Scriptures: Luke 24:41 (NRSV) – “While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

Matthew 2:10 (KJV) – “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.”

Message: I take a long walk most Wednesday mornings, usually travel the same route, and have become well acquainted with many of the homes along the way.

About ten days after Christmas I noticed that one of the homes still had their Christmas decorations in the yard.  I paid particular attention to this house because I have always liked their display.  It is a simple wooden cut-out of the word J O Y.  It was three or four feet tall, all painted white, and in the center of the O, at the bottom, cut out in wood were Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.  I stopped and looked a second time and wondered why that simple word, J O Y, seemed to be put aside after Christmas.  Why don’t we use the word J O Y for Easter?

Most certainly the events leading up to Easter are not joyful, but Easter Sunday….. what a reason for, as written in Matthew 2:10 and as used in the song “When they saw the Star”1 “they rejoiced with exceeding great joy”.

The disciples were joyful in their disbelief – what they saw was too good to be true, and yet it was!  This year I will look for the J O Y at Easter.

Prayer: God for all seasons of the year, bring to this Easter an awareness in us that we can have the J O Y of Christmas in this season too.  It need not be put away until we call it out for the Saviors birth.  Arise and celebrate Christ’s resurrection with J O Y.  Amen.

Kim Showalter

1.  “When they saw the Star” by Lanny Wolfe.  1978© Copyright.  Published by Lanny Wolf Music, Gaither Copyright Management, and Capitol CMG Publishing.   Permission not required for use of Title.  Quotation is from Matthew 2:10 (KJV), Public Domain.