If there is a single word that describes what Christmas is all about, it’s the little word “joy.”
Several of our favorite carols mention it: “Joy to the world, the Lord is come,” “O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,” “Shepherds, why this jubilee, why your joyous strains prolong?” “Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice,” “Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies, with the angelic host proclaim, ‘Christ is born in Bethlehem.’”
Be joyful.
I wonder how many of us feel joyful this morning? It’s not hard to feel joy when you come to church and sing these wonderful songs. But it’s not always easy to feel joyful.
William Willimon, Dean of the Chapel at Duke University, says that joy can be a challenge to the church. "Sometimes all we do is talk about the imperatives of life: Do this, don’t do that. You can walk away from church pretty depressed sometimes."
Part of our problem is that we’ve got the wrong idea about joy. We tend to connect it with happiness and think that joy depends on our circumstances. You can’t have joy by going from one party to another or frantically racing through the shopping mall. In fact, going to the mall this time of year is an excellent way to lose your joy.
Where does Christmas joy come from? Listen to the words of Luke 2:8-10 and see if you can discover the answer:
Luke 2:8-14:
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Christmas is a delightful disruption of the way things normally go. That phrase “delightful disruption” catches the spirit of Luke 2. One moment you’re tending the sheep in the middle of the night, the next you’re being scared out of your mind by an angelic choir. I don’t know how delightful that is, but it’s definitely a disruption.
The angel comes with “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” What is this “good news of great joy?”
Verse 11 has the answer: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
If you are looking for Christmas joy, you can find all you need in this single verse.
Christmas is a season of both anticipation and interruption. On that day nearly 2000 years ago, the people of God had anticipated some word from Him for four centuries, Some more than others, but by and large, people went on about their lives not knowing that the fullness of time ---what they had been waiting for---had come.
The focal point of all history was at hand, yet everyone went about their business as though it was just any other day.
Censuses were taken. Rooms booked at local inns. It was business as usual for most, but a few were interrupted by something special.
Shepherds out in the field watching over their flocks at night most likely meant that the sheep needed to looked after or guarded at night.
Maybe it was time for the sheep to give birth---perhaps there were other dangers---we can only speculate.
But one thing is certain--they were out there in the fields by night going about the work that provided a living for them and their family.
Then there was something unexpected.
Their work that night was being interrupted for something good---Good News.
News that their Savior is now lying in a manger in the nearby city of David.
How did the interrupted shepherds respond?
They took off for Bethlehem in haste.
Think about what was involved:
- They left their work behind.
- Their flocks that needed watching were left unattended.
The point is not that God is calling us to be irresponsible.
It is to accept the interruptions in our daily lives because the Lord may be directing or redirecting our lives.
Maybe we need him to interrupt our despair and anxieties this Christmas.
For some, even the dread of the season.
Maybe we need our war on God raging through our rebellion to be interrupted.
This thread runs through the story of Christmas.
I pray it finds its way through our hearts.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill toward men.
Be Blessed.