"Joy to the world," the famous hymn goes, "the Lord is come."  And so he has.  And the joy he has brought is a joy that is more than a joy of human delight, more than a joy of material satisfaction or vocational achievement.  It is a joy that exceeds all others, a joy that is the ground of what makes joy possible, a joy that defines and enables and expresses what makes life meaningful and real.  It is the joy of life itself:  the joy of God.
     As you move about this morning, think about joy.  Think about God being joyful, about God delighting, delighting in you, me, and everything we are.  Think about God's happiness, his kindness, his grace:  the joy that changed the world.  Think about the joy of finding the greatest joy of all.
     God is here, God is there, God is among us, now and forever.  The Lord is come.

     Merry Christmas!