Hey Church!
Can you believe we're nine days from Christmas?! I'm so excited! This week we close out our series "Re-Gift" as we talk about "PEACE." I know I need some peace in this hectic season. Also, our Kidz Choir will be singing at both Worship Experiences. You don't want to miss it!
Thought for the Week
"So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." Luke 16:22
Last Sunday we talked about JOY, and it is certainly a theme of the season. Nearly every church will sing Joy to the World over the holidays. We have Christmas decorations with JOY written all over them. I've thought a lot about joy and what it really means. We all want to equate joy and happiness, and that's why it doesn't make sense. Happiness is temporary and circumstantial. None of us can possibly be happy all the time. Loved ones die, disappointment happens, sickness gets us down, and the troubles of the world force us onto an emotional roller coaster. The joy found in Christ is based on the reality that THIS ISN'T IT. There is more to the story. There is an epilogue. There is an alternate ending. The pain, fear, disappointment, and sadness are not the end of the story. Christmas is a reminder of that. Four Hundred years of silence seemed like the end of the story for the people of God. It had been a good run. Prophets preached. Moses delivered. Wars were won. David had slayed giants. But it seemed like God was done. The birth announcement to Mary marked the beginning of a new chapter titled "I'm not done." If you are going through a difficult time, if you are going through a season of silence, if you think you're at the end of your rope -- I want to invite you to embrace joy. It's not pretending that difficult times aren't real. It's the realization that there is a reality that is MORE real. Joy is coming. The silence isn't the end of the story. Never forget that. Your last chapter isn't written yet. God is working on it right now. It's why we can have a joy that transcends circumstances.
In Christ,
Carter
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