Joy on Display
Today’s scripture: Psalm 126 This third week of Advent we light the pink candle, the candle of Joy. Psalm 126 guides us into the notion of joy, “The Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” Christmas brings the coming of the Messiah, our savior so even with pandemics, we have much to be joyful about.
Pastors and theologians have long argued a difference between joy and happiness but it really is just a game of semantics for the most part. What we argue as the difference is really the presence of peace when we talk about joy. It is a sense of calm, assurance and yes, joy but perhaps without the giddiness of happiness. This sense of peace is that calm, quiet we try to capture on Christmas Eve. Perhaps Silent Night does it best along with the image of German and British troops in World War II who exchanged Christmas carols across the line until a Christmas truce emerged along the lines and perhaps 100,000 troops set their weapons aside to share the peace of Christmas. Where can you capture that peace in your life this year?