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Hi everyone! I trust you’re all well this week, that you’ve stayed dry and safe through the torrential rains and howling winds, and that you’re continuing to enjoy the Advent season as the clock ticks down to Christmas and the New Year.

While I was brushing my teeth and preparing to face the day this morning, it suddenly hit me that it’s Thursday the 18th, meaning we are now just 1 week from Christmas Day! That shouldn’t have been a surprise, really. We’ve been talking about Christmas since the last week of November. My house is full of decorations, and I’m working on a 4th message on the Christmas story. So of course, the 25th is getting close. But somehow it always seems to sneak up on me. We prepare and anticipate for quite a while, then, Boom! When it actually arrives, it feels like a surprise after all.

It will be a busy 7 days, with lots to do before the 25th arrives. But the upcoming events are all good, and the reason for the season is wonderful. So, I’m excited to launch into this next week. I hope your week-before-Christmas is lining up well, too. May your days be filled with joy!

As it happens, “joy” will be the theme in our worship this next Sunday. We’ve made our way around the candles on the Advent wreath, talking about hope, love, and peace. Now, as we approach the climax of the season, it seems appropriate to focus on joy. Of the 4 Advent themes, I think that joy is the one which best describes what is special about Christmas time. In spite of all our rushing around, our calendar pressures, relationship challenges and other concerns, there always seems to be a mood of “lightness,” friendliness, and celebration that is unique to Christmas. I sense it in people’s greetings at the grocery store and the coffee shop and in exchanges with neighbors. Of course, there’s plenty of joy when we gather at church, too—not only because we share special meals and hold special events, but all the more because we celebrate the unique, once-in-all-history demonstration of God’s love in sending His Son.

Joy feels like the right way to finish our series of Advent Sunday messages. With Christmas Day on the doorstep, this week we’ll turn to the central passage that recounts the story of Jesus’ birth: Luke 2:1-20. You know the story well. Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem, where Jesus is born and placed in a manger. Angels announce His arrival to a group of shepherds with praise and joyful song. The shepherds rush to see their newborn Messiah, then share the news with others.

The most important part of the story is the birth of Jesus. Yet the part of the narrative that gets the most emphasis is the message of the angels, because it explains the importance of Jesus’ birth. And the center of their message is these words: “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David.”

Our Savior’s arrival is great news! And it really is a source of joy. May our time together on Sunday be an encouragement for you, and may we all be able to enter fully into the joy of the season this year. 

If I had to pick a carol to go with this week’s theme, the choice is easy. I can’t think about the joy of Jesus’ birth and not have my mind turn to that wonderful song, Joy to the World.

Joy to the world! The Lord is come;  Let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns. Let all their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.

He rules the earth with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness, and wonders of His love.

The Savior has come! May our hearts be opened wide to receive Him, and may our mouths be filled with joyful song. 

Richest Christmas blessings this week.
—Pastor Ken