This morning, seeking joy’s light, I selected a prophecy from the minor prophet Habakkuk. Given his prophecies are unfamiliar, a quick overview is in order. Habakkuk lived in Israel’s Southern Kingdom as the countdown clock to the Babylonian invasion and their exile was hitting 0. The Northern Kingdom had already fallen. Happiness was nowhere to be found in Jerusalem given all the misery and injustice. Like us, his is the relatable journey of trying to remain joyful when there is so much evil and tragedy in the world. Having voiced his complaint to God and listening for God’s response – He takes it to heart that God will in time rescue the oppressed. God will defeat evil and bringing down the world’s Pharaohs and Babylons. It’s this insider knowledge of God’s pending promises that enables Habakkuk to conclude God’s prophecy with joy though happiness was hard to come by.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.
Considering word pairs -- the word Merry can’t help but be connected to Christmas. Merry Christmas! The word MERRY in fact is only tied together to this holiday and no other. By far the majority of others are paired with the word Happy. But far more than a generic greeting - Speaking those words Merry Christmas is in and of itself a blessing upon others – the desire that they may be in high spirits where stress and sadness are kept at bay. Ultimately, that’s what we all long for isn’t it? Not just a few days but a deep-seated, long-lasting merriment that lasts long beyond Christmas long after the decorations are put away and the party leftovers are eaten.
The great contrast though is behind the yards of colored lights and brilliant displays – beyond the Christmas tree all aglow in the window for all the passersby to see – even now people find themselves in darkness and despair. While we go into Christmas expecting happiness, Bob Lepine writes, “many of us find that the season intensifies negative emotions. Whether it is the burden of a seasonal depression triggered by winter’s grey clouds, the loneliness and isolation, or even the grief of having lost a loved one – this spoonful of bitter melancholy is all the harder to swallow in a season marked by happiness.
Happiness is an interesting word when you think about it. When things are going well in our lives, we are happy. Good health, Fine celebrations, seeing people we haven’t seen for some time, watching the smiles appear when you know the present you picked for someone was absolutely the right choice. But when things do not go well, we are suddenly unhappy. A food flop at the table, an illness or storm that forces postponement of the party, the Christmas cutbacks on presents and food because of the higher prices or lack of funds, quickly depletes your happiness. That’s because by its very nature, the emotion happiness is tied to the circumstances around us.
In verse 17, Habakkuk takes note of some rather dire circumstances. They are a metaphor for when the circumstances of life turn sour, and expectations fail.
Like a farmer longing for harvest - there are no buds on the fig tree and no grapes on the vines. The olive crop has failed, and the fields produced no wheat. The pens, normally full of sheep and cattle, are empty. Things are just plain bad with no reason at all for happiness because happiness is contingent on the circumstances.
That can be how it is with us at Christmas – exerting what little energy we have to go through the motions at Christmas – hoping to stimulate some happiness into existence. But we fear it isn’t working. We question ourselves - Is something wrong with us when it seems all around us others are Merry? When this describes where we are at? What’s the solution?
According to Dr. James Boyce, the world responds in three ways -
(1) The first is resignation - There is nothing that can be done about it so I might as well grin and bear it. Resigning is the white surrender flag of stoicism at its best.
(2) The second is detachment – Let’s distance ourselves from our circumstances. Avoid thinking about them by keeping busy with other amusements. Or cope with adding a few drinks and I’ll be just fine.
(3) The third approach is sheer strength and will power– Fight through and overcome. Don’t let the circumstances get the better of you.
The problem is – not one of the world’s solutions will give you joy. Resignation equals helplessness. Detachment equals denial. Sheer strength always sees your circumstances as an adversary. At best they offer temporary anesthetics to soothe the pain of circumstance.
But that’s when a closer look at our Bible text can rediscover what has been lost – It comes with two words – one apiece in verses 17 and 18. The words being THOUGH and YET. Verse 17 THOUGH my circumstances are such that I have no reason to be happy as happiness is contingent on one’s circumstances, Verse 18 YET I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. But how can the two go hand in hand? Has the prophet gone off the deep end and lost touch with reality? Absolutely not!
The basis for his joy – the reason Habakkuk can feel joy extends beyond the circumstances that rob him of happiness to the very character of God himself. Verse 18 – YET I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior – WHY??? Because verse 19 – The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. Or tying the words Merry and Christmas together – he enables me to have a heightened spirit of emotion. That emotion is not happiness – It’s joy!
It's a joy unique to believers – joy in the Lord for the joy of salvation, the joy of having someone greater than ourselves to rest in because the sovereign Lord is my strength, and the joy of anticipation of what is to come in the future when God fulfills his promises.
Seeing a Christmas tree can make us happy, seeing and opening the presents under the tree can too. But they are in and of themselves temporary.
Bob Lepine concludes – While happiness is dependent on the events and circumstances of life, joy is something very different. When things go well, we are happy. When things do not go well, we are unhappy. But true joy can exist whether or not your circumstances leave you happy or unhappy. That’s because such a profound joy rests in something so secure that it can never actually be taken away from you. Mere happiness is more like the camera flash – it’s bright for a moment and then it’s gone but the light of joy continues on.
The basis for true Christian joy is God’s love. Some of you may have noticed we deliberately changed the order of Advent Candles this year. Often times we end on love, but given the circumstances of the world around us and in many of our personal experiences this year, it was important we mark the end of Advent with joy. That’s because realizing God’s love first is the key to true Christian joy. The reason we have joy is because the Bible points to the birth of Jesus as the very declaration from God that we are loved. John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. That’s why the birth of a baby 2000 years ago is relevant to us still today – because he concludes – Jesus’ birth was God’s love letter to the world.
That God is not a remote and distant God. That we aren’t left to wallow in misery in this messed up world. That Immanuel God with us came to be here. We are left to experience that joy through the eyes of the shepherds that beheld him in the flesh and later through the eyes of his disciples and those he ministered too – including the healing of the sick and restoring the sight of the blind – we could have seen with our own eyes Jesus loving on and making room for those society had written off and marginalized to the sidelines. It’s the inner joy of knowing his power over death through his resurrection. It’s the inner expectation of knowing the joy of anticipation of what awaits us in the future at Christ’s return or at our own deaths whichever comes first. This is a joy that circumstance of adversity could ever destroy. The arrival of Christmas may not be one of happiness due to our circumstances this particular year – but joy remains. It’s why we can say as if a creedal belief surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. It’s why believers with tears in their eyes can sing with joy. It is well with my soul.
Regardless of circumstance,
there is now already joy to the world
the whole world
even to the lowest in the land
and those who feel forgotten
joy belongs to all who kneel at the manger
who bow their heads
who accept the greatest gift of all times
The Christ Child
