Joy!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.
 Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)

Jesus is our only hope for salvation. So humbly, obediently, and “for the joy that lay before him” (Heb. 12:2), He gave himself for us. What love is this! The crescendo for His coming resounded in the resurrection and ascension to the Father, as He defeated death and sin for those who trust in Him. “Fall on your knees” from O Holy Night reminds me that on our knees is where we start in prayer, stay in service to God’s kingdom, and where we will sing of the Holy One who has come. St. Nicholas embodied all these qualities of a Christian seeking wholeheartedly to follow Christ, which is why I love the counter image of Santa worshipping the newborn king. We find our place of joy from our knees—joy in becoming more Christlike as we serve, and joy in knowing that Christ is our ultimate reward. May we remember anew that there is no true joy apart from God. 

In Christ,
Rev. Elyse Milligan Nielsen