The true joy of Christmas
“My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:47)
Joy! That is a word and concept we hear a lot about in this Christmas season. But the real questions are “Where is that joy found?” and “How long does it last?”
If you listen to all the commercials and the Christmas songs many people sing at this time of the year you will come away thinking that joy is found on the faces of excited children or in having a beautiful white snow covering softly falling as people go about on Christmas Eve. Don’t get me wrong – I know that those things and a few others give people a certain sense of joy at Christmas.
How come we never hear about the other children who are dejected because of the difficult situation they find themselves in or are throwing a temper tantrum because they didn’t get the gift they wanted for Christmas? When was the last time you saw a December calendar picture showing a street with dirty snow and piles of frozen snow lining the parking lot?
You likely know it and realize that the joy so many people think they’ll find in Christmas is shallow and temporary. That is why as we again have the privilege of going to the manger and celebrating God’s Christmas gift to us, we listen to the words of the woman who was privileged to be the mother of baby Jesus. She doesn’t talk about any earthly trappings or physical matters.
Mary points our eyes where they need to be, because she realizes that if she and we are going to find true and lasting joy not just for the next few days, but for all our lives, there is one thing we need – a Savior. Think for a moment of all the things which rob you of joy – pain, sickness, strife, worry, anger, grief, loss and many more. The root cause of every single one of those things and everything else which takes away our joy is found in a little, 3-letter word – sin.
We try to put on happy faces, act like everything is okay or tell ourselves “It will be better tomorrow” and yet, you know what happens.
That is why the direction Mary gives us is so vitally important. When we look for our lasting Christmas joy in what the baby in the manger brings us, we will not be disappointed. Finding our joy in our Savior assures us that he came to forgive all the wrongs of 2018 and before in our lives. It assures us that he will give us everything we need. If you are struggling with sadness due to sickness, pain, loss or other struggles, baby Jesus, your Savior and mine, invites us to lay our burdens on him, trust his care for our future and know that one day he will give us a perfect home in heaven free from all the stains sin leaves in our lives. He promises peace which we will never completely find this side of heaven.
None of this is saying that we can’t or shouldn’t find joy in the people and places we will likely find ourselves with this week. As you enjoy the earthly food, family and friends, please also make time for the one who is the friend of sinners (every last one of us) and feeds us with his Word and welcomes us all as part of his family.
Have a truly blessed Christmas as you enjoy all of God’s gifts and blessings to you which are ultimately centered in Jesus, your Savior!