This is the first line of one of the many Christmas carols sung this time of year. But my grandson had an observation that made me think. He asked why we didn't say the 'Lord has come' since Jesus was born so many years ago. That's when I realized that even though Jesus was born into the world over 2000 years ago, we get to invite Him into our world every single day. Each day we decide whether or not we want Jesus to rule and reign in our lives. We get to decide if we want to follow His teachings or follow the ways of the world. We get to chose whether we lead with love or succumb to hate. And we get to decide if we love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. In this way the Lord is coming to us every day and in every situation. That is such a comforting thought to me. No matter what is going on in my life that makes me feel separated from Jesus, He is standing right there ready to come back into my heart.
And because the Lord is come, we can experience joy to the world and joy in our world. This joy is not happiness that is related to what's going on in our lives. But this joy is the joy of the Lord, that transcends all situations. This means that we can rejoice int the midst of trials and tribulations. We can rejoice when we are sick. We can rejoice when we are grieving. And we can still rejoice when the world seems to be crashing down all around us. This is the same joy that Nehemiah spoke of in Nehemiah 8:10 when he said, "The joy of the Lord is my strength." The joy of Jesus gives me the strength to keep going when I feel like stopping. The joy of Jesus gives me hope when my world seems hopeless. And the joy of Jesus gives me the power to do all things through Christ.
As you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, remember that because the Lord is coming into our lives each and every day, we can truly have joy in our world!
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!