Blessings of Advent
“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” ~John 15:11
When I was a child, our mailbox would be filled with catalogs during the Christmas season. In these catalogs were all of the gifts that I could desire. My Mother would ask me to look through them and to pick out some of the items that I wanted, and like any kid, I simply circled everything. I never got everything I asked for, but my parents would always give me more than I ever deserved.
What is it that we want from this season of Advent? What gift could we ask from our heavenly Father that would change everything in our lives? I think what we should ask for is an abundance of joy. The joy that only comes from the knowledge that our Jesus is in love with us and was willing to feel the flesh of humanity and then sacrifice himself for our redemption. It is the joy that allows us to see the divine in the faces of others and to show acts of mercy to others.
John remembered Jesus telling them that he desired that they experience overflowing joy. The joy that touches others and marks us as followers of the way. Let us ask for more of this joy and use it to influence others to come and follow Jesus with us. Indeed, this is a season of joy!
Journeying Together,
John
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