A Light of Joy
God is always in the midst of great darkness and fear, and when all life seems lost, he brings joy through the light of Jesus.
Many people today, even Jesus-followers, have lost sight of the simplicity and serenity of the Christmas season. Jesus offers hope, joy, peace and love for the hurting and eternal life for those who are willing to accept the Father’s gift of light—the birth of his Son. This Advent message series helps to remind us all that Christmas is not about us—Christmas is Jesus!
Let’s face it, the Christmas season is a time that is loved by many and hated by just as many. Yet, regardless of which side of that issue you fall on, this much is true: the Christmas season is a time filled with many mixed messages and with pagan and worldly rituals. This is supposed to be the one time in the year when the world remembers the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, and every year we muddy the waters of truth by allowing the Scriptural meaning of the season to be mingled with other messages that have their origin in the world.
Now. I enjoy Christmas. It is my favorite time of the year. But I just want you to be aware that there are some terrible misconceptions surrounding the true meaning of the season. To many people it’s all about money, commercialism and greed. Others see it as a time for parties, meals and get-togethers. Many children know Christmas only as a time for Santa, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and other equally misguided fairy tales. As a result, some children have no idea what is the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus is up against good old Santa. And tragically, Santa captivates their hearts and minds.
Some one has compared Santa Claus and the Lord Jesus in a piece called “Santa Versus Jesus.”
Santa lives at the North Pole. Jesus lives everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh. Jesus rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes once a year. Jesus is an ever present help.
Santa comes down your chimney. Jesus stands at your heart’s door and knocks.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies. Jesus supplies all your needs.
You have to wait in line to see Santa. Jesus is as close as the mention of his name.
Santa lets you sit in his lap. Jesus holds you in his arms.
Santa has a belly like a bowl of jelly. Jesus has a heart of love.
Santa’s little helpers make new toys. Jesus makes new lives.
Santa puts gifts under your tree. Jesus became our gift and died on a tree.
Christmas is Jesus, not Santa!
We are centering our focus upon four key declarations concerning darkness and light:
In the darkness of DESPAIR Jesus is the light of HOPE
In the darkness of FEAR Jesus is the light of JOY
In the darkness of ANXIETY Jesus is the light of PEACE
In the darkness of SUSPICION Jesus is the light of LOVE
The first Advent message focused on the fact that God brought us hope from despair through the Father’s gift of light—the birth of his Son. Traditionally Christmas is seen as a time of hope, but for so many people despair is the controlling emotion of their lives. And that despair can bring a suffocating darkness.
The second Advent message focuses on the fact that God brings us joy from fear through the Father’s gift of light—the birth of his Son. Christmas is seen as a time of joy, but for so many people fear is the compelling emotion of their lives, and that fear can bring a paralyzing darkness.
Fear = an emotional response to external threats and danger when facing the uncertain circumstances of life. Fear should be distinguished from anxiety, which typically occurs without any external threat. Additionally, fear is related to the specific behaviors of escape and avoidance, whereas anxiety is the result of threats which are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable.
Paul warns Jesus-followers about putting out the Spirit fire through fear in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19…
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.
Putting out the Spirit’s fire is stifling or limiting him. Fear seriously restricts the Spirit’s control of our body which God would otherwise strengthen and use. Instead of fear, we should be able to rejoice. The word rejoice means to return to the source of joy. This joy is initially experienced when we first received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives. This joy is strengthened as we live day after day by faith in God’s love, and God’s plan for our lives. This keeps us rejoicing through the Spirit in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves.
When fear instead of joy controls our lives, we become like turtles. Dr. Maltz in his book, Psycho-Cybernetics says: “To live creatively, we must be willing to be a little vulnerable. We must be willing to be hurt a little, if necessary, in creative living. A lot of people need a thicker and tougher emotional skin than they have. But they need only a tough emotional hide or epidermis—not a shell. To trust, to love, to open ourselves to emotional communication with other people is to run the risk of being hurt. If we are hurt once, we can do one of two things. We can build a thick protective shell, or scar tissue, to prevent being hurt again, and not be hurt. Or we can ‘turn the other cheek,’ remain vulnerable and go on living creatively.”
“A turtle is never ‘hurt.’” Turtles have a thick shell which protects them from everything. They are isolated when they retreat into their shell. Turtles are secure, but not creative. They cannot ‘go after’ what they want—they must mostly wait for it to come to them. Turtles know none of the hurts of emotional communication with their environment—but neither can turtles know the joys.
