O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant

E te whanau, ngā mihi nui ki a koutou!

As we travel towards the ending of 2020, there is much talk of joy that this year is nearly finished. But we want to be very careful not to allow ourselves to be swept up with this mindset, and instead to enter into the Christmas season honouring and being thankful for God’s endless faithfulness. We are the people that testify that we have been called into a movement of divine faithfulness in which there is much joy. While this year we, individually, communally, and globally, have known much darkness, the light of Christ burns ever bright.

This season of multiple carol concerts means that we get to repeatedly hear the invitation given in many Christmas songs and hymns to live into joy. One favourite, O Come All Ye Faithful, seems particularly relevant this year. The next phrase, with its invitation to not just come, but come being ‘joyful and triumphant’, is important.

The triumph of this of this year is not superficial and self-congratulatory but is the deep triumph of peace which the world cannot give. It is not something we earn through our own devices but is God’s freely given gift given in Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection.

In this carol, with its invitation to ‘come’, we are reminded that God is never static, and is always moving, neither slumbering or sleeping as Psalm 121 tells us. God is always inviting us into deeper intimacy. Like Mary, Joseph, the Magi and the shepherds, may we also respond in faithfulness to God’s initiative and invitation in our lives, joyfully and triumphantly. We pray that the hinges of our hearts may be oiled so that they swing easily at God’s invitation.

Over summer, with your friends and families, take time to treasure the moments of joy, particularly as we continue to be mindful of so many places and people in this world whose lives are still turned upside down, and the fragile reality of our comparative safety. In the year that we have had, noticing and treasuring those moments is triumph.

And…

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit! (Romans 15:13)

Hope, joy, peace and love be yours this Christmas.

+Ellie and +Justin

PS. On a personal note, I (+Ellie) just want to thank all those who have held my health journey in prayer this year. I am so grateful for you all.