One of the most well-known statements of the Christmas story comes from Luke 2:10 – the declaration of good tidings of great joy for all people.
But sometimes, the holidays don’t feel so joyful. We can all remember our worst Christmas ever. Perhaps it was after the loss of a parent, or a spouse, or a child. The joy of the holidays is never the same after moments like these.
How does the promise of Christmas remain, when the world around us seems so dark?
It’s precisely because Jesus came as a light for a dark world. He came to bring joy to all, especially those who walk in darkness.
Jesus didn’t roll his eyes at the intelligent, and he didn’t belittle the simple. He didn’t envy the riches of the wealthy, and he didn’t mock the poverty of the poor. He didn’t bow to the power of the mighty, and he didn’t take advantage of the powerless.
Jesus wasn’t disgusted by the sick – their coughs, their sores. He didn’t fear the demon-possessed. He came for the spiritually confused, for the skeptics, the irreligious.
He came from those who try hard to be morally upright, and for those who know they’re morally bankrupt. He came for the addicted. The hopeless, anxious and depressed.
He came for tired old men, and lonely old women. For little boys, and little girls. He came to give strength to the weak, sight to the blind, and light to the darkness. He came to seek and save the lost – that’s you, and that’s me.
Jesus can be the foundation of your joy…the foundation under your poverty or your riches. Under your sickness or your health. Under your difficult marriage and family relationships.
And we rejoice in all of this because in Jesus, we have a savior who knows what it is to suffer, precisely because he came in human form. He is not distant from it. Our modern Christmas culture is oblivious to suffering, but the central figure of Christmas is not. The world tells us that if we’re festive enough, if we turn up the Christmas music loud enough, we can drown out our suffering, at least for a few weeks. In our hearts, we know this isn’t true.
If you haven’t already, Jesus invites you to leave that old life behind and walk in newness of life.
He came as a savior for all. He came for all of us. And for that reason, we have joy. There is no person or force in all of human history who has brought more joy to the world.
