“I proclaim to you good news of great joy.” Our gracious Lord, our sovereign King, our holy Ruler, our soul’s provider, comes, He advents, He waits no longer. He makes haste to come to us and to announce to us, present to us, reveal to us, proclaim to us good news of great joy. The Good News of the greatest Joy! God gives us the holy and sacred proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the cause of our joy. The great joy we celebrate this sacred season. A time of great joy and joyful expression. A joyous celebration! The time has finally come. Its advent is finally here. No more waiting. Time for celebrating. The time has come for us to lift-up our hearts purified and prepared in the Advent Season. The time has arrived to be joyful in song, exultant in praise, jubilant in gratitude and filled with thanksgiving. This is the reason why we are so merry. Why our happy hearts and joyful voices sing out and sing “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.” God is proclaiming his saving plan. He is sharing with us the gift of salvation. “For a child is born to us, a son is given us.” He comes bearing great gifts of great joy. He brings the joyful anticipation of a long-awaited promise; the deliverance of a hope prayed for by so many, so long ago. The hope that we are not alone, never abandoned, always cared for, and forever provided for. A hope that never disappoints. This child brings peace. Not the peace of this world but the peace that is eternal, joy-filled and everlasting. A peace that assures us and reassures us that God has come to heal our broken hearts and provide the grace and strength we need to forgive ourselves and to forgive one another. This child comes to reconcile us to the Father, to ourselves and everyone else. This child brings joy, so much joy, Christmas joy. He breathes joy. He shares happiness. He makes Christmas merry. He makes our lives happy once again. This child brings the greatest gift, the greatest joy, the greatest news. God loves us. He has always loved us. He will never stop loving us. His love has been poured into our hearts and now nothing can separate us from the love of God. Wow! That is good news of great joy! There is good cause to celebrate with great joy. God loves us! Merry Christmas!
