"Joy to the world, the Lord has come!" When Christmas time rolls around, this familiar refrain is heard with regularity. It's a classic line from Isaac Watts hymn, which was first published in 1719! As soon as we read the lyric "joy to the world...", it's difficult not to hum the rest of the song in our heads and hearts. You're probably doing it right now! While we know the lyrics, and they have become synonymous with our yearly celebration of the coming of Jesus into our world, a question must be asked: Do we sense, see, and share this joy? We would love the honor of sharing with you how we can be people of great joy this Advent season. We have come into a moment of human history where I believe that the joy of Jesus that you have is offensive to the dark and brooding hopelessness that is trying to drain peoples hearts and minds and lives of meaning, purpose and compassion. Not offensive in the sense that we are hurting people's feeling, but offensive in the sense that our joy is a weapon that pushes back the darkness around us, our families, and our communities!