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The children's choir sings a song that says: Joy Bells keep ringing in my soul...

I can't get that song out of my head, so I thought I would meditate o­n it.   That's when I remembered that the second candle  lit during Advent is the "Candle of Joy".   In the gospel of Luke , chapter 2:1-7 , we have the wonderful account of the birth of Jesus.   Is that not the basis and center of our joy?  That Jesus Christ has come into the world.  There are a lot of things that can and do bring happiness into our life.   And there is nothing wrong with that. The difference with JOY is that when it is centered in the birth of Christ,   then it is not subject to what is or is not going o­n around us, but it is centered in a "person" namely Jesus, the son of God.   When we have that reality of Christmas, then we have Christmas Joy.   So the children's choir should not be the o­nly o­ne singing " Joy bells keep ringing in my soul", but every child of God can sing that song as well.   This Christmas, let the joy that Christ brings, be yours and let it carry you into the new year.Because the tomb is empty!Rev Dr J Anthony Lloyd