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University SDA Church- East Lansing

Jermaine Gayle

Joy In An Unlikely Place

A group of soldiers found themselves in the middle of no man's land.

It was in the middle of World War I, the war that was called the war to end all wars, and we know how that worked out.

War raging across the globe, country against country and these soldiers were confined right there in this cold, dark, dank, small, 3 feet deep by 3 feet wide trench.

There were the British soldiers on 1 side and then there were the German soldiers on the other side and they had been spending all of their time shooting at each other, trying to get in their minds the enemy.

A soldier that was there, his name Bruce Bairnsfather, had this to say about the experience.

He writes, here I was in this horrible clay cavity miles and miles from home, cold, wet through and covered with mud.

There didn't seem the slightest chance of leaving." And then he adds, except in an ambulance.

Can you imagine the feeling, the sense that this soldier had?

That night, Beren's father noticed something.

He heard in the distance some sounds coming from the German camp.

And as he listened carefully, he tried his very best to make sense of what he heard.

He said, this is what he had to say about this, away, he says, across the field, among the dark shadows beyond, I could hear the murmur of voices.

And then he said he turned to 1 of his fellow soldiers and said, Do you hear that, the racket that the Germans are kicking up over the other side?

That night, they heard the Germans singing Christmas carols in their language.

You know, those familiar tunes, Joy to the World, Go, Tell it on the Mountain, Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

They heard it in the German language and as they listen carefully they all of a sudden heard the voice of a German soldier shouting above the noise and he said hey you guys come over here By this time the British soldiers were singing carols too.

In their trench singing Christmas carols.

The Germans on their side singing Christmas carols and then they heard this thick German accent speaking in English, hey come over here.

The British soldiers responded, no we not.

You meet us halfway and we'll meet you halfway.

And so both groups climbed out of their trenches and met in the middle of no man's land and celebrated Christmas together.

Another soldier by the name of John Ferguson had this to say about the experience.

He says, here we were, just imagine this, no man's land in the middle of World War I.

Laughing and chatting to men whom only a few hours before we were trying to kill.

This was known as the famous Christmas truce between 2 enemy combatants, the British and the Germans, Celebrating Christmas together in the middle of no man's land laughing that theme of joy Don't we find it often at the center of the Christmas story, at the center of the birth of Christ, this repeated theme, joy, that three-letter word, joy.

You know those hymns, those songs, joy to the world, right?

All the familiar characters that we read about in scripture, we find this common thread, this three-letter word, joy, showing up.

There was joy in the East among the unassuming wise men who were peering into the solar systems in order to find a message from God.

Matthew 2 in verse 10, the Bible says this, when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great, what everyone?

There was joy when the angel appeared in the temple standing by the altar on which intercession was made for God's people.

Zacharias the priest saw it and he was afraid but the angel had this to say to him.

Luke 1 verse 14, and you will have what everyone?

Joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth.

Then there is this other example, there was joy among the shepherds who kept watch over their flocks by night.

Then the angel said to them, Do not be, what everyone?

Afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of what?

Great joy, which will be to how many people?

Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people.

The angel having come in said to her, rejoice, highly favored 1.

This single thread, this three-letter word, J-O-Y, Joy.

All these stories share this theme in its original.

The idea, the word joy is heaven is a heaven initiated response in all of these stories.

This is the type of joy that is not internally produced but externally inspired.

It is like a father or mother holding that baby after going through that long period of labor and finally they just can't help to smile as they look at this child who has now entered the world getting ready to change their lives forever.

And you just can't help but smile thank you so much this is just so beautiful it's so meaningful I have a video that I want to that I want to show you that actually pinpoints this.

If you're looking for gift ideas this Christmas, perhaps a banana will do it.

You can't help but to smile when you see this child.

Like I see your faces, some of you are like...

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Joy In An Unlikely Place

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