Sunday's Message - Unwrapping the Gift of Joy

As a kid, unwrapping Christmas presents is one of the highlights of the entire year. Even for adults, the mystery of what’s beneath the paper is still exciting. But we don’t want to forget that not all our gifts can be found under the tree. During the Sundays before Christmas, we’re going to focus on how we might unwrap four other gifts of Christmas that we’ve received from God himself:

• November 30 - Unwrapping the Gift of Hope
• December 7 - Unwrapping the Gift of Peace
• December 14 - Unwrapping the Gift of Joy
• December 21 - Unwrapping the Gift of Love

On Sunday, we continued this series by looking at how we can celebrate the gift of joy. Although young people from the Dancer's Studio and our congregation led the service and no sermon was preached, I wrote a message to complete the series. Below is a video presentation and the text for this sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Well, here we are, another week closer to Christmas. And I’ve got to tell you, as I look out the window, I can’t help but to think about one particular Christmas song, and it ain’t All I Want for Christmas Is You. Of course, it’s that wonderful Irving Berlin classic, “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas,” a song that was written for the 1942 musical Holiday Inn and that actually won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Now, I think we’ve all heard at least a dozen times in the last few weeks. And I’ve got to tell you, as I look out the window this morning, well, it feels a whole lot more like a concrete reality than wishful thinking.

And you know, as we continue through our series dealing with unwrapping the gifts of Christmas, this morning I think we’re reminded of another song that we generally associate with this time of year but, when it was written way back in 1719, wasn’t intended to be about Christmas at all. You see, to this point we’ve already talked about the gift of hope and the gift of peace. And this morning, we’re going to focus on the one that,  according to Isaac Watts, involved joy to the world.

You see, during the rest of our time together, we’re going to focus on how the birth of Jesus Christ really does represent a gift of genuine joy, because through him, we can experience three feelings that can not only brighten our lives right now but that we can also carry with us as we go into the future. 

For example, first, I believe Jesus brings us joy, because through him, we can experience gratitude, and I’m talking about a genuine sense of appreciation and thanks that we wouldn’t have if he hadn’t come. And I’ll tell you, I think we can hear this kind of joy announced immediately after his birth. You see, as we all know, on “that night in the fields near Bethlehem [when] some shepherds were guarding their sheep,” [Luke 2:8, CEV] this was what the angel said: 

Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay. [Luke 2:10b-12, CEV]

Now that’s what the angel said to those frightened shepherds.

And for all of us who know the story, that’s exactly what that child of Bethlehem was; he was our savior, and for that reason, man, we can be grateful. I mean, we can feel gratitude because, through his life, he saved us from questions and confusion. I mean, thanks to him, we know exactly how to demonstrate compassion to those who need it most. And we know exactly how to demonstrate courage when confronted by men and women whose relationship with God is shaped by works rather than by grace and whose compassion is doled out based on status rather than need and whose love has far more to do with “who” than with “how.” You see, we’ve been saved from questions and confusion. And we can feel appreciation because, through his death, he saved us from shame and guilt. You see, because he died, we know that we’ve been forgiven of all those things we’ve done and left undone. And we’ve been cleansed as though, in God’s sight, what we might consider as red as scarlet has been bleached as white as snow. And we’ve been freed from that feeling that we’re bound and limited by our past mistakes. You see, we’ve also been saved from shame and guilt. And we can feel thankful because, through his resurrection, he saved us from fear and despair. You see, that empty tomb is a sign that death no longer has the final word. And it’s the proof that no matter how bad the world might appear, God is still in control and when you get right down to it, he’s still the Lord and giver of life. And it’s a reminder that just like his tomb was empty on that Easter morning almost two thousand years ago, the day will come when ours will be too. I’m telling you, right here and now, we’ve been saved from fear and despair. You see, because we believe Jesus is the savior, we can feel genuine gratitude, and for me, that’s certainly one part of our Christmas joy. But that’s not all. 

You see, second, I believe through him, along with gratitude, we can also experience comfort, and I’m talking about a real sense of strength and security that can change the way we live in the present. I mean, remember, according to the Evangelist John, after his resurrection,

The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy.

