LET THERE BE JOY

      If you have been lighting the candles of the Advent wreath, you will soon come to the pink candle, sometimes called the candle of joy. Just as the pink candle stands out from the solemnness and demands of purple, joy bursts out from the dark colors of hopelessness and lostness. So we light the pink candle. The candle of joy!

      In the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, we find words that just seem to pick us up and put a different spirit in our hearts. Yet at the same time we may find ourselves doubting whether we can really carry out this mandate. In the fourth chapter of Philippians, the verses 4-7, we find the challenging call to, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!” Did Paul really mean that we should be joyful all the time? I believe he did. You see, Paul wrote from the darkness of a Roman prison cell.

      Jesus also thought it was extremely important for us to have joy in our lives. In the last conversation Jesus had with his disciples, he stressed the necessity of having joy. Jesus, even as he faced the torture of the cross, had the joy of obedience, knowing that he was following his Father’s will. Jesus said, “One of the last gifts that I would like to give to you is this same kind of joy that I have. The kind that exists even in the darkest of situations. I want all my disciples to have this kind of joy that only I can give.”

      One of the keys of joy is knowing without a doubt that we are loved; by God and also by others. God tells us of his love over and over in so many ways. We find that Advent proves that love.

      Another key of joy is the realization that God holds us physically and spiritually in his control. The psalmist tells us, “…his hand will lead us, and his right hand will hold us fast.” It should give us joy knowing that our hand is in the hand of God.

      A third key to joy is the absence of fear. The 121^st psalm tells us that God will keep us from all evil, keep us in his care no matter the circumstances. We serve a God who does not sleep, so why should we fear?

      Someone has suggested these rules for joyful living;

Give something away- no strings attached

Do an act of kindness- and forget it

Spend a few minutes with an elderly person- their experience is priceless

Look intently into the face of a baby- and marvel

Laugh often- it is the oil that lubricates the wheels of life

Give thanks- a thousand times a day is not enough

Pray- or you will lose the way

Find God’s will for you- and work at it

Plan as though you will live forever- because you will

Live as though you will die tomorrow

      If you have that unspeakable joy of salvation in your heart and life this morning, hold on to it with all your determination. Hold on by faithful prayer, searching his Word, and complete surrender to God. Resist fear, discouragement, and worry, because you are not alone. You are loved, cared for, and protected by a God who never gets tired. Even if you have lost the joy of salvation, it can be found again by pausing and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit as he calls your name.

   Let us claim our salvation and our joy, and then let us go out proclaiming joy to the world.

Rev Tim McConnell. Long’s Chapel UMC, December 15, 2013