Christmas Gifts #2 – The Gift of Joy (Dennis Wiebe)
The second Christmas gift is joy. Jesus gives us a reason to rejoice and be glad, for He is the one who takes away our sins and gives us His spirit to live in us. The shepherds got a taste of what was to come: That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (Luke 2:8-11)