Joy isn’t an emotion or a feeling. Joy isn’t elation or happiness but something much more profound. It is an act of faith. It is a prayer and a hope and an act of will. It is indeed that gift we are given and around which we wrap our hands and our lives, individually and corporately. It is a gift that we embrace with quiet acceptance and joyous proclamation. Emmanuel, God with us, is the great joy for all people. Thanks be to God. Amen.