Today is the 3rd week of Advent and the theme is Joy.
But frankly, when you consider all the problems in the world – especially the serious problems of climate change, the rise of Neo-Nazism in the US with its risk of civil war, and the pandemic –and even church finances – in addition to our normal problems of health, family, work, and so on, then sometimes it’s hard to be joyful.

That may lead us to ask – if joy is such an important part of Christianity and the Christmas story, then what does Christianity offer that makes us joyful?
Saying Jesus is born, or even Jesus saves, doesn’t really cut it because what does that mean? Or, to look at it another way, what does Christianity offer that makes it so special or unique?