Psalm 118:14-16 The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
The word “joy” is defined as: (1) the passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune, the gratification of desire or some good possessed, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits. Joy is a delight of the mind, from the consideration of the present or assured approaching possession of a good. (2) Gayety; mirth; festivity. (3) Happiness; felicity. (4) A glorious and triumphant state.
Luke 2:8-11 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Pastor Herk preached a couple Sundays ago that "Joy" starts with Jesus. Many people do not understand what the holiday and season of Christmas is all about. Joy, like love, is more than a delightful emotion or state of mind; it is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus gives us the joy of our salvation that last forever in our hearts, knowing that our sins are forgiven and our eternal home is in Heaven, no matter the plight of our walk on this side of glory. Where do you choose to put your focus on this journey through life?
Pastor Herk suggests three places to focus our heart and mind 24/7/365. They come in the acronym for the word “JOY”. The first is in the letter “J”, which stands for focusing on Jesus. Christmas is not primarily about us or what is going on around us, it is about Jesus the Christ, “Emmanuel” (God with us), God “Incarnate” (God with skin on), experiences what we experience and feels what we feel in life, fully man yet fully God- the promised Messiah, the gift of the Savior of the world sent by God through love and grace, the Way, the Truth and the Life. It wouldn’t be Christmas without Christ. "Christmas" is a shortened form of "Christ's mass". Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah", meaning "anointed"; and mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist. The term derives from Middle English Cristenmasse, meaning "Christian mass". Xmas is an abbreviation of Christmas found particularly in print, based on the initial letter chi (Χ) in Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός). "Nativity", meaning "birth", is from Latin nātīvitās. In Old English, Gēola(Yule) referred to the period corresponding to December and January, which was eventually equated with Christian Christmas. "Noel" (or "Nowel") entered English in the late 14th century and is from the Old French noël or naël, itself ultimately from the Latin nātālis (diēs) meaning "birth (day)". Thus, the joyous birth of Jesus Christ.
John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Isaiah 9:6 tells us about Christ, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” If you don’t get everything that you wanted for Christmas this year, remember that it isn’t your birthday we are celebrating; the gift of God given to the lost in sin world. Yet, the lost in sin, unbelieving world takes true focus and meaning of Christmas away from us. Today, in a secular humanistic society, in is politically incorrect to say “Merry Christmas”, as the term “Happy Holiday” has replaced it. Ironically, the word “holiday” comes from the Old English word hāligdæg (hālig "holy" + dæg "day"), therefore saying “Happy Holyday”. The word “holiday” is defined in the 1828 Webster’s dictionary as: a day set apart for commemorating some important event in history; a festival intended to celebrate some event deemed auspicious to the welfare of a nation; particularly an anniversary festival, devoted to religious solemnities; as Christmas holyday. Christmas is about Jesus Christ and is holy, hallowed; consecrated and set apart to a sacred use, or to the service or worship of God – a sacred day of celebration. God showed up.
Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on Christmas joy in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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