On the night of Jesus’ birth, the angels appeared to the shepherds in the field and proclaimed “Don’t be afraid, I have come to bring you good news of great joy for all the people!” So what makes the good news of great joy so good? And can it bring us joy in our world? In this series, we retell the Christmas story and rediscover for ourselves the JOY that Christ’s birth brings.
Every Christmas Eve after we share the light of Christ and sing “Silent Night,” we end our services by singing “Joy to the World.” It’s such a special moment in the service where we experience Joy. But sometimes we go through seasons of life when we don’t feel like singing “Joy to the World.” So how can we find joy in the midst of dark seasons in our lives?
Many people admire the rich and powerful in our world; and to some extent we may even long for this ourselves. But in the Christmas story, God did not choose a rich and powerful woman to be the mother of Jesus, he chose a lowly peasant girl named Mary. This week we will look at how Mary found joy in the most unusual of circumstances as we look at Mary’s Magnificat.
This week we turn our attention to Joseph. Like Joseph, we all have hopes and dreams for our future and we may believe that we can only find joy if those hopes and dreams come true. But sometimes God has other plans for us and we may have to put our own hopes and dreams on hold. However just because we can’t see the joy in this season of life doesn’t mean we won’t find it.
Charlie Brown, after being ridiculed for buying the worst Christmas tree imaginable, shouts out that famous question “doesn’t anyone know what Christmas is all about?” Today maybe you are asking the same question. Join us this Christmas Eve as we examine the true meaning of Christmas and how it can bring joy to your world.
*PLEASE NOTE: There will be no morning worship services on December 24. Please join us for Christmas Eve worship at 1 PM, 3 PM, 7 PM, or 9 PM.