A Merry & Mighty Christmas
Our Christmas traditions start on the 23rd of December. It’s a marathon for three straight days and jam packed with dinners, parties, games, presents etc. My husband Mark and I were driving back from the store filled with Christmas to-dos when I was overwhelmed with sadness and longing for Jules to be there when we got home. That we would be getting ready in the upstairs bathroom, and she'd be doing my eye shadow all fancy and we would be singing/dancing to one of Mariah’s Christmas ballads (because you really don’t need to listen to anything else). I punched the car door, began sobbing and then started praying. I prayed that God would open my eyes to what He has in store for us this Christmas. That there would be unexpected joy and that his presence would be felt in all of our family gatherings.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
I was quickly reminded of why we even celebrate Christmas. I had been so stuck in my head about what I lost and how Christmas will never be the same and overcome by sadness and sorrow. We celebrate Christmas because God wrote himself into our story. He became a man so that we could know him, have fellowship with him and have an infallible hope and joy in the midst of our suffering.
Finally, if Jesus is God himself, become human, we live with an irrepressible hope. Some day all deformity, decay, sin, disease, imperfection will be wiped away (Romans 8:18-25.) Whatever problem we face—whether disease or injustice or some other suffering—eventually God’s power will triumph over it. Weeping may remain for the night, but joy comes with the morning (Ps 30:5.) – Tim Keller
This is why we can rejoice even more so this Christmas. Because in the midst of our pain, our savior Jesus Christ not only knows what we are going through, but he is with us as we go through it. God went to infinite lengths to get near us. To get close to us. Our joy is deep because our suffering is deep. We sing joy to the world not as an emotionless christmas ballad, but we proclaim mightily and hold onto every word.
Jesus is God— and that means ‘God has landed’! Jesus is man—and that means God cares for us. God has become human; the ideal has penetrated the real and is transforming it into his likeness. The world is destined for joy sooner or later, and so are all those who ‘love and long for his appearing. – Tim Keller
Joy to the world! The Lord has come
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
Joy to the world! the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods
Rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.