Rejoice Always? How do we do that?

 Scripture: Zephaniah 3:14-20  • Isaiah 12:2-6  • Philippians 4:4-7  • Luke 3:7-18

Amid the hustle and bustle of the season, year's end work to finish, cleaning, baking, decorating, shopping, wrapping presents, meetings, choir practice, addressing Christmas cards, office and church dinners, worshiping, reading, checking off our lists and agendas, thinking of others...thinking of others? There are a lot of emotions which come into play during Advent and Christmas. How can we rejoice in all things?

We again encounter John the Baptizer, crying out for repentance in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord, and this time, in addition to the urgency of his message, we see can hear anger in his voice. What place does this have in the good news coming near? In preparing for the Lord, what are we called to do? See Good News? Ouch that hurts! by Peter Woods.

Yes, we have all experienced or witnessed the full range of emotions and human conditions during the Christmas season. Great joy, wonder, surprise and sadness, loneliness, nostalgia, and anger. And in the midst of all of our humanity, the Lord comes to us, the giver of life, to share all that is life with us. Read "Joy- their Color of Grace" by Christopher Burkett, and the story of the grandmother, Gagi, to see how anger and self pity is overcome by joy, as we prepare for the coming of the Lord, who is doing something wonderful and new.

For a profound article on joy and rejoicing, recognizing God's presence,and exercising joy in tough times, a forward calling for joy, read Debie Thomas' "Rejoice Always?"