The Joy of Christmas
The Joy of Christmas
The joy of shopping, shopping, shopping, and more shopping! The joy of putting together that gift with a million pieces and having some left over. The joy of traveling during Christmas especially when you make it but your bags are in some other city. The joy of family, all the family, together over at your house. Where do we find joy in the midst of the good and not so good this Christmas? Take a look at this video and see what I mean.
Where do we find joy? I think the answer can be found in Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary was on track for a wonderful life. This teenage girl was engaged to Joseph when the most amazing thing happened. The Gospel of Luke tells us that an angel appeared to Mary and said to her, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” The angel continues and says to Mary “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.”
Mary then goes to visit her relative Elizabeth. When Elizabeth hears Mary’s voice, her own baby leaps for joy inside her. Elizabeth proclaims “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is this child you will bear. But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Mary’s response to Elizabeth is one of praise to God. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.”
This may sound great now, but can you imagine the reaction of Joseph and his family. You are pregnant? How did you say this happened? Mary could well have been thrown out on the street or even stoned if they believed it was adultery. She had every reason to be frightened. Yet her response did not come from the outward circumstances of fear but from the one who was with her. Mary chose to allow her soul to magnify the Lord and rejoice in God her Savior. Mary’s joy came from the Lord who was with her.
Where do we find joy like that? Joy doesn’t come from the outward circumstances of our lives. It doesn’t matter if things are great or terrible. Joy comes from the Lord who is with you! This same Jesus who was in Mary is also in us. No, we all aren’t pregnant. But we all have Jesus in us through the death and resurrection of Jesus and his gift of the Holy Spirit. That is where joy is this Christmas. Joy is in us! God is with us!
Yet there is more. This Jesus is also in those around you. Does your heart leap for joy when you feel the presence of Jesus in someone else? Elizabeth said to Mary, “why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” We too are favored to have other Christians around us because the Lord is with them as well.
This week, as you prepare for Christmas, open your heart to see how blessed you are because of all the people in your life. Not because they have done something for you but because God is with them in Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit! Let us rejoice in God our Savior!!
Tags: Christmas, devotional, joy, Laity Lodge Family Camp, Texas
February 19th, 2010 at 11:19 am
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