The Christmas season can be a busy season with many events and things to do, although at the heart of Christmas is an invitation to remember and celebrate the gift of Jesus's birth. When we remember the story of His birth we don't just honour Him, but we also connect with Him as the beautiful gift that He is to us and the world.

In Luke 1:67-79 we find the incredible prophecy from Zacharia saying what his son John the Baptist was going to set out to do, yet in the last two lines he switches to talk about Jesus and we find a powerful statement of Jesus mission and purpose. Verse 79 beautifully sums up the purpose of Jesus coming as, to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death to guide us in the way of peace.

Christmas, like all the different Jewish feasts, is to remember all that Jesus has done, that we would experience what is said in 2 Peter 1:19 as the Morning Star rising in our hearts, that we have a deep awareness of who Jesus is in our inmost being.

For He is our blessed hope

This week we had the pleasure of hearing Angeline share on seeking out the joy of the Lord in different seasons. Sharing from three bible stories of waiting, Ange invites us to ask three questions to find the joy in them. Who has the joy, where does it come from and how is it being expressed?

With the story of Mary visiting Elizabeth we find joy in the expectation of Jesus' birth even in the midst of chaos around them. In Acts 2 we find joy in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, when the disciples were faithfully waiting after Jesus' ascension. Then lastly, in Acts 3 we see joy in the manifestation of healing with the lame man at the temple gates, the joy of an answered prayer after many years of waiting.

Whatever story you find yourself in, be encouraged that God wants to reveal His joy to you, to excite you, infill you and strengthen you.

We have been going through a series on Hebrews 6 where we find the foundations of Christian life. This week Josiah shared on the baptism of the Holy Spirit