Joy Born At Christmas

Isaiah 35:1-10

Joy Born at Christmas

We concluded last week’s service with the great carol, “Joy to the World.” Joy is a distinctly Christian trait. It goes beyond happiness. Someone once said, “Happiness comes from happenings, but joy comes from Jesus.” Your happiness may fluctuate up and down, depending on how your day is going. But joy is more deep-seated. It is an inner contentment, a fulfillment that says life is going to be ok no matter what, because God’s got me. That’s why the Apostle Paul could write from a jail cell, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

The first word in this verse, “rejoice,” is the Latin word “Gaudete,” from which we get the designation, “Gaudete Sunday,” Joy Sunday, which is today, the third Sunday of Advent. That’s why we have a rose-colored candle lit today in our Advent wreath. A.W. Tozer said, “The people of God ought to be the happiest in the world. People should be coming to us and asking the source of our joy and delight.” However, it’s not always easy to be joyful, and sometimes not even appropriate to be happy. The “most wonderful time of the year” [air quotes here] can seem to usher in a blue Christmas, particular for those who have been through loss or pain or sadness, perhaps missing a loved one. The joy candle reminds us to pursue joy, born at Christmas.

Today’s poem is all about joy! It was crafted by the ancient prophet Isaiah some 700 years before Jesus’ birth. In the chapter before, Isaiah had been writing about a time of judgment, but in chapter 35 he writes about a time of joy. It’s a beautiful picture of a barren desert that suddenly springs to life. Some of his original readers would see in it their longing to return to their homeland to rebuild their capital city from ruin. Today we long for Jesus’ return, as God will someday rebuild his heavenly city right here on earth, bringing an eternal fulfillment to all our joy.

I’d like to highlight from today’s reading three actions we can take to enhance and build our joy. First, we can...

1. Encourage joy in others (vv. 3-4)

Isaiah really starts off the bat by shifting the focus away from us and onto others who need our help. He gives us a job to do! Listen to verses 3 and 4:

3 Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady the knees that give way;

4 say to those with fearful hearts,

“Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

he will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

he will come to save you.”

Here we have a three-fold task: we are to “strengthen,” to “steady,” and to “say.” In other words, we need to reach out to others in word and deed, and encourage them toward joy. This really begins with the family of God, our fellow Christians. When you know someone is down, offer them encouragement. Let them know God has not forgotten about them. Tell them God will bring them justice in the end. Tell them they don’t have to be afraid, whether they’re fighting the enemy of poor health, or a broken relationship, or financial adversity, or loneliness or depression. God is on their side. God will help them. God will save them.

Joy is one of those things that the more you give it away, the more you have. It doesn’t make sense, but there you go. Researchers in depression have found that an almost immediate mood lifter is to go out and help someone in need. Spread some joy around, and you might just find that some makes its way back to you!

Encourage joy in others, and #2,

2. Receive joy’s healing (vv. 5-6)

The scripture here speaks of radical physical healing. Right after Isaiah tells us to spread joy to others, he shares some incredible results in verses 5-6:

5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,

and the mute tongue shout for joy.

These people have received a complete physical healing: the blind can see, the deaf can hear, the lame can leap like a deer, and the mute can shout for joy. I don’t know if you’ll see this radical of a change, but I will tell you this: our mood impacts our health. You work on submitting your mood to God to receive his joy, and you’ll see your overall satisfaction in life go up. You’ll become a more positive and generous person, and your overall health will improve.

I remember sitting in a meeting with our chief psychiatrist at the VA, a medical doctor who has chosen to specialize her practice on matters of the mind. She was complaining about a recent law of Congress that provided six months of free VA mental health care for all Veterans, regardless of discharge. She didn’t mind Veterans receiving free care. Her complaint was that the only care provided to those with questionable discharges was mental health care, and not primary medical care. Her argument was, “How can you separate mental health from physical health? They are intrinsically connected!” And that’s what we see here: joyful people are healthier people.