Jesu, joy of man’s desiring,

Holy wisdom, love most bright;

Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring

Soar to uncreated light.

From the song Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach , lyrics by Robert Bridges

One of the joys of the Christmas season is the beautiful music that is played everywhere. Recently I heard the faint strains of Hark the Herald Angels Sing as I cruised up and down the grocery store aisles. Bing Crosby’s version of O Little Town of Bethlehem greeted me when I stepped into an elevator at a local mall. And when I tuned into satellite radio’s holiday station, I got to enjoy a melodious rendition of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

The lyrics of the song above might not be as familiar to some, but this last movement of a Bach cantata has been played at many Christian festivities since it was written in the early 1700s. In addition to Christmas, you may have heard it at Easter and at weddings. The lyrics that were later added by Bridges are also striking. They call for us to look to Jesus, the joy of man’s desiring. His wisdom and love speak to us, drawing us into an amazing relationship that allows our souls to soar!

Friends, this is what I love most about Christmas. In the days ahead, we can’t help but focus on Jesus. The decorations, wrappings, food, and festivities don’t have to be distractions-instead, they can be constant reminders of what this holy season is all about! And that’s what I long for: I want to really know Jesus more and more this Christmas. I think Paul said it best this way:

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death.

Philippians 3:7-10

Like the apostle, my heart’s desire is to know my Lord and Savior. I want to understand why He left the joys of Heaven in order to save us. I long to love the way He does, reaching out to both the saved and yet-to-be-saved-sharing with them about the joy that He has given me.

Much of the music of this blessed season reminds me of His truths. Let’s look at the final stanzas of Bach’s famous tune:

Through the way where hope is guiding,

Hark, what peaceful music rings;

Where the flock, in Thee confiding,

Drink of joy from deathless springs.

Theirs is beauty’s fairest pleasure;

Theirs is wisdom’s holiest treasure.

Thou dost ever lead Thine own

In the love of joys unknown.

Hope is indeed guiding us in this journey of life. Christmas and all its festivities merely

point us back to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. So, enjoy the music! Drink in the sights and sounds of the season, and celebrate with family and friends. Most of all, get to know Jesus more through every joyful moment of the days and weeks ahead.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Sonkist Ministries!

Thought of the Month

O holy Child of Bethlehem

Descend to us, we pray

Cast out our sin and enter in

Be born in us today

We hear the Christmas angels

The great glad tidings tell

O come to us, abide with us

Our Lord Emmanuel

From O Little Town of Bethlehem by Phillips Brooks and Lewis Redner

“Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.”
Jonah 4:5-6

What on earth does the prophet Jonah have to do with this month when we celebrate Thanksgiving? Plenty! Like so many of us, Jonah was blessed immensely by God-and in the passage above, we see how grateful he was for the Lord’s perfect provision in his time of need. But also like us, Jonah quickly forgot those blessings. In fact, when things got tough, this reluctant prophet got angry:

But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed. Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?” “Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!” Jonah 4:7-9

It’s almost impossible to believe that this is the same individual who cried from the belly of the great fish for God to save him! After disobeying God, Jonah desperately prayed for help, even making promises to God: “But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone!” (Chapter 2, verse 9). One can’t miss the irony of a man, saved from death, wishing to die because a plant perished!

Yet if I take an honest look at my life, how many times has my gratitude shifted-sometimes dramatically-because I felt slighted by someone or even by God Himself? And when I might tend to judge someone like Jonah for being unthankful after all that the Lord had done for him, couldn’t others say the same thing about me? How often have I forgotten my blessings and instead focused on a particular problem or burden?

I’m not sure how you feel, but I want this season of Thanksgiving to be different. I don’t want to be appreciative for a day, like Jonah, and then slip into a spirit of ungratefulness when times get tough. I would love to grasp the bigger picture of what God is doing in my life and in my world. And I’d really like to remain consistent in my attitude of gratitude-not wavering because of some circumstance that goes awry or someone who doesn’t see things my way.

Where would you like to improve when it comes to thankfulness? How can you praise the Lord more for the good things He has done for you? And if God gives you something you don’t want-or takes away something that you do-can you still say “praise the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21b)?

The great news is that God can still use us, even when we’ve messed up on some of simplest lessons about gratitude. Jonah helped save Nineveh, a city of 120,000 people, despite his flaws. If the Lord can do that kind of work, who knows what He has in store for us this month-and in the months ahead!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from all of us at Sonkist Ministries!

Thought of the Month

“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.”
Psalm 50:14

“The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him” -Psalm 37:23

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