If any emotion has been in short supply this year, it's joy. And yet Advent calls us to return to this central experience of the Christian life, whatever our momentary circumstances. Today we hear from Banning Cantarini, a young and gifted preacher, who takes a look at how one of our most beloved carols of Christmas was written amidst serious suffering, and why coming to Jesus is cause for rejoicing. This is no call to deny pain or paint a happy face on hardship. Rather, it is a reminder of grace. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: Luke 2:8-15 (NRSV) It was preached on December 13, 2020 at Canvas Presbyterian Church (Irvine, CA). If you'd like to see the whole worship service, you can find it here. Or subscribe to the Canvas Vimeo page for our video archive or to see future worship services! And know that we'd LOVE to have you join us for Christmas Eve worship! The service will go live at 4:30PM PST on Dec. 24th.  You can find it on the Canvas website or on our Vimeo page. Want to hear more from Banning (I highly recommend it!). You can find more of his sermons here. If you would like make a (United States) tax-deductible contribution to Canvas, please click here! And thank you! Want even more content from Jesus at 2AM? Check out the website, where you can also learn more about how to become a patron! Up for connecting??? I'd love to have you send e-mail, or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.