suspicious of people who have extra amounts of joy.  What's wrong with them?

But joy is something our hearts are desperate for.  So we try to make it happen on our own.  We buy better gifts - we get more stuff - we medicate joy with thrills or alcohol or drugs.

But what if the timeline of our lives was joy rising rather than sinking?

The Gospel of Luke says the angel told the shepherds: 'I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'

Joy is something our hearts are desperate for.

My question is, why did we need joy reintroduced to the world at Christmas time?  Where did it go?

Let's go back to the beginning.  God, the source of all joy, intended it for everyone.  He declares everything good.  He makes it - it's good.  He makes it - it's good.  He makes it - it's good.

But Adam and Eve want the one thing they aren't supposed to have.  Sound familiar?

Evil is introduced into the world.  Sin comes in and creates distance from God - and joy begins to decline ... everywhere.  Satan starts to steal joy.  Evil comes in and breaks us down.  It ages us - it sours us.

So what does God do?  He sends His Son at Christmas.  It's the re-arrival of joy into the world.

And be blessed.