Where can joy be found this Christmas?
“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people’” (Luke 2:8-10, NKJV).
Those are familiar words to most of us at this time of year. But maybe, for whatever reason, they don’t resonate with you this December. Maybe you’re going through some deep waters right now, and it’s hard for you to identify with “Good tidings of great joy.”
I remember speaking with a police officer about a recent suicide in our area. Just days before Christmas, a despondent man took his own life. The officer reminded me that suicides definitely spike around this time of the year.
Christmas can be a sad and unhappy time for many people. You look at people celebrating all around you and you feel left out. Or you see people with what seem to be ideal marriages and families, and you wonder what happened to yours.
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A North American survey revealed that 45% of the respondents actually dreaded Christmas.
We all need to get back to the original idea of what Christmas is all about. And it is about joy. Why? Because a Savior — a Rescuer — has been born. In Luke 1:28, when Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce that she was to be the mother of the Messiah, he said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one.”
And that is exactly what Mary did in Luke 1:47 (NLT), saying, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!”
The shepherds heard the angels say to them, “We bring you good tidings of great joy.” Not just joy, but great joy. Planet-shaking joy. This famous second chapter of Luke’s Gospel offers us three specific ways to discover (or rediscover) joy in Christmas.
The condition of joy
In verse 10, the angel said, “Do not be afraid ..."
If you want to have joy this Christmas, don’t be afraid. Why? Because fear and anxiety can rob us of our joy. With all that’s going on in the Middle East these last few months — and the resulting turmoil in our cities and college campuses — we’re experiencing some fear in our country. Has the United States (once again) become the target of terrorist attacks?
Maybe so, maybe not.
But it wasn’t exactly a Sunday School picnic in first-century Israel, either.
Those shepherds had a lot to be afraid of. They were living under the reign of the tyrant Herod, who could execute people at will. As Jews living in a land occupied by a foreign power, there was always uncertainty about the future. Most likely, they wondered if Rome would ever leave. Would they ever be free again? And more importantly, would the Messiah ever come?
Maybe in your own life, you’ve been wrestling with some personal fears as well. What if I lose my job? What if my health gives out? What if my marriage crumbles? What if my kids go sideways? What if I can’t pay off these credit cards?
Are you anxious or filled with fear right now? The message of Christmas is: don’t be afraid but instead let great joy fill your heart. The condition of heaven-sent joy is to let go of your fear. You can’t hold them both at the same time.
The call of joy
In essence, the angel was telling the shepherds, “Go ahead and rejoice whether you feel like it or not, because your world has just changed forever!”
Can people look at you and tell that you are a true believer? It is a powerful testimony when Christians can reflect a calm and joyful spirit, even in the midst of adversity, confusion, or turmoil.
This is a wonderful magnet the Lord has given to us. The nonbeliever has nothing like it. Sure, they have their occasions of happiness, but those moments come and go. Their happiness is completely dependent on their circumstances. The joy that we experience in Christ can be ours whether we are in good times or bad.
When the Bible speaks of joy, it speaks of something far deeper than that. It is an abiding joy that’s there no matter what.
And yes, you can experience joy. This year. This Christmas. And here is why….
The cause of Joy
Look at verse 11. “There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Underline three words. Savior. Christ. Lord. What is this saying? If you want to have joy, have it for this reason:
You have a Savior. Jesus came to save us from the power and penalty of sin. Whatever you are going through in life, remember that you have a Savior. He has taken your sin and He has put it as far away from you as the east is from the west.
You have a Christ. The name Christ means “anointed one,” or Messiah. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises to the Jewish people to send His Son as the Messiah. It is a reminder that God keeps His promises. You have a Savior who has forgiven you of your sins, and you have a Messiah who keeps His promises.
You have a Lord. Not just a companion. Not just a buddy. You have a Lord, which means you have a Leader to tell you which way to go in life. Someone to say, “Watch out for this. Here is what you need to concentrate on.” Someone who will direct you in the way you should go, and protect you as you head down that road. Someone who will welcome you into heaven when you have finished this course.
And one final thing in verse 11: “There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior.” This day.
We might think, “I’ll be happy tomorrow. I’ll breathe easier next week when my next paycheck comes in because I’m overextended. I’ll be happy and joyful when I see what I get for Christmas." Or, “When I finally get through this present set of problems, then I’ll be able to smile again.”
Not necessarily!
After you come out of the trial you are in now, there will be another one around the corner, perhaps sooner rather than later. That’s not pessimism, that’s the reality on Planet Earth.
We all have problems in life. Don’t feel like you’re the exception. But rejoice anyway.
You say, “I’ll rejoice when I get through this situation.” No. Rejoice when you are in the situation. In fact, you are commanded to do so. In Philippians 4:4, the apostle Paul says, “Rejoice, in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.” In the original language, it’s neither a suggestion nor a pleasant devotional thought. It’s a command.
By the way, when Paul penned those words, He wasn’t lying on some beach sipping an iced tea with a tiny umbrella in the glass. He wasn’t sitting in some ivory tower spinning off theories. These words were written by a man who knew hardship as few of us will ever know it. He was a man who had a lot to potentially worry about — and nothing in his circumstances to rejoice about.
He had wanted to go to Rome to preach, but instead, he was locked up as a prisoner. Now, behind bars, he was waiting for his case to come up — and to learn his fate. There was a chance he might be acquitted. Then again, there was an equal chance he might be beheaded. Or boiled in oil. Or tossed to the lions in the Coliseum. In Rome, you never really knew for sure.
But even in the midst of such bleak circumstances, Paul says to the Philippians (and all of us), “I have a message for you. Lighten up! Rejoice in the Lord always.” In other words, he’s saying, “If anyone has reason to be depressed, it is me. But I am not depressed. And you don’t have to be, either.”
You have a Savior. You have a Messiah. You have a Lord. That is all you need to have a joyful Christmas right now.
Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author and movie producer. “Jesus Revolution,” a feature film about Laurie’s life from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, releases in theaters February 24, 2023.
