Sat. 18 Dec. 2021
Joy
Christine Hudson
I love to sing. True confessions: I do not sing well, my kids will often groan when I start randomly singing. As you may imagine all the songs at Christmas get sung with enthusiasm. Even when in truth, it is not unusual for me to struggle to feel the Christmas spirit. I fall victim to false expectations to create “the most wonderful time of the year” ( I sang in my head as I wrote that, I hope you sang along too). I struggle to find the balance of what Christmas means to my faith and how it is celebrated in over the top ways secularly. There is a huge disconnect between buying presents for my loved ones and celebrating the story of Jesus’ birth as a light for all the world. And then I feel bad because I don’t feel the joy I am “supposed to feel”.
I often relate more to the sentiment of Jesus being the light during the darkest time of the year. Along with the actual fewer daylight hours, the stress of everything that goes along with the holiday season, and that can be many different things for people. Some love to shop, others hate it, some struggle with large gatherings, others with loneliness.
Anne shared something with a group last week about along the lines of: during the deepest darkness we can see the smallest light. I find it is the same with Joy, sometimes it is the smallest thing that can bring joy, a walk, lunch with a friend, some quiet time, a smile from a stranger. And when you haven’t experienced joyful things in awhile, you feel it all the more acutely.
I was struck at Lessons and Carols and how giddy and happy everyone ( particularly Rob) was… when I thought about it I realized that this is the first “regular” holiday event after being apart for so long. Even something that used to feel routine is more special now. It was a light in a time of prolonged darkness.
Joy is a feeling of deep happiness. For me, the truth is that much of the stress of the holiday season builds up to a happy day. But the true deep joy that we celebrate is that our life in Jesus is more than one day, and does not rely upon us finding the perfect present, having a huge feast or the brightest decorations.
So you can be sure on Christmas Eve I will be singing with great enthusiasm "Joy to the World! The Lord has Come! “