One of my favourite Christian video sites is The Skit Guys. Their strapline is ‘Grow your faith, one laugh at a time’
They produce video sketches on all sorts of subjects, including devotional videos for Advent.
One of my favourites has the following words:
Let us feel joy without feeling guilty, Let the joy be pure Let us feel joyful without waiting for something terrible to happen, Let the joy be real
Children find joy in balloons and snow and air Children find joy in the simple life that is around them Joy is diminished by all the conditions we put on it The ‘only ifs’, the ‘as long as’
These have no place in the joy that comes from You, God. Or the joy that began in a stable Or the joy that the angels proclaimed to the shepherds That good news of great joy
Joy makes all things new Joy brings hope to life Joy comes from the one born in a manger
Let it come from within us Holy Spirit, drive out the darkness. Amen
I found the first two verses very poignant!
How many of us feel a tinge of guilt when we feel joyful and wait for things to go wrong?
How many of us restrict our joy just in case someone else may not be so joyful?
The joy of the angels, shepherds and magi was not restricted by any sense of guilt or fear of what others might think and nor should ours be!
Let us celebrate Christmas with a joy that is real, that is pure and knows no restrictions.