Cedar Hills Community Church - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Just a shepherd… laughing.Pastor Kent LandhuisTHEME - The angel promised good news of great joy for all people.TEXT - Luke 2:101. Unexpected interruption.  Luke 2:8-9What is joy?2. Unexpected invitation.Luke 2:10-11Who needs joy?3. Unexpected sign.Luke 2:12-14Where do we find joy?4. Unexpected glory.Luke 2:15-20What happens when we find joy?NEXT STEPS1. Celebrate joy beyond circumstances.2. Translate joy to praise.3. Share joy with the joyless.GO DEEPER - I Heard the Bells on Christmas DayHenry Wadsworth Longfellow suffered greatly. His wife, Fannie, died when her dress caught fire. Henry tried to smother the flame with his own body, but it was too late. Two years later his 18-year-old son Charley left home and signed up to serve in Lincoln’s Union Army where he was severely wounded in battle. On Christmas day, 1863, Longfellow - a 57-year-old widowed father of six children - sought to capture in writing both his despair and his hope. He heard church bells that day and the singing of "peace on earth" (Luke 2: