Advent: Joy
Dear Mosaic Boston Family,
In this most joyous of seasons, how's your joy? I'm not asking, do you find pleasure in your life. Neither am I asking, are you happy? I'm asking, do you rejoice?
We all know this thing called joy exists. We're all actively or passively, consciously or subconsciously, seeking it. Not just pleasure, when it feels good. Not just happiness, when things are good. But joy, a transcendent bliss. No matter what, your mind is at peace and your heart is full. We've all experienced those glimmers of transcendent joy; the problem is, they fade. Thus, what we're really longing for isn't just joy, but an everlasting joy. This is actually how Scripture defines true joy -- everlasting. If it isn't everlasting, it isn't joy, but just a higher level of happiness.
Happiness is amazing. We experience happiness in the moments when everything clicks, when things just flow. Everything is majestic. Magical, even. The perfect meal. The perfect cup of coffee. The perfect steak... or salad. The perfect book. Movie. Pair of jeans. Conversation. Concert. Sunshine. First snowfall... on Christmas Day. A wedding. A long weekend. How you feel after a workout. A kiss of your beloved. The smell of a baby after a bath. The last payment on your student loans. You know what I'm talking about. Happiness. Almost joy, but not quite. Why? Because even in the most ecstatic moments of happiness, there's always a caveat or asterisk; there's always a catch. There's always a "but." There's always the deep awareness: this delicious moment will come to an end, and we're sad about it. We're sad about our happiness ending, because it isn't happiness that we're after; we're after everlasting joy.
Do you have this elusive everlasting joy? Join us tomorrow as we talk about how to find it and how to continuously drink from the wells of everlasting joy.
Praying for you,
Pastor Jan
Announcements
Our Christmas Gift to You!
Our church is pleased to gift you access to RightNow Media, a Bible study and media library. Access over 20,000 discipleship videos for kids, youth and adults online and on streaming devices like Roku or Apple TV. Visit our website, app, or the iPad kiosk to learn more or register for an account.
Songs for Sunday. If you would like to know what we'll be singing on Sunday, you can find the playlist here.
Holiday Service Changes
Sunday, December 23rd: Only 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services––no evening service. Childcare provided for nursery (0-2 years old) during 9:30 a.m. service only. No youth group.
Sunday, December 30th: Only 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. services––no evening service. Childcare only provided for nursery (0-2 years old). Youth group resumes as usual.
Sunday, January 6th: Only 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. services––no evening service. Mini Mosaic and youth group resume as normal.