Sing fOr Joy!

​Sing for Joy!
As a pastor, who also ministers in both the corporate world and public settings daily, I encounter many new people each week. One of the things I have noticed in recent years, is a growing lack of joy in so many lives. What is joy? Is it a feeling? An attitude? An emotion? Is it something we get, discover, or find on the road of life? Is it temporary or permanent? Can it be passed from one person to another? Is it internal or external? Is it possible it could be all of the above? This passage reveals some answers. At the time it was written, things weren’t going so well for Moses. He knew that something was missing in the lives of God’s people and he knew what it was: JOY! They had been through some very difficult and trying times and felt abandoned. They were grumbling, griping, and angry at God. They wondered; how long must we wander around in this wilderness. They were disenchanted and discouraged like many people are today.
Moses, being a man of God, knew what to do: He went to God on his knees in prayer. Moses reminded the Lord, that He was a God filled with unfailing love. Moses then begged God to show His compassion and relent, saying “We’ve suffered long enough! When we awaken tomorrow morning,” he prayed, “fill our empty hearts with a renewed awareness of Your unfailing love.” Moses knew, only God could restore the joy of their salvation and the blessings that repentance brings. Friends, we are annually reminded of this joy on the third week of Advent, when we light the JOY candle. It’s so easy to become like the grumbling Israelites wanting God’s blessings without being faithful to Him. Often, hearts once filled with joy, are empty because of sin and separation from God. When joy seems to be missing from your life, take inventory and do some inward reflection, then seek forgiveness and reclaim the abundant, abounding joy found in Jesus.
Advent Blessings,
Fr. Greg+

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