Dear ,                                              
                                                                       

Ambushed By Joy
My FirstChristmas at Isle of Hope

I have stood a number of times in Shepherd's Field near Bethlehem and pondered the amazing events of the first Christmas. Looking up from the floor of the valley, you can see the city of Bethlehem in the distance. Although a Kodak moment today, it was a far cry from that when Jesus was born. While some of Israel's greatest heroes were shepherds- Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, at the time of Jesus it was a rather inglorious occupation. Shepherds were not allowed to fulfill a judicial office or be admitted in court as witnesses. According to the Midrash commentary on Psalm 23:2, "There is no more disreputable occupation than that of a shepherd." They lived most of the year away from the townspeople. For the most part, they were excluded from participation in temple life, except for raising the sacrifices. In light of those realities, we can imagine that a shepherd's life was filled with great challenges, loneliness, misunderstanding, boredom, uncertainty, routine, separation, pain and distance from the sacred. Perhaps some of you may be able to relate to them this Christmas. However, I've got some good news. It was into their humdrum world that the true joy of Christmas came.

Before moving to Isle of Hope from Columbus, I reread the brief autobiography of C.S. Lewis titled Surprised by Joy. It deals with his adolescent search for "joy" and the events leading up to his conversion to Christ at age thirty-one. As one writer puts it, "By 'joy,' Lewis meant not mere pleasure but the sublime experience of the transcendent." One example of this, Lewis explains, happened while reading G.K. Chesterton's book. The Everlasting Man. It's a portrait of Christ and his impact on culture. Lewis later wrote:

In reading Chesterton...I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. . . . God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous.

From Lewis's perspective, the "joy" he had sought was discovered in the "least likely place, within the least likely of circumstances." You know, come to think of it, God does seem to be "unscrupulous" when it comes to surprising us with His grace, His love, His joy. He did it for C.S. Lewis. He did it for the shepherds. He has done it for me this advent season at Isle of Hope. "When did it happen?", you ask. It happened while attending the Advent Workshop; while listening to the Hope Band at Church Nite Supper; while listening to the Cantata; while listening to a family member tell me the doctor's good report; while looking at the pre-school children dressed in their pageant costumes; while standing on the porch of the parsonage as the KFC caroled on our front lawn; while seeing the Church surround a family during the loss of a loved one; while looking at the faces of our choir members as they sang; while singing Christmas carols in worship; while seeing the Church reach out to people in need.

Be Careful! At any moment, in any place, our amazingly unscrupulous God of wonder and grace just may ambush you with joy this Christmas season!

Merry Christmas,  Mike