As Jesus-followers, once fear has been faced as a violation of trust in God rather than excused as a behavior pattern, we are well on our way to recovery provided we are willing to submit ourselves to the continual leading or prompting of the Holy Spirit. Many people, of all walks of life, of all faiths, of all experiences find themselves paralyzed in the darkness of fear so deeply that they are robbed of joy. Yet, out of the darkness of fear, God brings Jesus—the light of joy.
To comprehend this joy, let’s look at the message announced to the shepherds on a hillside outside of Bethlehem. It was declared to them by an angel of the Lord that God would bring to them good news of great joy. It’s a contrast of terrified shepherds with the joyful message of a Savior being born. It is the light of joy when God chose to bring his Son into the world.
This angelic encounter with the shepherds is recorded in Luke 2:6-11…
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
We can observe in these verses that the angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds in fields near Bethlehem, praising God. Rather than limit the promise of joy to people of good will, the angelic shout proclaims a grace of God that is Good News and the promise of joy to all! In Christ the Savior, our deepest need is met. Through Christ, God’s favor is poured out on all who will but believe.
But that is exactly what God did. God took the darkness that paralyzed these terrorized shepherds. In the likeness of our first message in the series, God took the terrifying situation of Mary and Joseph, he took the things that made no sense at all and out of that darkness and fear, he brought light and joy…not just for sheepherders, but for the entire world. We affirm that it’s just like God to take what’s weak, worthless, fearful and dark and use it to bring light and joy to the world.
There is a cartoon of the freckle-faced, Dennis-the-Menace-type toddler standing outside his parents’ bedroom door. This toddler’s pajama bottoms are unsnapped; his Pampers are soaked and sagging; his teddy bear’s nose is torn off, and its one remaining button eye is dangling. From the looks of things, this child could definitely keep six healthy adults hopping. But in front of him, hanging from the doorknob, is the sign his exhausted mother has printed: CLOSED FOR BUSINESS. MOTHERHOOD OUT OF ORDER!
As we enter this Christmas season, many of us may feel like that parent in the cartoon. “Closed for business. I’m out of order.” Life is coming unsnapped, and our spirit is sagging. However, the angel of the Lord will teach us that we can set our gaze upon joy, and how we can find the way through life’s circumstances with an unmistakable confidence in Christ.
Joyful Reasons for the Season
We affirm once again the fact that God is not afraid of the dark. Out of darkness God can bring light and joy where otherwise there would be none. Let’s return to Luke’s narrative concerning the angel of the Lord’s message to these terrified shepherds.
The angelic announcement of joy to these lowly shepherds proclaims three joyful reasons for the season…
1. A command of stillness in a stressed out world
10 “Do not be afraid.”
This stillness is founded upon the understanding that joy is an assurance in God’s leading and security in his never-failing love. The shepherds needed to hear this message of joy in a stressed out period of time. The shepherds would care for the unblemished lambs that would be offered in the Temple as sacrifices before God. But the shepherds themselves were prohibited from entering the Temple courts. They needed this message of stillness—do not be afraid. Don’t be fearful of the uncertain circumstances of life which foster the emotional responses to threats and danger.
So when we feel that we are stressed out—closed for business and out of order—when life is coming unsnapped; when our spirit is sagging—we gaze upon the light of joy in the Lord with unmistakable stillness. Do not be afraid. This command of stillness is ordered at least 365 times in scripture—one for each day of the year!
2. A commencement of gladness in a disheartened world
10 “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
Many of us have been raised to believe that joy and happiness mean the same thing. What is the difference between joy and happiness? Joy is a supernatural delight in God and God’s goodness. And it is a very different thing from happiness. Happiness is our translation of the Latin word fortuna, and it is closely related to chance. Thus, if things happen to work out in a way which we approve, we are happy. If they do not so happen, we are unhappy. Happiness is circumstantial, but not joy. Joy is an inner quality of delight in God, or gladness, and it is meant to spring up within the Jesus-follower in a way totally unrelated to the adversities or circumstantial blessings of this life.
So the angel of the Lord inclusively announces to the shepherds good news of great joy that will be for all the people. This good news isn’t just offered to a select few, but it is even extended to those who are considered second rate. If we are able to receive what God wants to give, the message of joy is for each of us. Would that it were for all. It is available for all, and when and if we receive what God wants to give us, we have joy.
