But
the angel said to them,
"Don't
be afraid, for look,
I
proclaim to you good news
of
great joy
that
will be for all the people:
(Lk.
2:10 CSB17)
Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, isn’t it?
After all, the angel who brought the first news of Christ’s birth to the shepherds
was proclaiming “good news of great joy.” And when the wise men saw the star
over Bethlehem they were “overwhelmed with joy.”
If you’re like me, sometimes you feel a bit overwhelmed around
Christmas time, but not necessarily with joy. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed
with all the busyness and all the things we want to get done and places we need
to go and cards and presents and events. Often at Christmas the absence of a
loved one is felt more keenly than at other times of year. Sometimes family
gatherings are not exactly the times of love and peace that we would like them
to be.
Some of this we might be able to change, and some of it
we can’t. Remembering that the first Christmas occurred in a very humble and
simple setting should remind us that the joy of Christmas does not depend on how
spectacular our decorations are, or how
perfect our presents are, or how wonderful our Christmas meals are. Mary,
Joseph, and the Shepherds had none of these things, but they did have the joy
of Christmas.
We should also remember that the joy experienced by Mary,
Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men occurred in a setting of difficulties
and dangers. Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem because of the edict of a foreign
power that occupied and ruled over their land. They were in a very humble
setting where animals were kept and fed because there was no room for them in
the more comfortable guest room. And the wise men had to sneak away from
Bethlehem to avoid an evil local King intent on killing the newborn baby that
they were worshiping and celebrating.
Thinking about that first Christmas, I realize that the
deep joy they felt did not depend on their circumstances or an absence of
difficulties and dangers. This was a type of joy that was deeper than whatever
fears, anxieties, and stress they felt.
So, maybe we can’t totally avoid feeling overwhelmed by sorrows
or disappointments or drama or busyness during the Christmas season. But that
doesn’t have to rob us of Christmas joy. Christmas joy is rooted in the
glorious good news that the Son of God came into our world to save us. He is
Immanuel – God with us. It’s the good news that God’s King is going to rule
over our world one day. All the evil and darkness and sickness and pain will then
be gone. The incarnation is shining evidence that God cares about us and loves
us.
Take some time to read the Christmas story in Matthew and
Luke. Listen to some Christmas music. Worship with other Christians at a local
church and listen to a message about Christmas. Let the wonder and joy of the
good news of Christmas wash over your tired soul and anxious mind. Let the joy of
knowing we have a Savior and King bubble up like a fountain from a place deeper
than your tiredness and disappointments.
For now, like Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and wise men,
you still have to live in this dark, scary world. Thank God, the joy of
Christmas is precisely the type of joy that shines in dark places.
Prayer: Heavenly
Father, this Christmas I pray that Your Holy Spirit will work in our hearts and
minds and produce the wonderful, valuable fruit of joy. May our joy in Christ
revive our tired souls, strengthening us and healing us from within. And may our
joy in Christ cause our lives to shine like the star the wise men followed so
that others are drawn to come and join us in worshipping Jesus.
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