Joy to You!

Joy can feel very elusive. I know what joy feels like when I have it. I  certainly know what it feels like to NOT have joy.

So, who doesn’t want to experience pure joy?

Perhaps, it helps to understand what joy is. I think we often get joy and happiness mixed up. Happiness is a state of emotional well-being that a person experiences usually when good things happen in a specific moment. It’s when something “happens” to us. For example, when people are successful, they feel happy.

But wait. What happens when good things don’t happen in our lives? What if you’re not excited about Christmas? What if you lost a loved one this past year? Or you've gotten a difficult diagnosis? What if you’re single and feeling alone this Christmas?

Joy isn’t about what’s happening around us. It’s something we feel deep inside us, regardless of our circumstances. Joy is a gift from God, coming to us from His Son, Jesus.

Can you imagine that kind of joy?

This week, the Advent candle we light is for JOY. The cool thing is that God sent His Son to bring joy to ALL people. It’s not for a select few, it’s for everyone. God’s joy is available to the entire world!

Christmas is a time when we can rejoice and celebrate the birth of Christ. Yet, often our joy is squished out by what’s happening in our lives and the world today. The stress of life, the parties, and the busyness have kept us from experiencing true joy. God’s joy.

Have you ever really thought about the words of the song “Joy to the World”?
Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing…..

The song was written by Isaac Watts, in 1719, not originally intended as a Christmas hymn, but focusing on the second coming of Christ. It was based on a paraphrase of Psalm 98:4-9. Psalm 98:4 says: “Let the whole earth shout to the Lord; be jubilant, shout for joy, and sing.” This carol is one of the most popular Christmas hymns of all time. How can one not sing it with a sense of joy?

What is hindering you from joy this Christmas? Let God take any form of negativity, judgment, or complaint you have and give you His joy. Pray for joy! Take time to slow down from the busyness of the season and spend time with Jesus. Make room for Christ in your heart today. 

“Though you do not now see him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9

Take a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtrnuG5wZ-Y

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

Peace to All

The Ohio State-Michigan game is always a big deal, spoken from a born-and-raised Ohio gal. I certainly didn’t see the Buckeyes losing that game after Thanksgiving. They were favored to win! I didn’t see the brawl coming after the final whistle, either!

A Wolverines player attempted to take their flag and plant it in midfield in Ohio Stadium. That didn’t go over well with the Buckeye players, which led to pushing, shoving, and punches being thrown by both teams. It was an ugly way to end a rivalry game.

It seemed like nothing good could come from this game until it did.

Check out what TreVeyon Henderson, a player at Ohio State, made about what happened after the game:

“At that moment I just felt led to turn to Him. (God) I was just praying over the team and even the other side. Forgive them, Lord. I pray that all (both sides) repent and turn to you and get to know You, Jesus.  I look at myself. I was once a person…living in sin, full of darkness, full of hate, full of anger. It wasn’t me that pulled me out of that state. It was truly Jesus. That’s my encouragement to others who play in rivalry games as well. I personally don’t see the team up north as the enemy. The true enemy is the devil. I truly believe what the enemy wants is for us to look at them as enemies and to give in to that hatred and hate each other. What our Heavenly Father,  our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ  wants, is for  us to love one another and forgive one another.”

TreVeyon knows Jesus, the Prince of Peace. When sin entered the world, we became at war with God and others. We chose our way over His way. So, God made a way for peace to be restored through sending His Son, Jesus, at just the right time. It’s in salvation, we find peace. Peace with God and peace with others.

On the second week of Advent, the candle we light is PEACE. One of the highlights of the Christmas story is when the angels appear to the shepherds and proclaim, “Peace on earth,” (Luke 2:14) Because of Jesus’ work on the cross, we have the opportunity to receive salvation and be indwelled by the Holy Spirit. We can experience His inner peace! Do you have peace with God with God?

Do you have peace with others? Peace of God allows us to see others not through our eyes, but through God’s eyes. We love others because Christ loved us. He helps us to love when everything in us wants to turn our back. I wonder if there is someone in your life with whom you’re not at peace. Is there anyone you look at as the enemy? Perhaps Jesus wants to give you the peace that comes from forgiving someone who hurt you.

It’s so easy to hold on to bitterness, hatred, and anger when someone hurts us, isn’t it?  Can you fathom the freedom and joy you might find in choosing to forgive another human being?

May God allow each of us to experience the peace of Christ and experience peace with others this Christmas season.

Scriptures to read: Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:14, Philippians 2:8-10, 1 Timothy 1:15-17, Romans 8:34-35, John 14:27, Galations 3:28

Take a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BFXCd2pWrM

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

True Hope

It’s tough to be a Dallas Cowboys fan these days. It was the first Thanksgiving I remember not being excited about the Cowboys playing football. They’re actually on a two-game winning streak. I should be excited, but I have little hope for the boys.

Many Cowboy fans feel the same way. We start the season feeling so hopeful, anticipating a winning year. Then, week by week, our hope is turned into disappointment and dread. Another bad season. And then we woefully say "Maybe next year..."

Why am I so prone to place my hope in people, things, or a football team that disappoints? Because I do. And you do too. We can place our hope in our finances, homes, professions, children, health, stability, accomplishments, friendships, marriage, football teams, and more. But the biblical sense of hope is so different. Hope in the Bible is not wishful thinking. We have a trustworthy God who will never leave us, forsake us, or fail us. If God claims He will do something, He will.

This is the first week of Advent. Many light a purple candle each week for Advent. We have an Advent candle my dad made that’s a disk cut from a log. It has four holes for the purple candles and one hole in the middle for Christmas Day, a pink candle. We love anticipating Christmas through Advent!

The first week of Advent is called the “Hope Candle” symbolizing the anticipation of the coming Messiah and the hope that He brings to the world. Another word that reflects the theme of hope is anticipation. It’s a good time to focus on the prophecies in the Bible, particularly those in Isaiah, that foretell the birth of Jesus.

I know. We're in busy mode. It’s party time. Christmas shopping and decorating. What would it look like for you to take time to slow down, contemplate, and anticipate Jesus’ birth? To slow down and give thought to the true hope, Jesus.

You may be in a situation now where you need hope. Remember, hope in God can withstand trials, despair, disappointment, betrayal, and rejection. I pray that you contemplate and consider the gift of hope that we have because of Christ Jesus.

Take some time and focus on these Scriptures this week: Isaiah 11:1, John 3:16, Isaiah 9:6-7, Romans 5:5, Hebrews 11, Micah 5:2, and Jeremiah 29:11. May God refresh you and give you His hope as you reflect on His coming.

Take a listen:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27rMrWqJsNA

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.