Joy Is Never Out of Season (04/11/2025)

Recently I had a guest visit. It was the first time he’d been to our home. As he came into our family room, he spotted my nativity set. He looked at it carefully. I imagine he was surprised as an ordained minister in the church because it was the season of Lent. He asked, “Do you keep your nativity set out all year?” I answered, “Yes, it is a reminder to me that the joy of Christ’s coming into my life isn’t supposed to be a seasonal thing.” He smiled.

We are in the season of Lent. This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday which begins Holy Week. Our focus is on the price Christ paid with love for our salvation. And while there will be moments of sorrow, it is also a time for joy. Life has shown me that one of the clearest signs of believers is their resiliency, their trust in the promise of Christ, their joy. While we will observe Good Friday with reverence and with sorrow, there will be an element of joy because we believe. Yes, it will be Good Friday. But we know that Easter is coming.

This year, as we enter the most holy week of our year, as we remember and we observe the season, let us carry with us our faith in Christ, our hope in His promise, our love for Him and our deep and sincere recognition of His love for us. And if we can do that, will joy not be a part of our journey? While we will carry with us sorrow flowing from our understanding of our role in the reason for Christ’s sacrifice, let us not lose sight of the love for us and for the Father that led Him to open Himself so entirely for our salvation.

Joy is never out of season because it is a sign that we believe in and love Jesus Christ, Son of God, our Savior.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.