Sunday at the Methodist Church in Stafford, the Deel family lit the third Advent candle, the Candle of Joy. Isn't that a feeling we all desire? Joy is so much deeper than fleeting, in-the-moment happiness. Joy is a bedrock, the solid rock that lies beneath the shifting sand of daily life with its trials and tribulations.
With our RV's maintenance and repairs complete, Tim and I drove back to the farm in Stafford last week. I made only one navigational error, telling him to turn right on a Kansas back road that was closed due to construction. The sign warning me of the detour was, in my opinion, way too close to the turnoff for me to react and tell Tim that, in the words of a GPS system, our route needed to be re-calculated.
He was not pleased with my error and our happiness with one another was temporarily gone. Still, my underlying joy remained because I knew that, despite his grousing, Tim loves me regardless of my faults.
That's the way God loves too. His love is constant, even though I've messed up so many times. After all, He died in my place and that substitution paid for my guilty sins. He sent His Son into the world to bring me joy.
On Sunday Pastor Nathan Gift spoke about how anticipation enhances one's joy. He mentioned the joy of an expectant mother in a planned pregnancy or the excitement of a child awaiting Christmas day. That's what Advent, the four weeks prior to Christmas, is all about. We look forward to Christ's birth, knowing that He came to put paid to our sins. He brought light into the world and drove the darkness of guilt from our lives. That's the bedrock upon which we stand.
And isn't that good news! Joy to the world!
Postscript: I'm setting aside this journal until after the New Year so I may finish all the preparations for Christmas before our children arrive next week. May your holiday season be full of joy!
That's the way God loves too. His love is constant, even though I've messed up so many times. After all, He died in my place and that substitution paid for my guilty sins. He sent His Son into the world to bring me joy.
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| We await the addition of Christ in the manager with our Nativity scene |
On Sunday Pastor Nathan Gift spoke about how anticipation enhances one's joy. He mentioned the joy of an expectant mother in a planned pregnancy or the excitement of a child awaiting Christmas day. That's what Advent, the four weeks prior to Christmas, is all about. We look forward to Christ's birth, knowing that He came to put paid to our sins. He brought light into the world and drove the darkness of guilt from our lives. That's the bedrock upon which we stand.
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| Sunlight boxes light the sanctuary's ceiling of Stafford Methodist Church |
And isn't that good news! Joy to the world!
Postscript: I'm setting aside this journal until after the New Year so I may finish all the preparations for Christmas before our children arrive next week. May your holiday season be full of joy!
I enjoyed the photos, Cindy! Blessings during this Christmas season! Hope to see you Sunday. We love having yours and Tim's perspectives in Sunday School, too.
ReplyDeleteYour discussion guides and the way you make sure that everybody is heard makes Sunday School so interesting. Thanks for the time and effort you put into our class. Wishing you and Randy a very merry Christmas!
DeleteYour blog and posts are so thoughtful and humorous plus real. Thanks for enlightening us of your journey and exploits as we all can relate to those glitches involving wrong turns and ignoring GPS. Your a Kansas girl and know your way home!
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed Christmas surrounded by your family and children. Look forward to following your adventure as you travel in the New Year!
Love always, Yas and Ralph
Thanks for reading about our journey and exploits, Yas! We survived our first wrong turn fiasco. I wish it could be our last, but we're in for the long haul. I'm sure there will be more to come.
DeleteMay you have a wonderful time with your family and friends over the holidays! Love you, too!
Being the "Gator" is a thankless job. All the correct turns are negated or forgotten by the one wrong instruction. Maybe Tim should take over the right seat for awhile and see how the Gators do it. 😊
ReplyDeleteBeing the "Gator" is a thankless job. All the correct turns are negated or forgotten by the one wrong instruction. Maybe Tim should take over the right seat for awhile and see how the Gators do it. 😊
ReplyDelete