Romans 14:16-19  Therefore, do not let your good be slandered,  for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking,  but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and receives human approval.  So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.  (CSB)

Romans 14:17, 18  God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you. (MSG, emphasis added)

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I am not wearing my cranky pants today like yesterday. We will not discuss whether Last Christmas and All I Want for Christmas is You are Christmas songs. Not long after I hit SEND yesterday, I thought, “You have become a curmudgeon.”

Honestly, curmudgeons often get a bad rap. Well, some do. If this sounds like an attempt to justify my irritation, it may be. Let’s call these tunes Holiday Songs. Is that generic enough? (Insert Smiley Face emoji here.)

It is most often the case when we consider Joy that we think of ourselves and those closest to us. This Bible text, along with Hebrews 12:1, 2, shifts our perspective. The Joy of the Lord begins with him and is fulfilled in him. It is ours by extension as our relationship with him deepens over time. Ponder with me the Joy of the Lord.

Consider this sentence from The Message paraphrase: 

It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy.

What brings joy to the heart of God? When we give him our hearts, he sets them right, he puts our lives together, and he completes his work with joy.

So, to be clear, by trusting Jesus today, next year you can sing, 

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, 
and the very next day, I lived a new way. 
This year, with no more tears, 
you are shaping something special. 

Fixed it. 

So, when I finally make it to the grocery store today, and you-know-what plays on the in-store speakers, these are the lyrics I will sing to myself. My smile will make people think I like this song when actually, I am experiencing the Joy of the Lord in my own positively curmudgeonly way. 

Give your life to Jesus. Let him set it right. Let him put your cracked and fractured pieces together. Let him turn you into the person he always dreamed you would be, and live under the blessing of his smile. 

As Linus would say, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

The first gift of Christmas is the best gift of Christmas. 

So, when Last Christmas crossfades into All I Want for Christmas is You, you know how to edit the lyrics and share the joy of Jesus.

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I will enjoy the renovating work of Jesus, who enjoys renovating me.

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Our Father, please continue your work of setting my life right. Put me together as you want me to be. Complete your work in me so that on that day when I meet you face to face, there will be no big change. Amen.