Christ Brings Joy
Christ Brings Joy | Advent 3rd Week
Today, I begin with a bit of a confession. For a long time, I did not enjoy the Christmas season. I enjoyed Christmas Day, but not the December leading up to it. In college, I worked retail jobs that, I am convinced, had research agreements with the CIA revolving around torture techniques. I’m sure I was a part of an experiment that wanted to know the psychological effects of subjecting people to the same 10 Christmas songs (and not any of the good ones) repeatedly in the course of an 8-10 hour period. To this day “Last Christmas” by Wham! is on my list of “Most Torturous Christmas Songs.” It ties with “Santa Baby.”
But, now that my retail days are far behind and my children are getting old enough to be excited for Christmas (but not old enough to have ridiculously expensive wish lists), I can enjoy December again. I even enjoy Christmas music again!…just the ones about Jesus.
That said, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is one of my favorite Christmas songs that isn’t a Christian song. But, as with most Christmas songs you hear on the radio these days, it misses the whole reason for Christmas. Christmas songs abound with celebratory music that celebrates the joy of the season, but unfortunately, most of them miss the reason for all the joy. However, what redeems “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is that third stanza:
There'll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago
The reason Christmas is such a wonderful time of year is because of the “tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.” Today, let’s look more closely at the tale of the First Christmas.
Jesus is the Reason to be Joyful
For many, the story of the First Christmas begins with a census, or perhaps you may go back to the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary. But when Luke chronicled the life of Jesus in his Gospel, he chose to go back even a bit further. He begins in the days of Herod, king of Judea, with a priest named Zechariah. He had a wife named Elizabeth, and though both walked “Blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord” (Verse 5), they were not blessed with any children. But one day, everything changed for this elderly couple.
Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Luke 1:8-17
Luke begins here, because just before the Messiah was to come, it was said that Elijah would return to prepare the way of the Lord. This baby Gabriel announces is John the Baptist who is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Elijah’s return found at the end of Malachi. And because Elijah has returned, the Messiah would not be far behind.
Further down in verse 24, we read Elizabeth does conceive a child. Then, in verse 26, Gabriel visits Mary to let her know she is going to bear the Messiah and His name is to be Jesus. Some time afterward Mary visits her cousin, Elizabeth, and look at verses 39-44.
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Luke 1:39-44
Before John is even born, he is testifying the Messiah has come! He bounces for joy in Elizabeth!
We can be joyful this Christmas because God fulfills His promises.
Some time later, Joseph and Mary must take the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem because a decree for a census goes out. Here, in chapter 2, we get to the part of the story that is most familiar. They travel to Bethlehem, but must find room in a manger because the inn is full. The time comes for the Messiah to be born, and Mary wraps the baby in swaddling clothes. And about the same time, we read about the angelic baby announcement. Let’s read those same verses we read last week, but this time, instead of focusing on the song the angelic host sing, look closely at the first angel’s message.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2:8-14
There is no need to fear this angelic messenger or his musical entourage because he brings “good news of great joy!” On that day, a Savior—one would free the people from their captivity—Christ, the Messiah—the Anointed One promised for so long—the Lord—God Himself, has been born. These three titles are usually glossed over quickly as we read the Christmas story, but consider them once again and understand why this night, of all nights, is the greatest reason to be joyful!
The Savior has come. I think of that great carol, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan's pow'r
When we were gone astray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Jesus has come to break the shackles that Satan placed on us so long ago when sin entered the world. 1 John 3:8 reminds us,
The reason the Son of god appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:8b
The King of Kings was born to us 2,000 years ago, and He accomplished His mission to inaugurate the Kingdom of God on Earth.
We can be joyful this Christmas because we can have victory over Satan through Jesus Christ.
We may live in that tension-filled state of “already not-yet” that exists between Jesus’ first Advent and His Second, but that tension reminds us the greatest Christmas is still yet to come. One day, Jesus will demonstrate His final victory over the nations. Theologians and Christians may disagree about the timing and order of events, but the Bible is very clear: Jesus wins! And because He wins, we can have peace, joy, and everlasting life.
Consider two more Christmas songs:
“Joy to the World” in which we sing:
Joy to the world, the Lord is come,Let earth receive her King;
Jesus is King! Have you received Him?
Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing.
No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow, Far as the curse is found.
Wherever the curse of sin is found, Jesus is ready and able to cleanse it. Whether the sin of our hearts, in our communities, or families, we can have cleansing because Jesus is King and Jesus gives us victory over this world.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove,
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.
Jesus rules this world. Sometimes we forget this fact because of that tension of waiting for the Second Coming. But one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord!
Second, listen to this last song. This particular one, I believe, is my absolute favorite.
“O Holy Night” in which we sing:
O Holy Night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
The reason the First Christmas was such a joyful and holy night is because that was the night, after long centuries of waiting, the Savior was born! The world lay in sin and error, and it pined for the day of Jesus’ coming. But then He came! And now each soul can know its worth.
There is a God in Heaven.
God does love you.
God does care about the troubles you are in.
And, God has provided a cure for our sin and tribulations. His Name is Jesus!
And that brings a ‘thrill of hope’ because there is a new morning available for all who call on the name of Jesus. Salvation is available. Life is available. Joy is available!
But with this song I’d like to read one more verse. Because Adolphe Adam left us with some sound advice in that last verse.
Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name
Jesus taught us to love one another, because His law is love and His gospel is peace. Whatever picture of Jesus you may have this Christmas, whether a cute little baby in a manger or the King of Kings coming to the Earth, hopefully you will know this Christmas God’s love and peace. Because it is to that love and that peace that we are called.
“In His name all oppression shall cease.”
Advent reminds us that one day the trials, tribulations, and oppressions of this world will cease. And it will be because Jesus has come!
We can be joyful this Christmas because Jesus is returning!
So this Christmas, raise your ‘sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus.’ Praise His holy name!