By Norm Dugas
Psalm 40:1-6
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come; Let earth receive her King.”
Most of the time, we experience joy for very individual reasons. My team wins the big game and I am joyful (just not this year). In this case, my joy may be another person’s heartbreak.
Family brings us another opportunity for personal joy. Most weeks, I get to see my two year old grandson, Bryce, on Sunday mornings at church. What joy I experience when he squeals my name and runs to greet me. His little arms hug my neck and all is right in my world.
The joy we experience in God’s love is different. It is not dependent on how well we did that week. It is not a zero sum game, where one person’s joy is balanced by someone else’s sorrow. God’s love is available to all, in abundance, ours for the asking.
Imagine the joy of the sinner in Psalm 40, where the Lord hears his cry, lifts him out of the slimy pit of mud and mire, and sets his feet on a rock, giving him a firm place to stand. This joy is available to all of us through Jesus, our rock. Merry Christmas to all from God’s greatest gift.
“Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing.”