The third Sunday of Advent is upon us - and Walter & I will be celebrating it at home today.

As the glow of the lights of Regina grew brighter in the late night sky, my joy also grew!  Our two week winter vacation has come to an end.  Filled with beautiful scenery, relaxing soaks in the hot springs and delicious food prepared by others, we felt very blessed.  We enjoyed some visits along the way with friends and family, receiving their gifts of hospitality and love.  

The anticipation of home is something sweet, as well.  As fun and exciting as vacations are, real life is lived in our everyday routines.  Soon, we will be resuming our "normal" ministry rhythms and yes, that includes travel!  And so we will relax at home for a few more weeks before our itinerary for the New Year begins...

JOY!  We experience joy as an exhilarating emotion of happiness and excitement!  It is our response to opening gifts, seeing a loved one or accomplishing a hard task.  Real life is not lived in a constant state of ecstasy and thrill, but it is part of the rhythms of our journey.  The boredom of routine and the lows of sadness contrast to the highs of joy!  

So many of us mistake happiness for joy.  Happiness is the emotional response to happenings, circumstances.  No one can be happy all the time!  The reality of our human experiences is that events occur that cause disappointment, sorrow and deep grief.  And so if we rely on our circumstances to make us happy, we will be sorely confused and depressed.

But joy is the choice to be positive and celebrate in spite of circumstances.  Paul wrote in the letter to the Philippian church to "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice."  (Philippians 4:4)  If God expects us to rejoice, it must be possible to choose to do so.  God never sets us up for failure, but gives us the ability to succeed with His help.  Joy, then, is the decision of our will to be thankful, be content, to worship and spread cheer to others even when we don't feel like it!

Psalm 47:1 also gives the verb tense of a command to God's people:  "Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with louds songs of joy!"  The rest of that psalm explains the reasons why we should be joyful and express joy through physical and vocal means.  Because the Lord is to be feared, He is a great king, He reigns over the whole earth!  

As we approached the city limits, the lights of home drew us.  How much  more the anticipation of Jesus' birth and our celebration of the wonders of Christmas!  

May each of you, my family and friends, allow the JOY of Jesus Christ and His promises of heaven, warm your hearts and comfort you when happiness isn't enough.