God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen....

...Let nothing you dismay;
Remember Christ our Savior
was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray!
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy,
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy!


Joy. That is the word that can be seen every which place during the holiday season. It's everywhere, on posters, ornaments, wrapping paper, we even sing of this thing called joy.

And why? I cannot help but think that this is often the question that enters the minds of believers and non-believers alike. For you look around this world and is indeed feelings of everything but this thing called joy.

Each day there are murders, and tragedies like what happened in Connecticut, in all four corners of this earth.

Looking to the east, one finds war and violence, and starving peoples. Look to the west, and one sees yet more violence fueled by struggles with a failing political system and mindset. To the north, one sees politicians, jumping at the chance to try to take away yet more of our freedoms. And to the south, one sees, again, more violence prompted by drugs and the cartels that are trafficking and smuggling them. Indeed, looking over the entirety of the earth, of joy you will find but little. 

And again, why?  Why is there such unrest? Why is there no peace to be seen? Where are the angels singing, "Peace on earth, goodwill to men?" Why is there no peace and, to some it may seem, no goodwill of God to men? The answer lies in the end of the verse to the carol quoted at the beginning of this post, the very reason Christ came:

"To save us all from Satan's power,

When we were gone astray."

And so, my dear friends, in the midst of this unrest, this perpetual cacophony that this world seems to be in, have peace in remembering that this world is not for us. We are not here to stay. And for the time that we are here, let us remember the lyrics to a song from Handel's Messiah that is often sung at this time of year:

"Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns,

King of kings, and Lord of lords,
And He shall reign,
And He shall reign forever and ever."

"'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the LORD, who has compassion on you." Isaiah 54:10

And so, through all, this is how we may yet have joy, and a truer joy than any human could imagine, this Christmastide and for all time.

For tis at Christmas that Joy came down to earth.

"Oh, now sing praises to the Lord,

All you within this place!

And with true love and brotherhood

Each other now embrace!

For this so Holy tide of Christmas,

All other doth deface, 

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy,

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy!"

God bless and rest you, my dear friends and readers.

Your Writer,

Julia