Christmas season normally means hearing Christmas music everywhere I go, visiting friends for holiday parties, and in some years helping my church prepare for Christmas Eve services.
This year at times it seems like COVID is the Grinch who stole Christmas. I have not visited a friend in their home since this past February before the pandemic began. That has been a key part of my ministry, visiting my refugee and immigrant friends in their homes. Due to COVID, I will stay home alone on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Christmas Eve service will be watching online for me. It won’t be the same. I won’t be sitting in the congregation at church holding a lit candle as we sing Silent Night. Some Christmas Eve services I have been a part of by being in a drama sketch, but not this year.
Jesus arranges chance meetings for me to remind me he is there. Yesterday I went to Office Depot to get a cable to connect a printer someone gave me with my laptop. While I was there, I saw a married couple from church. We chatted, socially distanced, for a few minutes.
I stopped by a coffee shop that was one of my hangouts before COVID to buy some coffee. The manager gave me a small gift of 100 Corny Jokes because whenever I stop in, I share a joke.
Such encounters are nice, but the big thing for me to remember is that COVID is only the Grinch if we allow to be. What I mean by that is it can only take our joy from us if we let it. Joy is a gift from Jesus. Joy comes from knowing Jesus and reflecting on his love and his coming to us.
Nothing can take the love of Jesus from us. Nothing can take his presence in our lives from us. Yes we may need to change our focus this Christmas season, but nothing can take Jesus from us.
Thank you for reading. God Bless.
Don’t let COVID-19 steal your Christmas Joy. You are loved more than you will ever know.
I will enjoy the extra sleep 🙂
💤😴💤😴💤
Very encouraging. Nothing can indeed steal our Joy because God is the source of our joy.
Amen to that 🙏🏽
Amen 🙂
AMEN. Joy does not have to be based on external circumstances; it’s all a matter of perspective. Divine joy transcends! Thank you, brother! A first cousin to God’s joy is His peace—like is mentioned in Phil. 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, presents your requests to God.”
Nothing can take God from us 🙂
It feels like it. I’m sorry that you have to have Christmas alone. You are loved by so many and your blogs are such a blessing to me. I love what others wrote. God is the reason for this season. ❤️
Amen he is 🙂
You are so right! e must do what is necessry for everyone’s health, but it depends on how we respond to crises. I can’t change the situation, but I can choose not to let the situation change my joy and my belief in the goodness of God at all times. Wonderful post.
Amen we can choose to not let the situation change our joy 🙂
Amen! This is such an important reminder, thank YOU!
🙂
Absolutely! Christmas reminds us that He is Emmanuel. With you, Matt.
Amen 🙂
I’m thankful our God never changes, even when our circumstances do. He is our Source of true and lasting joy. 🤗❤️
Amen he is 🙂
Thankful for the Joy of Christ that can’t be changed in our hearts. He is the blessing that we celebrate. 🙌
Amen little sister. He is 🙂
Good post Matt!! Hopefully we can blogger chat that Saturday before and after and encourage one another!! So thankful we have Jesus to fill us with joy anytime, no matter what!
Amen- We have Jesus not matter what 🙂
Right on Matt! Keeping Jesus front and center during these past months helps to make this Advent season even more touching for me. My wife and I keep the word “Joy” on our bookcase. We leave it there to remind us year round of the “Joy of Jesus.”
I will print the word out and put it where I see it everyday
Absolutely…..make the best of whatever/however the situation may be…..ain’t no grinch stealing my christmas😅
😍🤗😇
We had the same Grinch angle, only you beat me to it!
🙂
Amen, you are absolutely right, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Jesus loves you little sister. Merry Christmas 🙂
God has a thousand ways to provide for us which we do not know…somehow He’s keeping me afloat spiritually in this time of no church.
I’ve never been to a Christmas Eve service – but hope to go to one someday. Our church doesn’t have them. I thought of finding one online but unfortunately forgot.
God is always with us 🙂