"The Gift of Joy" - Sat. December 23, 2023

"The Gift of Joy" - Sat. December 23, 2023

Dec 23, 2023

Preacher: Pastor Craig Larson

Series: Advent

Category: Worship Services

Notes:

Ready or not, Jesus is coming. No matter how much you prepare and plan for an event, there is that moment when you raise up your hands and say, “This is as good as it gets.” Preparations for Christmas can seem that way. Years ago, the church established the season of Advent to get people excited about the “coming” Messiah. We get to focus on the scriptures that remind us of the prophecies and all that led up to his birth. As a child, Advent became that exciting countdown to Christmas. As an adult, each candle that was lit on the Advent wreath caused our anxiety to go up… we have only this many weekends to get all the things on our to-do list done. This week, we are doing double duty. Christmas Eve and the fourth Sunday of Advent are the same weekend. Like any birth, you can prepare and plan all that you want, but the child will come in their own time. We are blessed this weekend. God has given us a present. Instead of another week of busyness, God has given us an extra weekend of “Joy.” There is that moment when we set aside all the external distractions and focus on our joy in recognizing that the birth of the Messiah is what matters. This weekend you can anticipate both the coming Emmanuel and declare our ultimate Joy to the World. I pray that you embrace the gift that God has given through the hope that his birth brings to you.

Dig Deeper:

Think of an unplanned Joy at Christmas.

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