Great(er) Joy
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! -Luke 2:9-11, NLT, emphasis added
Everyone has a Christmas movie favorite. It’s a Wonderful Life has long been that movie for me (to my wife’s great annoyance). There are a million one liners for me from that movie and I recite them far too often (you can ask my wife and my children). One though that has been dear to me since I was little is the moment when George Bailey “gets” his life back on the bridge. When he realizes it- he starts laughing uncontrollably and running through town yelling “Merry Christmas!” to everything and everyone in sight. It doesn’t make sense though if you think about it. You see, nothing has yet changed in George’s situation (spoiler alert: Hollywood ensures things are made far better for Mr. Bailey before the final credits roll.) He’s still to be arrested. His business and family are to suffer ruin at his downfall. He is still poor in a world where money comes in pretty handy. Still, he celebrates and laughs and can’t stop laughing and yelling. And here’s where, to me, there is a moment that rhymes with the Gospel. Becoming a follower of Jesus doesn’t change your life’s circumstances. Much of the heartache and pain is still there. Many of the problems remain unsolved. Sickness and death still come into your life as unwelcome as ever. BUT, we’ve been given life; the life God created us for, the eternal kind. This is why, no matter what comes, the follower of Jesus should be able to have greater joy than George Bailey. Not only have we our lives, with a better perspective, we have new life. Life that can never be taken by death or any other power. Now, please understand, I am not advising you to run through the streets shouting, “Merry Christmas” at inanimate objects and laughing like a crazy person. But, I am challenging us- myself included to refuse to forget what we have in Jesus. I am calling on us to consider again the good news. I am calling on us to let it cause great joy in us. Not just during the third week of Advent- but, every day. I am not calling on you to be fake. Phony happiness, with a painted on smile to match, is not the work of God in you. That’s you, faking it till you make it. You’re not going to make it. God can make it in you but, if you are manufacturing it, be sure of this, that isn’t spiritual joy. Spiritual joy is permanent. It’s objects are also permanent (God, Jesus, the promises of God and so forth). And its source is permanent, the indwelling Holy Spirit. If we fix our sights on genuine, permanent joy, we must let God give us His joy. The unspeakable joy of God rises in the child of God, as the sun dawns each day and light and radiance follow. The reality is that all joy stems from God but when we talk about the ‘great joy’ of the angel’s announcement, we are talking about the deepest most unshakable joy ever known to human beings. And if you know Jesus as your Savior, that joy is yours. Let it show. Let it be fresh and new to you each day. Let it be expressed in any way you know how. Shout for joy! Sing for joy! Dance for joy! Endure all the sadness of this life knowing that the best is yet to be. Weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). I can already see the sky brightening on that Eastern horizon. Our Son is about to dawn in all His brilliant radiance and then all that is dark and sad will be vanquished forever. Until that time, let the good news cause great joy in YOU as you eagerly await that day!