Joy, Joy, Joy!
 
Joy to the world the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing!
 
One of the most wonderful things about this time of year is music everywhere.  It’s fun to catch yourself humming or whistling and catch others doing it, too.  Joy…coming from the heart that is read in our face, works its way out in our speech and across our lips.
 
Joy … in spite of…
       … in the midst of …
       … because of …
 
            how would you complete each of those thoughts?  Perhaps thinking on these words from Henri Nouwen might help us reflect and expand our definition of joy this season.
 
            Joyful persons do not necessarily make jokes, laugh, or even smile. They are not people with an optimistic outlook on life who always revitalize the seriousness of a moment or event. No, joyful persons see with open eyes the hard reality of human existence and at the same time are not imprisoned by it.  They have no illusion about the evil powers that roam around, “looking for someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8), but they also know that death has no final power.  They suffer with those who suffer, yet they do not hold on to suffering; they point beyond it to an everlasting peace.
            Lifesigns by Henri J.M. Nouwen
 
Whatever our circumstances this holiday season, may we not be imprisoned by them.  May our hearts prepare room for the Lord.  May our eyes see, ears hear, and hearts understand the peace that is available to us, the power that is available to us…in spite of…in the midst of…
            and the joy we can know … because of … Jesus.
 
            The joy that Jesus offers His disciples is His own joy, which flows from His intimate communion with the One who sent Him.  It is a joy that does not separate happy days from sad days, successful moments from moments of failure, experiences of honor from experiences of dishonor, passion from resurrection.  This joy is a divine gift that does not leave us during times of illness, poverty, oppression, or persecution.
            Lifesigns by Henri J.M. Nouwen
 
May your life and my life be marked by, our lives a sign of, our understanding of the rich meaning of joy that comes through living life in communion with God.  Let’s thank God for this divine gift that is ours,,,in spite of…in the midst of…because of Jesus.