I have a confession: I love me some Jesus, but I’m not a fan of Christmas music. When The Collective Christmas music writing theme came up, I jokingly suggested that I would get my writing inspiration from Mariah Carey's “All I Want For Christmas is You”. It is one of my favorites on the short list of favorites. My daughter on the other hand loves Christmas music. The faster, louder, jinglier, and catchy the better in her opinion. While listening to music with her, Mariah Carey's song came on. “All I want for Christmas...Santa Claus can’t make me happy with a toy on Christmas day...all I want is you”...that must certainly be a Jesus song right?” my 8 year old daughter said. In her kid-wisdom and childlike faith, she knows that Jesus is the reason for the season. Gifts don’t bring us joy. What we should really want is Jesus. And she is right, Jesus is really all I want for Christmas (except maybe socks, underwear and would it be too much if I asked for a Roomba?). His presence unfailingly brings me comfort and joy. I couldn't ask for more.
Although Christmas songs aren’t my favorite, Hallelujah Christmas always gets me because it doesn't stop at the birth it sings of the cross and the cross for ever changed me. However this year, I just need to listen to the first line, and I am a mess.
The song starts with “I heard about this baby boy whose come to earth to bring us joy.” The joy of Jesus has a whole new meaning for my husband and I this year. We recently gave our newly adopted daughter the middle name of Joy. She is so proud to have this name. We are prayerful and convinced that her name will be part of her testimony and a reminder to how God changed her sorrow to joy. (Her original middle name meant “sorrow”.) She is delighted whenever she reads or hears the word “joy” anywhere. “They just said my name,” she says smiling with dimples shining. She takes notes of any mention of the word. For example, our pastor said “joy” exactly 12 times in his sermon last Sunday. I know because she counted and celebrated with each mention. Her new name has made us all pay more attention to the word “joy”. I always knew it was a Christmas word - frequently posted on Christmas signs, decorations, cards and ornaments. However, until this year, I didn’t stop to think about why “joy” is a Christmas word.
In Luke 2:10, the angel of the Lord announces the birth of our Saviour to shepherds in the field. The angel says “"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Tiny summary - Jesus causes great joy.
Joy really isn’t just a positive or pretty word to paste on our Christmas ornaments. It is a testament of Jesus’s presence in Bethlehem and in our lives. And it doesn't stop at Christmas. Joy should be posted and felt throughout the year because the joy of Jesus is present on our happiest holidays and our most mundane Mondays.
We have tried to teach our daughter the meaning of the word “joy”. “Joy is different than happiness,” we say. New socks and underwear would bring me happiness, but the happiness will surely not last and neither will the socks as they are my dogs favorite thing to eat. As I type this the tire place has stolen my happiness and my patience, but it can't steal my joy. Joy is not circumstantial. It can’t be stolen or destroyed. In fact there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God (Romans 10:35-39).
Fellow believers, may we be a people who not only seek the joy of God during the Christmas season but also throughout the entire year. May we carry God's joy with us to the tire place and into our mundane Mondays. May we remember that our bad circumstances are fleeting. But the joy of the Lord is eternal.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for the joy that comes with Your presence. Thank you for my long awaited daughter. May we take your joy in to the new year.
Let it be so.
Dear Readers,
We sincerely hope you had a special Christmas season. We wish you a Happy New Year! Full of Jesus and joy.
Love,
The Collective
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