Special greetings to our Mennonite callers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Indiana.  And a warm welcome to the chaplains and military calling from Afghanistan.

Christianity is a radiantly joyful faith.  We see it in the apostle Paul, who in prison and in ill health was heard to say, "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice!"  (Philippians 4:4).  We see it Saint Francis of Assisi, whose happiness was so contagious that even the animals were attracted to him.  And by the way, I am a great animal lover.  We see it in the great Austrian composer, Franz Joseph Haydn.  A friend once asked him why his church music was so full of gladness, and Haydn replied, "I cannot make it otherwise.  I write according to the thoughts I feel.  When I think upon my God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap from my pen, and since God has given me a cheerful heart I can do no other than serve him with a cheerful spirit!"

Joy is our heritage as Christians.  It is our legacy.  Faith in Christ can give us a genuine and deep happiness that enables us to rejoice always, no matter what our outer circumstances.  This happiness is not a shallow, bubbly feeling, but a deep mood of inner serenity, inner stability, inner joy.  I love the Old Testament proverb, "A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones."  (Proverbs 17:22).

Listen to this prayer and see if it doesn't make you rejoice.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, so far today I've done alright.  I Haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over indulgent.  I'm very thankful for that.  But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed.  And from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot more help.  God of unconditional love, we thank you for laughter.  We thank you for tears.  Today, may our joy be as deep as the ocean.  Through the amazing grace of Jesus.  Amen.