Podcasts religion Good News Weekly Message The last place you'd expect to find the spirit of the season is the very place you'll find it for more than just a season.

The last place you'd expect to find the spirit of the season is the very place you'll find it for more than just a season.

Published: Dec. 23, 2018, 10 a.m.

We’re right to expect big things out of Christmas. Unfortunately, we often look for those things in all the wrong places. Just like he did at the first Christmas, God often gives us these blessings “undercover.” He puts his best gifts in the last place we’d expect to find them - like in a manger. This week we see what God says about joy. It’s easy to equate joy with getting what you want and having everything go your way. But God points us to a joy that’s far different - and far better. Even when we don’t get what we want and everything seems to be working against us, that’s when we can know with certainty that God is at hand. Just as Jesus humbled himself for the joy of saving us, so also we can find joy in all circumstances.