Where joy can be found

We all look and long for joy. We want a joyful Christmas. We want joy in our studies and work. Joyful relationships. A joyful church. Joyful leisure time. What can provide us with joy? Where should we look? Upcoming Sunday we continue to read in the Gospel according to Luke. For Theophilus, the first reader, it seemed there were two ways to strive for joy and gain joy. There was the way he was familiar with, the normal way of getting joy. And there was a completely new way. Namely: to pay attention to God’s Word, God’s ancient promises, the Gospel message. It may have been hard for him to really believe that herein he could find greater joy than in the ways he was familiar with. But as we shall see, Luke challenged him and challenges us to change our beliefs concerning where true joy can and cannot be found.