Week of Joy

On the third Sunday of Advent, we light the candle representing Joy.

Pastor Marcus shares with us the following:

This week in Advent we embrace the joy Christ brings to the world, yet we wait patiently for that arrival in hopeful expectation. Oftentimes the heights of joy are felt strongest when it comes after the depths of despair. Many kids can relate to the joy of opening the gift they deeply wanted on a birthday or holiday. It's the uncertainty of whether or not we'll get it that makes encountering that joy feel more precious. As we age, that feeling remains in our lives for other occasions (job opportunities, relationships, competitions, births, medical recovery, etc.). Those who waited for Christ to come heard the prophecies, read the signs, experienced the miracles, and shared their hopes with God and others, yet the certainty of his arrival and what he would do once he came was up in the air for some. Mary, Elizabeth, Joseph, Simeon, and others were a bit more certain thanks to God. 

The passages for this week's final Advent Bible study come from Zephaniah 3:14–20 and Luke 1:39–55. In Stay Awhile: Advent Lessons in Divine Hospitality by Kara Eidson she explores the aspect of welcome, where she looks at how God has welcomed us into the kin-dom, and therefore how we might extend that welcome to others.

Have any questions? Feel free to reach out to me at Pastor@CPCMountainside.org and let's chat. I look forward to talking with you.