There is a bumper-sticker you might have seen that reads, simply, "God is fun." Not many of us, perhaps, are accustomed to thinking of God in this way. Yet, God is a God of Love, and a God of peace, and a God of joy. And isn't that an accurate description of a God who is simply "fun?"

In times like ours, it is so easy to get bogged down in a mood of despair. Problems all around us are so great. Man's inhumanity to man is so shocking that it is easy to see only the bad side of things and be pulled down into a whirlpool of complaints, grief, hopelessness, and despair.

People are complaining that the world is not only losing its health and prosperity -- but is losing its mind! We struggle with the Pandemic and global weather disasters. We face massive social problems, including, violence, the fight for equal justice, and economic pressures. Political infighting has neighbor pitted against neighbor. "What's wrong with us?" people are asking. Almost every conversation, no matter where it starts, seems to end up in this kind of mood. That is why it is so essential for us these days to remind ourselves that the People of God are a People of Joy. We are a People of Joy because we know that God gives Himself to us even amid our darkest situations, and, as He gives Himself to us, He gives us joy.

Why not spread a little of that "joy to the world", especially at this time of year?

Kind of sounds like a Christmas carol doesn't it!