When Everything Changed:God Brought Joy in Sorrow
Christmas is supposed to be a happy time! At least that what our cultural Christmas says! It's supposed to be all about silver bells, shopping, and stuffing our bellies with goodies! But for many people, it isn't! For them, it's a time of sorrow. They're grieving. Some grieve the loss of loved ones. Others grieve the loss of work, or the loss of community, or the breakup of a marriage, or alienation from friends or family. Still others grieve the violence and injustice in our world. We seem to be light years away from peace on earth! But one of the great themes of the scriptural presentation of Jesus' birth is joy in sorrow. Isaiah 35 records a message God sent his sorrowful people. They were in exile in Babylonia. They were sorrowful because they were away from their homeland in a strange place with no hope of returning home. But in Isaiah 35, the prophet says God is going to bring them home in a joyful procession through the...