Isaiah 61:3
"....God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. "(NIV)
Have you ever had the experience when a friend stopped by with a Christmas gift on Christmas morning and you did not have one to give in return?. You had already purchased all Christmas gifts, and that person had not been on your list. You awkwardly received and opened the gift. You want to run out to the nearest store and pick out something as nice if not better.
It would be difficult to imagine Christmas without gifts, good food; without new clothes, new shoes,
new toys for the children, without parties; without merrymaking. So great is the emphasis upon the
buying of gifts that we tend to forget the true message of Christmas. This season we hear the songs are filled with joy. "Joy to the world, Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies, Christ is born in Bethlehem, Rejoice rejoice Immanuel shall come to thee" are songs that echo the joyous celebration of Christmas. All of them point to the presence of Jesus as the gift from God for the world. Too many Christians regard their religion as a list of boxes that need checking. But Christmas is a time of remembering the greatest gift.
The Bible teaches that the "gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) “For by grace are you saved through faith; and it's not of yourselves: It is the gift of God: not of works, so nobody can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9). Salvation of our souls is the greatest gift.
Joy of salvation
“Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:9) Or we can sing like Mary did in the New Testament when God chose her to be the mother of Jesus: “For the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name.” (Luke 1:49).
The Birth of the Messiah, the savior, brings glory to God and joy to the world
(Isaiah 25:9, 52:10; Luke 1:49). And when God does a work like this in your life, it brings glory to
God and joy for us. That’s what we see in verses 2-3: “Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ 3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” (Psalm 126:2-3).
The gift of presence: More than any material possession, our loved ones crave our time, our attention, our genuine presence. The birth of Christ announced the presence of God among us in human form. "His name will be called Immanuel, God with us." But joy is really about more than priority and perspective. It is about presence, God’s presence. True, lasting joy is found in the presence of God. It comes from an interactive relationship with the almighty God of the universe. Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”. We ought to practice sharing our times with our dear ones, with the people who are lonely and the ones who are marginalized. Put down your phones, step away from the screens, and engage in heartfelt conversations, shared laughter, and meaningful moments. That is a gift that never loses its luster.
The gift of freedom from sin and guilt is announced through the birth of the savior.
Jesus was born to bring us freedom from our sins and guilt, so that we can live a life full of meaning and freedom. More than often, we hold on to the past grudges and pains and never let them go. Holding on to grudges is like carrying a heavy stone in your backpack. This Christmas, let us unburden ourselves by offering forgiveness to those who have wronged us. It may not be easy, but the lightness of a forgiving heart is a priceless gift, both for ourselves and for those we forgive.
Joy in the midst of pain
Life includes sadness; just as being a Christian doesn’t mean we should look serious all the time, it also doesn’t mean we’re always smiling. “There is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4). Joy is not the absence of sorrow; it is the ability to have faith and be thankful in the midst of all conditions. Joy is as unpredictable as the One who gives it, so much so that C.S. Lewis titled his autobiography, "Surprised By Joy." James famously said it best right at the beginning of his book: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2–4). Joy understands that there is more than meets the eye. That God is at work always, even in the tough stuff of life.
Joy for mourning?
But joy is different. Joy is not tied to circumstances. Joy is a way of life that a person chooses.
A testimony recently published by a former inmate says we can have joy even on death row (Odb. 3/18/20). In 1985 Anthony Ray Hinton was charged with the murders of two restaurant managers. It was a set up—he’d been miles away when the crimes happened—but he was found guilty and sentenced to death. At the trial, Ray forgave those who lied about him, adding that he still had joy despite this injustice. “After my death, I’m going to heaven,” he said. “Where are you going?”Life on death row was hard for Ray. Prison lights flickered whenever the electric chair was used for others, a grim reminder of what lay ahead. Ray passed a lie detector test but the results were ignored, one of many injustices he faced getting his case reheard. Finally, on Good Friday 2015, Ray’s conviction was overturned by the US Supreme Court. He’d been on death row for nearly thirty years. His life is a testament to the reality of God. Because of his faith in Jesus, Ray had a hope beyond his trials (1 Peter 1:3–5) and experienced supernatural joy in the face of injustice (v. 8). “This joy that I have,” Ray said after his release, “they couldn’t ever take that away in prison.” Such joy proved his faith to be genuine (vv. 7–8). Death row joy? That’s hard to fabricate. It points us to a God who exists even though He’s unseen and who’s ready to sustain us in our own ordeals.
Each one of us has a story. Divorce, abuse, job loss, a broken relationship, cancer, infertility, a terminal diagnosis. Everyone experiences natural sorrow. God made us with the capacity to cry. Many heroes of the faith cried in Scripture, including Jesus. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says, "there is a time to weep and a time to laugh. God uses tears to heal a broken heart." Well-meaning people may say, “Don’t cry,” but Paul said you may grieve, but not as those who have no hope.
Joy in the waiting for eternity
When this journey finally comes to an end: “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” — Matthew 25:21. We look forward to that day when we will be in heaven with God forever and we will know his complete presence and experience full and complete joy
As we gather in this season of Advent, let us not allow the noise of the season to drown out the song of joy. Let us not let the glitter and tinsel blind us to the true light. Let us remember that Christmas is not just a day, but a promise, a promise of redemption, a promise of love that endures forever. Seek out that joy in the quiet moments of prayer, in the laughter of children, in the warmth of a loved one's embrace. Let it fill your hearts to overflowing and spill out into the world, a testament to the miracle that is Christmas. Let your lives be a reflection of the joy that Christ brought, a beacon of hope in the darkness, a reminder that even in the coldest winter, the spring of love is always waiting to bloom. Go forth, brothers and sisters, and spread the joy of Christmas. Let your hearts be merry, your voices raised in song, and your hands outstretched in love. For in doing so, you become a living testament to the greatest gift of all, the gift of Jesus Christ, the gift of joy that knows no bounds.
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