Christmas Joy
Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David… salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant with Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him
without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
-Luke 1:68-75
What is bringing you joy these days? I love seeing lights on the houses as I drive through town. It gives me joy to share with my children the fun and creative ways people embrace the season. We wait all year to “deck the halls” and when the season arrives, we celebrate! We celebrate family and friends. We celebrate the coming of the Christ child. We celebrate in church with candles and carols. We rejoice in God our savior.
The word “rejoice” makes me think of “finding joy again”. “Rejoice” reminds me that there are seasons when we are not filled with joy. There are plenty of times when we experience loss and grief, fear and uncertainty. The past two years have been filled with fear, dread, loss and uncertainty. At the time of Jesus’ birth, the Jewish people were under Roman occupation with heavy tax burdens and uncertain futures. Even in the midst of difficult circumstances, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary rejoiced at the news and the birth of their sons. Their songs can be found in Luke 1. Zechariah was struck dumb for the nine months of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. But after the birth of their son, when it came time for his circumcision and giving him the name, John, Zechariah’s voice returned. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. His words rejoiced in the work of God.
We hold firm to the hope that we will find joy again. There will be reasons and seasons to rejoice. If you are struggling with rejoicing these days I invite you to come to the Blue Christmas Service this Wednesday, Dec 8, at 6:30pm in the Main Sanctuary. If you have a neighbor or friend who has experienced difficult losses this year or finds themselves grieving this season, please bring them to the service with you. It is an opportunity to acknowledge pain and hurt and experience God’s peace. It is a time to rejoice in Emmanuel, God with us.
Lift up your hearts, people of God, for the Lord has looked favorably upon us and is sending us his beloved son. He is raising up for us a mighty savior in the house of his servant David. God is showing the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our ancestors Abraham and Sarah, that we might serve him without fear. We go before the Lord, following John the Baptist, to prepare the way of the Lord. Come, let us worship God and listen to the voice crying out in the wilderness. Amen.
