Source of Joy

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  —Luke 2:10-11

I feel very blessed to live in America and to be able to celebrate patriotic and religious holidays. Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving Day give every American an opportunity to reflect upon their spiritual heritage and give thanks and praise to Our God and Heavenly Father. But, patriotic holidays with a religious twist often confuse many nominal believers about what it truly means to be a Christian.

Watching the many Thanksgiving specials, I found each one focused on giving thanks. Even the national news anchors urged everyone to give thanks. What was missing was to whom one gives thanks. Do we thank our pillow for the good nights rest? Do we thank the bank teller that we have enough money in our account? Do we thank the pediatrician for having a family? As Christians, we know exactly whom to thank, our God and Father of the Lord Jesus.

I see the same kinds of thing happening at Christmas. At staff meeting the other day, trying to encourage our staff and give them some Christmas cheer, I happily showed off my Panera Bread coffee cup that read, “Brimming with Joy.” Matt, our Director of Worship, then showed me his McDonald’s cup. It read, “Unwrap a Little Joy.” These secular companies cannot give true joy because they do not promote the source of joy. Brimming with joy encourages me to get my Christmas joy in a cup of coffee or in a stylish soup or sandwich. We cannot unwrap Christmas joy by sipping a McDonald’s coffee or opening a bag containing a Big-Mac and fries.

The Christian’s source of joy is a Person, the Person of Jesus Christ. The Christian message of Christmas is that God has come to us in the flesh. The angels told the shepherds, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people” (Luke 1:10). The next verse gives the source of that joy, “A savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” The all of the “will be for all people” includes you, me, our friends, and enemies. Christmas joy is given by God through His Son, Jesus Christ, to all who will receive.

I still remember the first time I heard that heaven, eternal life, and acceptance by God were free. As a red-blooded, church-going American, I was quite certain that could not be true. I actually began reading the Bible to check for myself. Sure enough, Romans 6:23, “The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” How did I miss this truth for so many years? I was an American Christian who celebrated patriotic and Christian holidays like everyone else but never knew the Savior who is the source and reason for our celebration.

We can watch touching Christmas specials and listen to all the Jingle Bells Rocks without finding true joy. The Christmas specials usually offer the joy of families coming together, special romances working out, or Santa Clause successfully fulfilling his duties in opposition to those who have no Christmas cheer. True Christmas joy comes from Jesus. You can receive it as you receive Him. Jesus is the only true source of joy.