We’ve already affirmed that joy is stillness in God’s leading and security in his never-failing love. So to rejoice in the Lord does not mean to ignore our responsibilities; neither does it mean to evade obvious issues. Rather, it means to be fully mindful of the situation, fully prepared to deal with it responsibly, and fully convinced of the power of the Lord to give wisdom, grace, and courage to deal with what comes along. This is why the angel announces the good news of great joy. And this good news is Jesus Christ, the light of joy, coming into the world!
In essence, happiness is found in circumstances that are subject to change, while joy is rooted in our ever-constant Lord. Happiness is gladness in the gift, while joy is an abiding delight in the Giver!
3. A claim of uprightness in a depraved world
11 “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
The angel told the shepherds this joy was to come by a Savior who is Messiah, the Lord. The angel used two names to identify the one who would bring this joy. First was Savior, a Hebrew word meaning rescuer; then Messiah, a Greek word for the anointed one, the chosen one. So Jesus was to be the rescuer and the anointed One—the bearer of this joy. When living in a depraved world, we need a Savior who comes to rescue us. One who is anointed to save and bring joy in the midst of the darkness of fear.
This baby who has been born to us has a threefold claim: he is a present Savior, a promised Savior, and a personal Savior.
A Present Savior—Today
A Promised Savior—In the town of David
A Personal Savior—Born to you
This present, promised, and personal Savior provides a remedy for this darkness of fear. Let’s note some of the reassuring words of Jesus…
John 6:19-20
19 When they had rowed about three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”
John 14:1-3
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 My Father’s house has plenty of room; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Luke 5:10
10 Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”
Acts 18:9-10
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
When God is involved, out of darkness comes light. Out of fear comes joy. This truth is beautifully illustrated by the following example of a time when a young, fear-stricken mother loaned her son to a total stranger at Christmas time.
There came an appeal from the local newspaper: Is there any place where we can borrow a little boy three or four years old for the Christmas holidays? We have a nice home and would take wonderful care of him and bring him back save and sound. We used to have a little boy, but he couldn’t stay, and we miss him so when Christmas comes.—N. Muller.
As I read the above appeal in our local newspaper, something happened to me. For the first time since my husband’s death, I thought of grief as belonging to someone else. I read and reread the letter to the editor.
Some months before, I had received word from Washington that my husband had been killed in the service overseas. Fear-stricken, I had taken my little son and had moved back to the tiny village of my birth. I’d gone to work to help support my son and time had helped to erase a few scars in my heart. But there were special times when the ache would return and loneliness would engulf me—birthdays, our wedding, anniversary and holidays.
This particular Christmas, the old paralyzing fear was returning when my eyes caught the appeal in the newspaper column… “We used to have a little boy, but he couldn’t stay and we miss him so…” I, too, knew what missing was, but I had my little boy. I knew how empty the sparkle of Christmas is unless you see it in the joyous eyes of a child. I answered the appeal. The writer of the letter was a widower who lived with his mother. He had lost his beloved wife and his little son the same year. That Christmas, my son and I shared a joyous day with the widower and his mother. Together, we found a joy that we doubted would ever return. But the best part is that this joy was mine to keep throughout the years and for each of the Christmases since. You see, the man who wrote the letter, months later, became my husband. –Mrs. N.H. Muller.
The prophet affirms the truth of the darkness of fear turning to the light of joy in Isaiah 51:3…
3 The LORD will surely comfort… and will look with compassion… Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
The Christmas story is a beautiful story from a growing darkness of fear to the light of joy. I don’t know what fear you may be dealing with in your life from outside circumstances this Christmas season. I don’t know if it’s just a shade of darkness or if it’s a paralyzing fear. Whatever fear you are dealing with in the ever changing and challenging circumstances of life—whatever the situation you find to be fearful, I know that God isn’t afraid of the dark. I know that, just as he did on the night outside of Bethlehem to some fearful shepherds, God will take that darkness and fear and he will bring light and joy…it’s what God does best.
You may be in the darkness right now, quenching the Spirit of God. If fear describes your emotional state, your life—then I want to encourage you with the Christmas story. It is a story of God taking fear…the fear of stress, the fear of sadness, the fear of a depraved people and out of that fear bringing JOY. God will do the same with your fear. That’s what God does best. In the darkness of FEAR Jesus is the light of JOY! Amen.
