I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
-Isaiah 61:10-11

When I read these words, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult my God", I thought about the joy that I see in many people during this season of the year. I see it in the family Christmas photos we receive in the mail. I see it in the children sharing the story of Christmas in our Chapel. The kind of joy that is shown in your whole being is one that I do not think I had fully experienced until I saw Will smile. When he giggles or smiles at me, I see joy in his whole being. I believe that God calls us to experience this kind of joy, in our whole being, when we worship and show God our appreciation for this amazing gift, his Son, Jesus Christ.
 
There are plenty of places this time of year that want to invite you to experience joy and often it means going to their place to experience it or buy it for someone else to experience. I believe that the kind of joy we experience when we realize the amazing gift Jesus Christ is one that will be evident from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. Here is a recent picture of Will and his cousin, Connor, over Thanksgiving. I see joy in his whole being.
 
I would invite you to take some this season to experience joy in your whole being. 
  
Prayer for Today 
Gracious God, Thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus Christ. Open our hearts, minds and whole beings to experience the joy of that gift this week. In Christ's Name, Amen.