After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, “I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” [John 20:19-22, CEV]

You see, just like the Lord breathed his spirit into Adam, the child born in Bethlehem has breathed the Holy Spirit into us. 

And for that reason we can feel comfort. You see, we can feel comfort just knowing that the presence of God is within each one of us here; therefore, in a very real way Jesus has always been our Emmanuel, God with us, and when, on that mountain in Galilee, he promised to be with disciples always, man, he was speaking to us. And that’s a source of comfort. And we can also feel strength just knowing that the Holy Spirit isn’t just static and callous and uninvolved, but rather it’s working within us, changing us on the inside and enabling us to be everything we were created and called to be, because, using the words of Paul, “God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.” [Galatians 5:22-23, CEV]. I’m telling you, whether we recognize it or not, we’re becoming stronger because of the Holy Spirit. And you know, we can also feel security, and I’m talking about the kind of security that comes from knowing that we’re not alone, that God has called us together, to this place, at this time, and that, as his body, you know, the Body of Christ, we can support and encourage one another and we can work together as God’s people and we can combine our gifts and our talents to accomplish far more than any of us could do on his or her own. Now that, my friends, is real security. You see, because we have faith that Jesus is the giver of the Spirit, we can feel genuine comfort, and for me, that’s certainly another part of our Christmas joy. But again that’s not all either.

Because, third, through him, we can also experience confidence, and I’m talking about the kind of certainty and assurance that will keep us moving forward regardless of what we have to trudge through to get there. And I’ll tell you, this was something that I believe the Apostle Paul understood. You see, just listen to what he wrote to the Romans:

I am sure what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory that will be shown to us. In fact, all creation is eagerly waiting for God to show who his children are. Meanwhile, creation is confused, but not because it wants to be confused. God made it this way in the hope that creation would be set free from decay and would share in the glorious freedom of his children. We know that all creation is still groaning and is in pain, like a woman about to give birth. [Romans 8:18-22, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul wrote. In other words, he wasn’t going to let the trouble he was facing right now distract him from what he knew lay ahead. 

And I’ll tell you, that can be just as true for us as it was for him. You see, we can be confident, because we believe that the one who was born in Bethlehem, the one who lived and died and was raised, I’m talking about the one who breathed on us and said “Receive the Holy Spirit” [John 20:22b, CEV], man, we believe he’s coming back. He’s coming back to set things right. He’s coming back to separate the sheep from the goats. Man, he’s coming back to deliver his kingdom to his father. Of this we can be confident. And we can be certain that, when that day comes, we’re going to be part of his return, as Paul wrote, “It will happen suddenly, quicker than the blink of an eye. At the sound of the last trumpet the dead will be raised. We will all be changed, so we will never die again. Our dead and decaying bodies will be changed into bodies that won’t die or decay.” [1 Corinthians 15:52-52, CEV] Of this we can be certain. And we can be assured that no matter what happened in the past and no matter is happening in the present and no matter what might happen in the future, our ultimate destinies are in the hands of God, in his loving and gracious and merciful hands, and that when the last page of the book is written, when the roll is called up yonder, brothers and sisters, we will be there. Of this we can be assured. You see, because we trust that Jesus is coming back, we can feel genuine confidence, and for me, that’s certainly another part of our Christmas joy. 

Of course, as we all know, we can’t trust in everything, not even in everything we see. Good night nurse, AI has taught us that, right? For example, do you remember how I mentioned that, given what we can all see as we look out the window, man, we have an excellent reason to expect a white Christmas? Well, quoting that great biblical scholar, Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend.” You see, according to The Weather Channel, on Thursday, we can expect rain and temperatures near 50. As a matter of fact, they’re not calling for any more snow until after the twenty-five. In other words, it’s likely we’ll only be experiencing a white Christmas in our dreams.

But you know, that’s not the case with Christmas joy. You see, because Jesus is our savior, we can experience gratitude. And because Jesus is the giver of the Holy Spirit, we can experience comfort. And because Jesus is coming again, we can experience confidence. And as it relates to this wonderful Christmas gift, I really think that’s what Christmas joy is all about.