Read: 1 Thessalonians
Rejoice always is the word from Paul to the early church. What is happening does not matter. If your life is wonderful or difficult, rejoice. Rejoicing comes along with sharing. I can not recall experiencing a time of sharing without some rejoicing along side. Advent should be the easiest time to rejoice as we prepare our hearts for the birth of Christ.
There are however two places of rub as I see it. The first is that we are not called to be happy Christians, rather ones who rejoice. There is a difference here and it is not particularly subtle. As you have been around me you have probably heard my rant about Christmas smiles and happiness that is so false it could be scrapped off like frosting on a cake. Happy all the time, is not in the Bible. However, a deep foundational joy is in the Bible. I want that unmovable rejoicing which comes from the knowledge that my savior lives. I have joy because I know that God’s amazing grace offers a perfection into my life. I am happy because my mother-in-law makes amazing pecan pie. See the difference?
The second rub is like the first in that our lives are not always pleasant. As pastor Bill Tenny-Brittian says, "Jesus was not born in Bethlehem to make the darkness more manageable." Jesus comes into our lives to make a change, not just to help us cope. Most of what we see of Christmas preparations around us are about helping people get along easier with the world as it is. However that is just not the case for Christmas. Jesus comes into the world and the world will no longer be the same again. Everything changes. This message is just as counter-culture today as it was 2000 years ago. It is also just as true and life-giving.
Now based on that kind of savior and the passage at hand for direction, how is your Christmas season rejoicing going?
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