Two years ago (2016), Russell Moore walked into a local bookstore where he overheard a man talk about why he hated Christmas music. Moore started to feel like he might be in the presence of the Grinch, but then the man explained why he found the music so bad… It was boring. “Christmas is boring because there's no narrative tension,” he said. “It's like reading a book with no conflict.”
That was the year when there were two gut-wrenching shooting incidents: one in Orlando where 49 people died; and one in Dallas where five policemen were killed. For the man in the bookstore, the tranquil lyrics of our Christmas songs couldn't encompass such terror.
Russell Moore says, “In a time when we seem to learn of a new tragedy each day, the unbearable lightness of Christmas seems absurd to the watching world. But, even in the best of times, we all know that we live in a groaning universe, a world of divorce courts and cancer cells and concentration camps.” (Russell Moore, “The Problem with Our Holly, Jolly Christmas Songs,” Russell Moore blog, 11-29-16; www.PreachingToday. com)
So is there a Christmas song that encompasses such groaning, but then points the way to genuine joy in the midst of that groaning. Yes, there is! It was actually one of the first Christmas carols – The song that Mary sang when she was carrying our Lord inside her womb. Russell Moore calls it “a war hymn”, which talks about God bringing down the mighty.
If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Luke 1, Luke 1, where we have Mary’s Song, a song sung by a poor peasant woman, who found herself pregnant and unmarried in a society which shamed such women.
Luke 1:46-47 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… (ESV)
Now, wait a minute! How can Mary rejoice when the powerful Roman army occupies her land and her neighbors will scorn her as soon as they find out she’s pregnant? It’s because of her faith. In the previous verse, Luke 1:45, Elizabeth says of her, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Mary believes God in the midst of her predicament, and it brings her joy! She looks beyond the Roman occupiers. She looks beyond the scorn that was soon to come, and she sees the God who would save her from her humiliation.
Luke 1:48-49 …for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. (ESV)
Mary trusts her Mighty God to save her from her “humble estate.” He has told her she will give birth to the Son of God. So, even though her immediate neighbors might curse her for a few short years, every generation throughout all time will call her “blessed”.
God is holy. God is unique, who delights in doing unusual things for those who trust Him. In Mary’s case, He takes the most unlikely person, the poorest of the poor, and uses her to bring His Son into the world! That’s why Mary is so full of joy! She believes God!
And that’s what you must do if you want to experience genuine joy in your predicament, no matter what it is. Believe God! Depend on the Lord to deliver you from your humiliation.
TRUST GOD WHO SAVES YOU just like Mary did.
Paul Richardson, from Half Moon Bay, California, talks about the second Christmas of his married life. He and his wife Lisa had found “the best tree in the lot.” So with newlywed-like impulse, they decided to forego the two-foot high plastic tree that graced their coffee table the year before. They had found the perfect tree! It was wide at the base and came to a perfect point on top. With blissful Christmas cheer, they paid the $25, maneuvered it into their '77 Chevy Citation, and drove to their apartment.
Paul cleared a spot next to the couch and set it up in the corner. At least he tried to set it up in the corner. Their perfect tree immediately fell, turning their tree stand into green and red scrap metal. Another tree stand and multiple attempts only brought about the same problem: the tree wouldn't stand up.
When Paul probed into the forest of green needles, he discovered their perfect tree had a huge flaw. The base of the tree began straight and centered, but the middle of the trunk contorted in pretzel-like twists, bending this way and that, but coming out straight at the top.
It was perfect on the outside but hopelessly flawed within. It could never stand on its own.
Paul says, “In our not-so-perfect Christmas tree I saw the story of Christmas. On the outside we like to show that we have it all together: “Tis the season to be jolly!” But inside we know differently: hurts, pains, disappointments, anger, and bitterness. Worse yet, there is that contortion of our souls the Bible calls sin.”
Paul says, “No matter how many ornaments Lisa and I hung on our tree, we knew it could never stand on its own. And no matter how many ornaments we attach to our lives, we can never be right with God on our own.
“The Christmas story is not about God seeing how nice we were and coming down to spend time with sweet people. It is the story of God seeing twisted, hurting, sinful people, and coming down to die for us. It is a story about love. God came to save us from sin. While [the Christmas story starts with] the joy of a new baby being born, it… [leads to] Jesus taking our sins upon himself and dying as our substitute [on the cross].” (Paul Richardson, Half Moon Bay, California; www.PreachingToday.com)
You see, God in His justice had to punish us for our sins. But instead of punishing us, God punished His own Son on the cross. Now, He offers deliverance from the punishment and humiliation of sin to anyone who puts their trust in Him.
Please, if you haven’t done it already, do it today. Call upon the Lord and ask Him to save you from your sin. Depend on God to deliver you from humiliation. It’s the only way to find joy in a world of pain. 1st, Trust God who saves you. 2nd…
FEAR GOD WHO LOVES YOU.
Revere the Lord who is kind to you. Respect Him who cares for you in your time of need.
So far, Mary has praised God for what He did for her. Now, she praises God for what he does for all who fear Him.
Luke 1:50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. (ESV)
God shows kindness for those in serious need, but not to everyone in need, just to those who fear Him, to those who look up to Him.
Luke 1:51-53 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. (ESV)
God is all powerful! Hence, the reason for fear and reverence in His presence. You see, His power brings down the proud even if they are mighty and rich. However, His power also lifts up the humble, those who depend on Him, no matter how poor and hungry they are. As C. S. Lewis once put it: “[God] is not safe, but He is good!”
So fear Him. Respect Him. Trust and obey Him, because He can take you down if you proudly resist Him; but He will care for you, relieving you of your misery, if you humbly depend on Him.
