  We commonly
use phrases and terms
with which we have no
personal history or grasp
of their original intent. For
instance, I used the term
"up to snuff” recently and
had no idea how the
phrase originated or why
"snuff” should refer to
anyone’s performance of
anything. I thought about
another term as I listened
to a group singing "Joy to
the World.” "Joy” is a
familiar, pleasant-sounding
word we use a lot this
time of year. We spell it in
lights, print it on cards,
sing it in carols, and mention
it in prayers. Yet in
spite of that, we could be
as detached from its original
intent as most of us
are from understanding
where "up to snuff” came
from.
The angel’s
announcement of Jesus
birth indicates that "joy”
was prominent on God’s
list of Christmas priorities.
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. Luke
2:10-11 (NKJV)
No doubt the joy
that God attached to the
coming of Jesus implied
something far beyond the
happy holiday feeling that
we associate with it. And
since joy was so prominent
in God’s approach to
that first Christmas,
maybe we should consider
what it meant to Him as
our holiday festivities
begin.
Things happen
every Christmas that
remind us that not everyone
is singing "Joy to the
World.” Instead of lights and tinsel and feasting on
holiday treats, many are
grieving terrible losses,
suffering painful wounds,
or facing dire circumstances.
Many have little
or no money to buy gifts--
or even food. So if Jesus
was to bring "great joy”
that would be extended to
"all people,” just how are
those people supposed to
get in on it?
There are fascinating
questions associated
with "how” Jesus
came, but the great question
of Christmas is not
"how” He came, but
"why.” He came to bring
the greatest "good news”
imaginable to a people
desperately in need of it.
The joy Jesus offers is
more than a transient holiday
attitude, and the feelings
it generates go much
deeper. If we want to
know what that joy feels
like, we won’t find it by
popping in at the office
Christmas party and asking
if everyone is having a
good time.
If we want to
know what Jesus intended
joy to feel like, we
won’t discover it by popping
in at the office
Christmas party. But we
might get a hint if we visit
a funeral chapel and ask a
lonely, grieving widow
how she would feel if she
had a chance to embrace
the love of her life again
in a body free of pain and
defects. Or maybe we
could visit a wounded
warrior in rehab and ask
how it would feel to have
legs again and live where
wars don’t happen anymore.
We could stand by
a couple hopelessly
watching their child suffering
in pain and ask
how it would feel to see
their little one whole
again and alive forever.
We could listen to the
sobs of some forgotten
soul crying, alone and
hungry in some homeless
shelter and ask how it
would feel to have a mansion
of his own forever
and live where no one is
poor, or homeless, or hungry,
and where no one
will ever be alone or forgotten
again.
Want to know
what God’s kind of joy
feels like? Ask the man
born blind how it felt
when light filled his eyes
for the first time. Ask an
outcast leper what it felt
like to have his flesh
restored and his life back.
Ask the grieving mother
what she felt when her
dead son opened his eyes
again. Ask Barabbas how
he felt as he watched a
cross built for him was
laid upon the shoulder of
the One who would die in
his place.
Or maybe the best
way to experience God’s
kind of Christmas joy is to
take an honest look in the
mirror and ask how it
would feel to stand before
the One who knows every
lie, every deception, every
violated boundary, every
act or thought of sexual
misconduct, and every
dishonest word or deed.
Then consider the cross
where He took our sentence
upon Himself. He
came for the broken, the
helpless, the hopeless, the
forgotten, the outcast, and
the ruined — and He also
came for you--and for me.
Yes, we can celebrate
Christmas without
thinking about any of that.
We can have Santa Claus
and reindeer, and sing
"Joy to the World” with
hardly a thought about
why He came, or for
whom. But if we ask God
what He thinks about a
Christmas like that, He
might say, "It’s not even
close to being ‘up to
snuff’.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In addition to being
an active writer, speaker,
teacher, and blogger, Ron
Gallagher serves in a variety
of roles as a ministry consultant
for local churches.
His Biblical insights are
coupled with down-to-earth
humor, satire, and relevant
stories aimed at promoting "Right Side Up Thinking ~
in an Upside Down World.” Ron strives to apply God’s
truth in a way that stimulates
the mind, encourages
the heart, and challenges the
cultural norm. Check out his
blog, "Gallagher’s Pen” at
www.gallagherspen.com
NEW BOOK . . .Ron’s new book, Right
Side Up Thinking in an
Upside Down World ~ Looking at the
World through the Lens
of Biblical Truth, is now
available on Amazon and
through Lighthouse Bible
Studies. Learn more at http://bit.ly/2IDsNpB |
