This is the leading line of another celebratory song, sung about the relationship experience gained by inviting Christ in one's heart (aka one's spirit).
The third week of Advent, commemorated last Sunday, was focused on the inward experience of Joy made possible by Jesus' birth here on earth. Without God's giving, without Christ coming, there would not have been the atonement, no substitutionary death by Jesus for us, so we could accept His gift of exchange and be made truly free from the pain of spiritual darkness, once and for all. Acceptance does bring a complete exchange, without need for repetitious effort to get better, as a way to make it clean spiritually. Just a great gift which does the job.
This 'Season of Giving' is distinctly marked by two responses in people. Some compare themselves to others, expectations not arrived at, or promises broken. In this inner rehearsal, they are allowing themselves to be drawn into, what John Bunyan described as, the "slough of despond," in his allegorical classic story, Pilgrims' Progress. It is an expression of the muck and mire we can walk into when we have no awareness of something greater than our circumstances.
Jesus is not only aware of the absolute overcoming existence, He lives in and as that. This is shared as we let Him influence our hearts. The overcoming is not a work or an effect we accumulate by our efforts, but rather, it is a result of resting in and integrating with Christ, as He shares His triumphant life with ours.
This life is sheer JOY. Not giddiness, mind you; Joy, an abiding stabilizing assurance from Him, about Him, and consequently about our lives. Paradoxically, the Bible describes it like this: in 2 Corinthians 9:15 in the International Standard Version ISV, "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" and in 1 Peter 8b it says, "You believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy," New English Translation NET. This Joy is past our ability to put it into words, descriptively. Yet, the Bible also says this about God's own Joy, in Nehemiah 8:10, "And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." English Standard Version ESV He wants to actually, provide inner strength, from His own being, ironically, through our response of humility and appreciation of Him.
Appreciation toward God is an inward act of worship or ascribing worth-ship. It's recognizing the deep value, and expressing that to God, of who He is and what He has done by coming as Jesus. The Shepherds innately responded to the Christ child, as the one and only true God. They were overwhelmed by the visit of the messenger angels singing about His reality, in Luke 2:10-11, "The angel said, Have no fear; for truly, I give you good news of great joy which will be for all the people: For on this day, in the town of David, a Saviour has come to birth, who is Christ the Lord." Bible in Basic English BBE So, even though this was a more powerful experience than anyone had known, they had no inner struggle. There was no impulse to consider their unworthiness but only the Joy supplied by His own presence. No rehearsal of errors, no sense of foreboding and slinking away, only the overwhelming pervading presence of Joy from God, lifting them into a completely different awareness. God was offering something different for humanity. They were changed in the moment, and as they went back to care for their flocks, they shared what had happened with everybody. Luke 2:20 Their lives were lit with the candle of the Lord.
This 3rd candle, in the Advent liturgy, is known as the Shepherd Candle, communicating that Joy from Jesus. Eternal Joy, which can arrive in our personal existence right now, as we accept Him as Lord and Saviour, is indescribable. To be able to know it, it must be experienced, like in the Shepherds' lives. That is why so many feel like an on-looker at this time of year, and cannot relate to the overwhelming aspect of Joy shared by so many others, the other response.
The world can't compete, not on the level of reality. The worldly attempt is one of denial, trying to turn a Turkish Monk (Saint Nicholas) into a magical master elf, with a parade of toy-making elves following. It tries to preoccupy with tinsel, lights, overflowing boxes of distraction and the world travelling flight of reindeer, putting Canada Post to shame, as they pull a sleigh around the world, in overnight delivery, for everyone!
Wow, what exhaustion, just to say it, all in one breath!
In many Christian liturgical services, they will quote from Philippians 4:4, in Latin, "Gaudete in Domino Semper," meaning, "Rejoice in the Lord Always:" It continues, "again, I say, rejoice." Douay-Rheims Bible DRB
Before this paper is released, we will have already gone through the celebration of Christmas, on December 25th. In that service, the fourth candle for God's Love is lit. This was demonstrated by His coming from a place of perfection, heaven, to our world of troubles. So once He died for us and rose for our victory over, what some might call, a living hell, He could offer us the gift of His Love, forever like a candle in the window of your soul, glowing forever. Whatever, extraneous 'accoutrements' you may share in your Christmas time together, let's make sure they don't distract from the real reason we have Christmas. Without Christ, it would just be a mass of hurry and misdirection. Let Christ, in Christmas, remind you of the incredible Hope He came as, the Peace He alone can provide in the heart of each of us, the Joy beyond description you can know by allowing Him in, and the Love of His heart embracing and healing yours this gathering time.
Happy Seasoning.
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