Joy - Good News Travels Fast

Aren’t you thankful today for the joy of the Lord?

Christmas is a season of joy! It is specifically the season of joy regarding the arrival of our Lord and Savior!

It is not a joy that should be gauged off of circumstantial things… it is a joy that is centered on Jesus. If you are like us… we have a lot of things coming up in the next couple of weeks… good things that are a part of the season.

We have visits with the in-laws planned...

We have special meal ideas coming together.

We have special and traditional gift exchanges in the works

We have times of fellowship and games on the calendar.

ALL of these things are good things AND… they bring us joy! But as good as these things are… they are not the ultimate source of our joy this holiday season.

When our joy is based on circumstances, it really isn’t joy at all, it is temporary happiness. To experience the best Christmas ever is to experience joy that transcends the holiday hype. Christmas is, as it was intended, an announcement about the arrival of the Savior who would rescue us from our sin and give us real life.

This announcement is the very reason why we can experience joy this Christmas that is not based on material circumstances, but instead is based on Jesus’ presence in our lives.

Have you ever been so excited about something, so happy...that it was hard to hold it inside?

Turn with me to Luke chapter 2, where the news of the coming Messiah was first delivered to a small group of shepherds;

Luke 2:8–10 NIV

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

Obviously, we know the rest of the story, but can you even imagine the overwhelming and indescribable joy these shepherds must’ve been experiencing? This is THE news that the nation has waited generations to hear. And the angel of the Lord rightly says the news was good and would cause great what? GREAT JOY!

Fast forward about 30 years and we know Jesus began His ministry by teaching, preaching, and healing as the crowds gathered to Him wherever He went. (Matthew 4:23) If you’ve ever read through the gospels you’ll probably remember something funny that happened as Jesus ministered… Often, He would heal someone and tell them not to tell anyone what had happened, and often that same person would go and tell anyway. (Refer to Mark 7:36)

Why couldn’t people keep the news to themselves? Because they were overwhelmed with joy and excitement at the teaching, preaching, and healing of Christ!

Now… let’s return back to the manger… back to the fields where the shepherds were. What would the shepherds decide to do with the great news that the angels had just delivered to them? It wasn’t just news for the shepherds… it was news for the world! News that would bring this world JOY!

Today… with some dramatic flare and some imaginative interpretation… our children’s ministry under the direction of pastor Kristy and with the help of LeAnn Leidig and Kathy Schmid, are going to tell a story of what might of happened as the shepherds were exploding with joy!

And this year’s production is special… as the kids sing the songs, we want to invite you to sing along with them!

This is The Not So Silent Night by our Reality Kids Ministry!