I want us to think briefly on a theme that was interwoven throughout our program today and the Christmas story itself, and that theme is joy.
This comes from Luke 2:10-11. The angel of the Lord came to the shepherds and said, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord.’”
We live in a world that is often not joy inducing. Just look at the headlines on any day, in any given paper and you will see stories and pictures of suffering, injustice, and death. And in our own lives we all experience our share of pain, sadness and even despair at times . And because of this – – – we often struggle with joy.
And yet the angel of the Lord comes and says, “I bring you good news of a great joy.”
Joy is delight, happiness or elation caused by something exceptionally good.
In the midst of our world and our struggles to be joyful, comes new of this “great joy.” And the angel also tells us why we can have joy:
1. God has remembered us
- In our suffering, we are not forgotten.
- In the midst of all of our problems, God has not left us to ourselves.
The angel said in v. 11 – “For unto you is born this day in the city of David . . . Messiah, the Lord.” We have looked over the last two Sundays at some of the promises God made to send the Messiah. And two of them are echoed here:
- The phrase – “For unto you is born” – echoes Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given”
- The phrase – “the city of David” – echoes Micah 5:2 – which says that the Messiah is to come from Bethlehem, which is, of course, the city of David
So God has made promises, and God has remembered and come through on these promises – Jesus has come. God has not forgotten us.
2. God has given us a Savior
The angel said in v.11 – “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior . . .”
God has given us one who can help us, one who can deliver us from our suffering and despair.
He is one who can help us now with our struggles, so that:
- where there is pain – he gives comfort
- where there is suffering – he gives grace and strength
And Jesus is the one who will bring about our complete deliverance from all of our woes, when he returns in glory.
So we can have joy even now because the Savior has come and he helps us, and because by faith, we know that God’s plan will ultimately bring about our complete salvation, and deliverance; the end of pain and evil and death.
3. This salvation is for everyone
In v. 10 the angel speaks of “ . . . . a great joy that will be for all the people.”
No one is overlooked. This is emphasized in that it is announced to the shepherds, who were pretty far down on the social standing scale in that day. They were, more often than not, seen as untrustworthy rascals. So, the fact that the angel comes to them shows that it is not reserved for those considered to be special or good or somehow deserving. It is “for all the people” – for us all. None of us are worthy, but all of us can receive it.
So wherever you are at in life, feeling like you are in a good place, or just barely hanging on, hear the message of the angel this morning, the good news: You can have joy, indeed “great joy” because God has remembered us, each one of us, and has sent Jesus to save us.
And this is something that is so exceptionally good that we can have joy in the midst of, and indeed in spite of a world that is full of despair. William Higgins
Christian teaching 