Glimmers of Joy
Week Three Reflection
Isiah 61:1-11, Luke 4:16-56
There are so many really beautiful things in this life. The colors of a sunrise or sunset at the different times of year that paint beautiful works of art in the sky. Seeing the world through a young child’s eyes at Christmas as they see every experience with awe and wonder. It can even be in eating a meal with your family on a dark winter’s night after a long day of work, laughing as you share stories from your day.
To me, all of these things are little glimmers of the joy we will one day encounter in a truly complete way. That is beyond little pockets of our lives. As we read Isaiah 61, we can see this joy as complete and yet coming in full at Christ’s second coming. Isaiah speaks of every right made wrong, the lowly raised up, and all things restored. Even more beautiful is that we can read Luke chapter four and see that Jesus uses Isaiah’s words to point out that He is the one ushering in that joy Isaiah spoke of.
If we read the gospel account, we realize that joy came at an incredible cost to Christ. He was beaten, broken, and hung on a cross. And yet that is not the end of Christ; he again leaves the cross. Joy comes into the world through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. This week, we hope you will remember the joy of Christ in your everyday life.