Why is Christmas a time of joy? Because, to quote the 1963 Andy Williams classic, it is the “most wonderful time of the year”? The month of December not only brings colder temperatures and shorter days, but it also brings the stress of preparation for gatherings, anxiety over difficult family dynamics, feelings of deep sorrow over loved ones not present, and loneliness for those who don’t have anyone with whom they can share the season. Christmas, and the month leading up to it, often do not feel like the most wonderful time of the year, so why is it a time of “great joy” (Luke 2:10)?
Joy is not simply a word spattered on Hobby Lobby signs across the nation, but rather it is a deep sense of pleasure and delight. It is easy for joy to be associated with circumstances: a promotion at work, a long-awaited reunion with old friends, the birth of a baby, or loved ones home for Christmas. Occasions in which our good desires are gratified produce the feelings of pleasure and delight as we enjoy what we have been given. We feel joyful as we should – it is good to delight in the good gifts of the Lord! However, not all circumstances lead to feelings of joy: the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, illness, or financial stress that means no Christmas gifts. Yet, it is in those seemingly joyless circumstances that James instructs his readers to “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2). Where is the pleasure and the delight in trials?
At first glance, it may seem James is out of touch with reality, since he directs those in hardship to consider it joy. He goes on to remind us of an important truth about the end of the story: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12). Ultimately, we will receive eternal life and that is a promise from God himself. Trials are inevitable because we live in a world broken by sin, but even more certain is the eternal life we receive after enduring them. Our ultimate hope is not our joy-filled circumstances, but a person. Our hope is Jesus Christ.
When Jesus was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, as recorded in Luke’s gospel, and said he brings “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10). That good news is that a Savior had been born. Both James and Luke point us to the same reality: Jesus is the source of our joy. If we look elsewhere for joy, we will look to things that can be taken away from us at any instant. Our joy becomes contingent on sorrow and disappointment staying at bay; however, we live in a world in which sorrow and disappointment are sneaky and ever-looming. Our circumstances are not constant, so if we seek our joy in circumstances, we risk the loss of joy when sorrow and disappointment inevitably strike.
Christ came and entered into the sorrow and disappointment of this life, and then he willingly went to the Cross in order that our greatest need of redemption be satisfied. With our sins forgiven, we are adopted into the family of God that we may love him and our joy may be full (John 15:11). There is no need greater than redemption, and no gift greater than redemption satisfied. Therefore, Jesus is our joy. We can have joy in trials because, as severe as those trials may be, they cannot strip away the person of Christ. We can delight in Jesus and his work since they are certain in a world full of uncertainties.
Christmas is a reminder to us that the source of our joy became flesh and dwelt among us. In him is the promise of eternal life. What hope that will not be put to shame. What great pleasure and delight. What great joy that is our Great Redeemer, Jesus Christ! Look to the One who is joy for a joy that cannot be battered, bruised, or taken by the hardships of this life. In the midst of the chaos of the Christmas season, cling to Jesus’s promise: “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22).