Happy fourth Week of Advent and an early Merry Christmas! Since we won’t have an extra bulletin for Christmas, I will use this to convey a Christmas greeting of joy, peace, and glory to God. That was the original greeting delivered by angels on the original Christmas:
The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the
city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:10–14)
Joy and peace are two of the greatest gifts we can possess. They are gifts of God. There are earthly forms of these, but they really are just shadows of the real deal. Occasionally, we can experience an earthly joy of seeing a beautiful sunrise, enjoying a good cup of coffee, having a day at the beach, or whatever you most enjoy. But then the moment passes. Occasionally, we can experience an earthly peace when there is break between interpersonal conflicts, no problems, and all our urgent tasks are finished. But when does that ever happen?
But the authentic God-given gifts of joy and peace do not depend on any earthly circumstance and they can endure troubles (even a pandemic) and no one or nothing can take them away. Have you ever experienced that? It is possible. It comes when we truly are close to the Lord and open to His great love and grace. We realize everything on earth does pass, but God, His love, and life in Him never pass away. We realize many troubles on earth might not matter in the bigger scheme. We realize if God loves us, that He sent His only Son to us, that He wants to save us and have us live with Him forever in Heaven, then what else matters? What joy and peace there is to be had when we possess a relationship with Jesus! Deep, enduring, and wonderful. These gifts of God come when we give glory to God—when we worship God and open our hearts to Him.
Thank you for worshiping with us, and I wish and pray in these turbulent times you truly experience joy and peace this Christmas!
Joy and Peace,
Fr. Greg