C.S. Lewis wrote, in Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, that “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” He says we get the nearest glimpses of heaven in our moments of recreation and celebration. Those parts of our lives that only last a short while (eg, the length of a party or a Sunday afternoon) are one of the best pictures we get of what eternity in the presence of God is like. So it makes sense that Jesus’ arrival into our world would be accompanied by “good tidings of great joy”! The kingdom was breaking in, turning the upside-down world aright (one of those “already, but not yet” situations, to be sure). This week, whenever you notice the presence of joy, (well, first of all *enjoy* it, but then also) see it as a glimpse of the in-breaking kingdom, of the great good God longs for - for us, with us. Deep joy, forever…and now. Let this Advent season be a delighted anticipation of not only Christ’s coming as a child in the manger, but also the great joy that us still to come, both in a life lived with God now and in a future of great joy – the serious business of heaven.

Posted by Jamie Bonilla at 2021-12-16 15:09:48 UTC