Advent: Wisdom From the First Noel

The Joy accompanied by the arrival of the Christmas season is also subtly marked by the departure of days past. Christ’s arrival in the first Noel brought promises and joys of new life, but simultaneously came with grief and loss as a result of his transition from divinity to humanity. Much like how Christ experienced joy alongside grief on that first Christmas, the joy we experience in following Christ is not in vain when we are inevitably faced with grief; it perseveres because of the Father who knows our stories, and fully sees and understands us.