Christmas Joy!

And the angel said unto them, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news which will bring great joy to all people.” Luke 2:10

There are only eight days left before Christmas, and as we frantically rush around in an effort to buy the perfect gift, set the perfect table, or host the greatest party, my prayer is that we all take a little time to experience the joy of Christmas.

Joy is defined as a feeling of great pleasure and/or happiness, and it is a lasting emotion that comes from trusting God. Joy is found not in completing a project, but in actually doing it. It is the simplest form of gratitude. This year when I think of situations of joy, I have to go back to the end of September when Hurrican Herlene hit several states on the east coast. The storm actually devastated parts of Georgia and North Carolina. It doesn’t sound like a joyful sitution, but there was joy involved.

We have friends and relatives in both places who lost power, water, gas service, internet, phone, and there are some who have only recently gotten everything restored. The comforts of life were gone and in many cases, it took the joy out of everything for them. Our dear neighbors and friends have a daughter whose family was hit hard by the storm. She took a few days to come here, not so much for herself and her son, but to organize trucks to return to Asheville with food, clothing, water, and toys for those she knew while her husband stayed to help others. When I asked her how she was doing she said, “I was made for times like this. I get such joy out of organizing things and helping others.” That’s Christmas joy.

Things aren’t always easy in this life, but they weren’t easy for the Holy Family, the shepherds, or the wise men either. The Holy Family endured a dirty stable, swaddling clothes for the Christ child, and a feeding trough for His bed. The shepherds left their fields at night and followed a star. The Wise Men traveled hundreds of miles to worship the Christ child. I have to believe that the journey exhausted their joy, yet they came and worshipped Him. One would think that only the Kings, pious Priests, and high members of society would be invited to the birth of a King, but God chose the lowly to be part of the birth of His Son. What a joy to be there to worship the Christ child!

Life is full of difficulties over which we have no control, and we all face them in this life. We have stress, problems, disappointments, and sometimes things that happen can put us out of our comfort zone. If we aren’t careful, it’s easy to become negative, depressed, and dispiritied. In other words, we lose our joy.

We can’t control what happens on the outside, but we can control what happens on the inside. The joy that comes from Christ coming into this world doesn’t come and go from what happens around us. The joy comes from what is going on deep inside us.

In the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss, the small hearted Grinch tries to take the joy out of Whoville. He comes down the chimney and takes food and toys away from all the Who’s of Whosville in an effort to steal their Christmas joy. Yet on Christmas morning, the tall and the small sang without any presents at all. And the Grinch with his Grinch feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags. And he puzzled three hours until his puzzler was sore. Then he thought of something he hadn’t before. “Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas.. perhaps.. means a little bit more.” And what happend then? Well, in Whoville they say, The Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day. He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming. It came.

Christmas Day is a remembrance of a promise of joy to be fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah. There is joy in celebrating His birth, but that joy is made complete in celebrating His life, His death and His resurrection.

Jesus is our Christmas Joy.