On a slow news day, December 16, 1993, a local newspaper photographer captured the image of a wild fir tree growing out of the cracked pavement of the Philadelphia Pike in Claymont, Delaware. Passing motorists and neighbors had decorated it with a few modest ornaments and some gold garland. The local paper published the photo with the headline “O Christmas Weed”, and soon the whole community was talking about it.
Unfortunately, the photo caught the eye of officials at the Delaware Department of Transportation, who considered it a potential traffic hazard. The next morning, they cut down “the weed”, which prompted a community outcry against the Scroogelike move.
That’s when the Yuletide throwdown began. Another tree went up, but a short time later, it was stolen. It happened again and again. Eight trees later, the Delaware News Journal hired a guard to watch over “the weed” until Christmas day.
A newspaper reporter, Al Mascitti, wrote a fable called “The Christmas Weed,” which appeared in the News Journal on Christmas day; and every year since, Claymont residents have decorated a weed-like tree to commemorate the original Christmas Weed.
Five years later, in 1998, they organized a parade in its honor, which has continued every year since. This year (2018), there were five marching bands, cheerleaders, dogs from Faithful Friends, local politicians, fancy cars and firetrucks, with the last firetruck carrying Santa Clause.
The organizer of the parade, Barbara Harbin, said, “It represents Claymont. We're not pretty, but we're plucky. We are resilient, and we keep coming back.” (Patricia Talorico, Delaware News Journal, November 28, 2018, www.PreachingToday.com)
Now, the tradition is kind of silly, but no more silly than what God does for the young, the vulnerable, and the rejected people of this world who depend on Him. In His mercy, He cares for them. He not only protects them from the mighty; He celebrates them, lifting them up from their “humble estate.”
Please, let Him do it for you. If you want to find real joy in your pain, stop resisting Him. Instead, trust God who saves you first of all. Then second, fear God who loves you; and finally…
SERVE GOD WHO HELPS YOU.
Submit to the Lord who comes to your aid. Wait on the Lord who gives Himself for your benefit.
So far, Mary has praised God for what He did for her (vs.46-49) and for what he does for all who fear Him (vs.50-53). Now, she praises God for what he has done for the nation of Israel in sending His Son.
Luke 1:54-55 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers. (ESV)
Just as He has promised for a long time, God has helped Israel, whom He calls “His Servant.” The word “helped” means to give oneself for another’s benefit, and that’s exactly what God did when He left the glories of heaven to be born of a virgin.
He gave Himself for Israel’s benefit. He performed miracles, healing their sick, feeding their hungry, and dying for their sins.
But not only for Israel’s benefit, God also gave Himself for your benefit, as well. You see, God’s Servant originally was the nation of Israel according to the book of Isaiah (41:8–9; 42:1, 2, 21; 45:4; 48:20; & 49:3). But when Israel failed to perform her role as God’s Servant, Christ, as Israel’s representative and King, took on that role (Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-7; 50; & 53). Now, all those who are in Christ, Jew and Gentile alike, are God’s Servants. That is to say, all of us who have entered into a relationship with Christ are called to serve God.
So serve Him. Serve the Lord, who gave Himself for your benefit, and you’ll find that you will never out-give the Lord!
Years ago, I read about a man who once kept a daily ledger account with the Lord. On one side of the ledger, he wrote everything he did for God. On the other side, he wrote everything the Lord did for him. If he volunteered to do something in the church or put money in the offering plate, he wrote that down on his side. If God healed him from an illness, he wrote that down on God’s side. If a friend encouraged him, he took that as something from God and wrote it down on God’s side. Then after just a few weeks, he gave it up. He said, “It’s no use. I can never get a balance. I’m always hopelessly in debt.”
God always out-gave Him, and that’s what you will find as you serve Him, who helps you. His help always outweighs your service.
At this time of year, you can always catch a rerun of Frank Capra’s classic It’s a Wonderful Life. In fact, for many it has become one of their Christmas traditions, to watch that old movie every year.
If you remember the story, George Bailey has big plans. He says to Mary, “I know what I'm going to do tomorrow and the next day and the next year and the year after that. I'm going to leave this little town far behind, and I'm going to see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Coliseum. Then I'm coming back here, and I'll go to college and see what they know, and then I'm going to build things. I'm going to build air fields. I'm going to build skyscrapers a hundred stories high. I'm going to build bridges a mile long.”
As it turns out, George is wrong. What he is supposed to do tomorrow is pretty much what he did today. God's plan for him is to do ordinary work as a banker in his little town. He doesn’t get to “lasso the moon” as he put it. However, as he serves the people in his small town, doing small acts of kindness every day, he discovers that he has indeed had a huge impact on a great many people.
Sometimes, in our efforts to “expect great things from God and attempt great things for God,” we miss the ordinary things He wants us to do every day.
In the 4th Century, Gregory of Nyssa’s brother, Basil, had arranged for him to be made bishop of Cappadocia. Gregory objected, because he didn’t want to be stuck in such an out-of-the-way place. Basil told his brother not to obtain distinction FROM his church, but to confer distinction UPON it.” (Adapted from John Koessler, “George Bailey Lassos the Moon,” on his blog A Stranger in the House of God, 3-18-10; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s how God wants you to serve Him. Put away your lasso, and do the little things God asks you to do every day. Don’t look for distinction FROM the people you serve. Instead, confer distinction UPON them by serving God well even in the little places He puts you.
If you want to find joy in a world of pain: 1st, trust God who saves you; 2nd, fear God who loves you: and 3rd, serve God who helps you. To put it simply: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10, NIV).
