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Dec. 12 "Behold, I am bringing you good news of great joy"
Monday, December 12 | Romans 1:1-6
My granddad began his day with a cup of coffee in one hand, the morning newspaper in the other, yours truly by his side, and what must have seemed to him to be a never-ending flow of “what was it like when …?” He never seemed to tire of my curiosity questions; rather, he seemed to take pleasure in those memory-lane journeys with his namesake grandson. Thanks be to God.
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Happiness evoked is so special that the only appropriate response would be to praise God with a prayerful “thank you” and a heartfelt song of joyful gratitude for the gift of transforming grace. Amen!
Hard to fathom, is it not, that prayerful expression of gratitude to God such as these still resonate? Rarely is news in our day-to-day lives to be considered “of great joy.” And yet, on occasion, there await us surprises that can, indeed, be understood as welcomed surprises of great joy! For some, great joy surprises are packaged in messages of new-birth arrivals, others as delightful occurrences of relief from financial long-suffering or physical stress, or perhaps from the unfulfilled dreams of hoped-for “new days” of promise at the end of a life of dedicated, loyal service. The focal point of disappointment would seem to be the pain of heart when gratitude is hard to find in our daily walk of faith. It’s a puzzlement to grasp why, to accept that this is a part of life. The lesson learned is most often the (re-)discovery of God’s faithfulness that never fails! What wonderful news to learn that someone like the heavenly host brings to us good news of great joy! Thanks be to God for such wonderful surprises!
– Rev. Dr. John Alsup The First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport, D. Thomason Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies
