And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
The dictionary says JOY – is a feeling of great pleasure and happiness
Delight, joyfulness, jubilation, triumph, exultation, rejoicing, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration, exuberance.
Imagine the joy that Mary experienced as the angel Gabriel told her she was to give birth to the Son of God “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” and then the exhilaration and sheer delight she felt as she anticipated the birth of Jesus.
Live the joy of family, the delightful holiday decorations, the pleasure of holiday foods shared with loved ones, as imagining the triumphant elation that Mary felt upon the birth of Jesus.
Live the joy of the season that is expressed in the colors and sounds and scents and tastes of the season, as we anticipate and prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
Kay Warren, the author of “Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn’t Enough” has an interesting definition of “Joy”:
Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of her life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.
She goes on to clarify that there is nothing about happiness in her definition because life comes in ups and downs or good times filled with happiness and bad times filled with pain and sorrow. These two tracks, both joy and sorrow, run parallel to each other throughout your life. If you look down those tracks to the horizon, the tracks become one and that’s how it will be for us as the joy and sorrow merge into one. “The day we meet Jesus Christ in person and see the brightness of who he is,” it will all come together for us and make sense.
As I read the words of Luke 1:46-55 and think about Kay Warren’s definition, and the analogy of the train tracks, it brings to mind that in Luke 1: 26-38, Mary has just been told that she will conceive and give birth to the Son of God and in spite of concerns that she’d be shunned and ridiculed and possibly even stoned, she responded in worship and praise. “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary endures the trials of pregnancy and the pain of delivery and experiences great joy upon the birth of Jesus. The tracks of joy and sorrow merge as one.
I believe that the tracks of joy and sorrow merge over and over throughout life until that day when we finally meet Jesus Christ in person and see the brightness of who he is and it all makes sense.
Written by Kaye Mero
What am I passionate about at Heritage?
I’m most passionate about being part of the endless possibilities that I believe lie ahead of Heritage Presbyterian Church. Based on the incredible selflessness and the willingness of the members of our congregation to join in to do the work of our church both physically and financially, I believe we can accomplish anything we desire.
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