kingdom travelin'

Now that Lessons and Carols are over for this year, I’ve prepared a another kind of lesson with a carol.

Twenty years ago (back in ’93) a colleague came into faculty devotions (at RVCS) with a boom box and a Bible. He pushed play and began reading the Christmas Story. I immediately borrowed the tape (it was 20 years ago) and proceed to read the Christmas Story to the tunes of “Silent Night” by Mannheim Steamroller every class for the next two years. A tradition was born. In 1995 at Christmas I was in the ‘ville and for 14 years at Covenant I read the Christmas Story each year in what I called Christmas Chapel (the last chapel before Christmas). About 2008, I began reading this at Covenant’s Live Nativity. Every once and a while an alumnus tells me how much they enjoyed that tradition. Sweet Anna wants me to read it at Christmas. So, I decided to record it and post it in hopes that it would point someone to the real point of Christmas… the story of Jesus birth.

Here’s to, what I hope is, your enjoyment and encouragement to remember the Incarnation.

If I had a bucket list this would in the top five, to be in Cambridge, England to experience the Lesson’s and Carols in King’s COllege Chapel in person.

But, even if I have not and may never be there in person (do I really want to wait in THIS QUEUE?), I will be listening live via radio at 10am Eastern this morning.

If you would like to “join me” click here to get the info about this worship experience of Scripture and music. I’ll be listening HERE

C. S. Lewis said that we should not base our happiness on something we could lose. The subject of “happiness” verses biblical joy is a topic that I find important. Here is an exchange from Fb the other day when a friend posted this: “Is it possible to tell the difference between happiness and joy if things are going well?” I responded with this:

“People are fond of saying “x made me happy,” thus happiness, as it has been said, is a state of mind which is based largely on external circumstances. Biblical joy, as we read the other day, is a fruit of the Spirit. Thus, belief leads to joy, we can rejoice because of God even when we are unhappy. Therefore, the difference is, perhaps, between feeling and being. Your circumstance can affect your emotion and make you happy. Joy is a gift of God as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Hence we be joyful in all circumstances.”

As I have reflected about joy verses happiness today as I have thought about my friend Ron, I realize anew how important having biblical joy as a gift from God is when we deal will sorrow.

Listen, happiness is awesome and my existence has plenty of it because of my family and friends, but lasting joy and being able to rejoice in all things is based on a joy that comes from belief not circumstances.

We can experience sorrow with hope in the fact that our brothers in Christ may have left the Shadowlands but have entered the Real Existence in the very presence of God. Thanks be to God for the work of Jesus whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. He is the true source of joy. Joy lasts when happiness fades. Thanks be to God for lasting joy.