Be Christmas - wk1

"Be Joy"

Dr. Gary Singleton

This Christmas season we’re going to look at the heart of Christmas in a sermon series called “Be Christmas.”  We will begin this Sunday by looking at what it means to “Be Joy.”  Most people approach Christmas hoping to find joy.  But what if we went into this Christmas season seeking to give joy – the kind of joy that fills our soul and spills over onto all of those around us?
 
For some people Christmas is anything but joyful.  Maybe instead of joy, you find yourself filled with anxiety, and loneliness, and confusion.  You may force a smile on your face, but you can’t fake it.  Joy is just not part of Christmas for you.
 
What if I told you that all of us can find joy this Christmas – even those who are lonely and confused?  And not just find joy – but be so filled with joy that you just can’t keep it to yourself!
 
This Sunday we will look at the familiar Christmas story found in Luke 2, as the angels brought “good news of great joy” to a bunch of shepherds.  That same “good news” is for us too.  And from these shepherds we learn that you can’t manufacture joy, but you can find joy in the presence of Jesus.