Christmas is the season of Joy. The journey to Christmas passes through dark and cold places. In those places, we can expect a divine light to shine. The Angels boldly declared to the shepherds in Luke 2:10,

“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.” 

Joy is the heart’s response and reaction to the presence of God. Life can be hard and the road long but Joy knows who waits at the end of the journey. We can rejoice because we have Emmanuel, God with Us.

Matthew 1:23 quotes Isaiah 7:14 saying, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist. The baby in her womb jumped for joy when Mary arrived carrying Jesus within her. When a woman is expecting a baby she looks forward to the joy of holding that baby in her arms after the pain of the birth. Jesus compared both his advent and his second coming in similar terms in

John 16:21-22, “It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.”

The people of God have great joy and can rejoice even in difficult times because Jesus is with us and He will never leave us or forsake us. May you overflow with great Joy this Christmas season!