4 reasons for joy this Christmas

We all know Christmas is meant to be a time of great joy. After all, that’s what the angelic messenger said to the shepherds watching their flocks:

‘I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)

We also know that many of our Christmas experiences aren’t pure joy. Studies show stress is increased in this period – whether it is financial, time or relational pressures. So how do we keep a hold on stress and re-capture joy this Christmas?  By focussing on the heart of our celebrations – God became human.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

4 reasons for joy from this wonderful truth at Christmas:

1) God became one of us, affirming the value of creation. All creation was made through the Word - and the Word made an incredible decision to become His own creation. God the Son’s decision to share in our flesh, our tears, our longings, our triumphs and our sufferings says there is something profoundly valuable that he sees in us.

2) God became one of us, showing He is greater than our comprehension. God took flesh on to be entirely human. But he didn’t leave his divinity behind. He is both 100% God and 100% man. This union of natures is a great mystery and truth ‘not meant to be curiously pried into, but reverently believed’ (J.C. Ryle). How Jesus can be completely human and divine at once is beyond comprehension. That God is greater than we can completely fathom reminds us that He is greater than us, or any situation we are in. No matter how stressful Christmas preparations are looking, no matter how out of control the family get-together appears – God is greater than both us and our circumstance.  We rejoice, because of the incomprehensible greatness of God.

3) God became one of us, so we can know Him clearly. John reminds us that if we have seen Christ, we have seen the glory of God.  Jesus told his disciples if they had seen him, they had seen the Father (John 14:9). We rejoice at Christmas not just because we meet with family and friends. We rejoice because, in Christ, we meet with our loving Maker.

4) God became one of us, that all people could be saved. Luke reminds us that the reason everyone should rejoice at Christmas is that their Saviour was born. Anselm of Canterbury argued it was necessary for God to become one of us, if anyone was to be brought back to God - ‘the life of this Man was so sublime, so precious, that it can suffice to pay what is owing for the sins of the whole world, & infinitely more.’ We rejoice at Christmas because we were loved in spite of what we’ve done.  We rejoice because it really is a time of loving others.  We rejoice because we can give gifts to those in greater need, here & round the world – because it exactly how God treated us at this time.

Christmas might be stressful.  But it must be joyous – for God became one of us.

In Him,
Mark Smith (Assistant Pastor)