I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)
When we think of birthdays, we often think of fun and games, cake and ice cream, gifts, and lots of smiles. In other words, it’s a joyful time. I’ll always remember our daughter’s first birthday. Sitting in her high chair, she had no clue what to do with the round chocolate cake in front of her – that is, until her daddy gently shoved her chubby little hand deep into the middle of the cake. From there, she seemed to know exactly what was expected of her. Lots of giggles and photos later, she was covered from head to toe in chocolate - a bouncing, delightfully messy embodiment of pure joy.
Why don’t we celebrate Jesus’ birthday with as much enthusiasm? Okay, maybe we don’t need to shove handfuls of cake into our mouths, but why isn’t there more laughing, more fun? December 25th being the birthday of the Savior of the world, we have two important reasons to be joyful and celebratory. First and foremost, we are celebrating the earthly birth of our King. We are acknowledging the amazing gift of God in human form, sent to earth to experience life as we do and to save us from our sins. If ever there was a birth deserving of celebration, surely this is it. Secondly, we are celebrating our rebirth through Jesus. December 25th may not be the exact date that we received Christ, but it’s an appropriate day to express boundless joy for what He has done in our own lives. A life transformed by Christ cannot help but to feel joyful, so let’s express it!
Of course, it’s not always so easy to tap into that joy, is it? Due to personal losses and grief in our lives, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time to summon feelings and expressions of joy. It’s not that we don’t understand and appreciate the gift of our Lord, it’s that the loss feels greater at such a time. God watched His only Son be born in human flesh, fully knowing that He would die an agonizing death at the hands of those He was sent to save. He understands our sorrow and He has provided a pathway to joy through that sorrow.
The day before Thanksgiving, I was helping a coworker decorate one of the Christmas trees in the building. I’d only worked here just shy of two months and my office is somewhat isolated, so this was a good opportunity to get to know a colleague. In the midst of stringing lights on a slender tree near my office, she shared with me that her sister had been killed by a drunk driver on New Year’s Eve a few years ago. She admitted that seeing Christmas decorations always reminds her of that painful loss. The year after her sister’s death, she had debated whether or not to even put up decorations. Her parents had opted not to, overcome by grief. She looked me square in the eye and said, "But then it occurred to me that I don’t put up lights for my sister. I put them up to celebrate the birth of our Lord." It shouldn’t surprise you to know that her office is the most decorative in the building.
Indeed, whether or not our circumstances fill us with joy or grief this Christmas, let us remember that the Light of the world has come to rescue us from our sorrow. He has ushered in an eternal covenant with our Father, a joy that knows no end. We can celebrate by earthly means today while trusting that a celebration beyond our imagining awaits us. For now, I think I’ll grab an extra string of lights…
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