All I want for Christmas is Joy!
Assorted Scriptures
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
11-30-2025
Choose Joy?
A few years ago, I attended the GC2 Summit at Wheaton College. This conference specifically focused on pastoral mental health and I’m thankful that we are having those conversations out loud nowadays.
For me, the most memorable moment from the summit was when Rick Warren sat on the stage and talked about his son Matthew’s suicide.
Matthew had struggled his entire life with mental illness but loved Jesus. Rick described him as having a tender heart and a tortured brain.
Rick and Kay were very close to Matthew and when they didn’t hear from him for a day they went to the house and found the door locked and the car in the drive. They called the police and asked them to do a wellness check and break the door down if they had to.
As they stood waiting in the driveway, they both knew in their hearts that he was gone. A couple of hours later, as the coroner brought Matthew’s body out, Rick and Kay held each other and sobbed.
Kay had just finished writing a book and had a necklace on that was the title of the book. She silently held it out to Rick to read - “Choose Joy.”
He looked at the necklace and back into his wife’s mournful eyes and said, “I know.” They both collapsed back into each other’s arms.
Dannette and Phil became grandparents the past week. Little Marcos has been through a lot. I call Geo, his dad, liquid sunshine. He’s one of the most joyful people I know. He told me that when they found out that Marcos would not be going home for five days that he felt like all the joy got sucked out of him.
Just in the past two weeks:
two national guard troops were shot in Washington DC. One died and the other is still critical.
Over 150 people died in a blaze in a skyscraper making it Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades.
Three children were among the four people killed in a recent mass shooting at a child's birthday party in Stockton, California.
The saddest story I read was of Gerson de Melo Machado, a special needs 19 year old who wanted to be a lion tamer.
A few years ago, he tried to stow away on a plane bound for Africa sho he could tame lions there.
This past week, at a zoo in Brazil. He crawled down into the lion pit to pet the lioness and she killed him in less than 30 seconds in front of his friends and family.
In the face of so much sadness, how can I stand in front of you and encourage you to choose joy? How do you choose joy in the pain, grief, anger, and sadness that so often accompanies this season?
How can we sing,
“O Come all Ye Faithful, joyful and triumphant”
“Good Christian men rejoice, with heart and soul and voice”
“Joyful all ye nations rise, with the triumph of the skies, with angelic host proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem”
Or even “Joy to the Word, the Lord is come.”
I want to make the case this morning that there is joy to be found in the Christmas story and season. But it’s not in a plan or a program or a present but in a Person - Jesus Christ.
I want to look at the Christmas story and see if we can find joy and then look at a section of Scripture to find how we can live into that joy each day.
Joy in the Christmas Story
Luke begins with the story of Zachariah being visited by an angel as he was ministering as priest in the Temple. The angel tells him that he will have a son and will name him John:
“…and you will have joy and gladness , and many will rejoice at his birth for he will be great before the Lord.” (Luke 1:14)
Even though Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth are well beyond child bearing years, they are overjoyed as she conceives and is carrying a son when Mary visits her.
Mary has had her own angelic visitation. Gabriel has told Mary that “the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will over shadow you, therefore the child born to you will be called holy - the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)
When Mary traveled to visit her cousin Elizabeth, the baby John leapt in the womb when he heard Mary’s voice:
“and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why is it granted to me that the mother of my Lord shall come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” (Luke 1:41-44)
Don’t miss this - the first person to respond with joy over Jesus Christ as King was a pre-born baby!
Mary expressing her own joy in the song that she sings:
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46)
There was the joy that mom and dad had has the baby Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem.
An angel appeared to some lowly shepherds tending their sheep on the hillsides outside of Bethlehem and said:
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)
The Greek for joy here is actually mega-joy!
After the shepherds visited the baby, they returned:
“…glorifying and praising God for all that they had seen and heard, as it had been told to them.” (Luke 2:20)
A couple of years later, wise men from the east came to find the Christ child:
“And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, the rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” (Matthew 2:9-10)
This entire story took place against a backdrop of darkness and sadness. For 400 years, the people of God had been waiting for a sign, for a word, for a revelation. And for 400 years - silence.
They were holding out hope that God would send the promised Prince of Peace and the world could truly shout Joy to the Word, the Lord is come!
Joy had come to the world in the form of a little dark eyed baby named Jesus.
Joy Thieves
I want us to look at some joy thieves this morning and how we can choose joy through this season.
[I’m thankful to Rick Warren and Warren Wiersbe for help this week]
First, let’s try to define “joy.” The word joy or rejoicing is found over 140 times in the Bible.
There are 15 Hebrew words and 8 Greek words to describe joy - both as a noun and a verb.
In the Old Testament, joy is used to describe a range of experiences from marriage, to birth of children, gathering the harvest, military victories, and drinking wine.
In the Psalms, the full range of human emotions are on display, one of which is joy:
“Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:11)
We’ve already seen that the Christmas story is filled with joy.
Is joy the same thing as happiness? I would say no.
Happiness is dependent on circumstances and temporary. It depends on what happens to you. It’s external.
It’s not wrong to be happy. Happiness isn’t bad. But joy is something different.
I asked on Facebook what brings people joy. Here are some of their responses: My grandchildren, my husband, my great friends, my Bible, my nephew said cheese, my kids laughter when they're playing well together, when my adult children come home, morning walks with my dog, smiling at cashiers and saying “Hi”, and they smile back, Taking the time to slow down and talk with older patients at work and seeing their faces light up, doing something that helps someone else, or complimenting someone who would least expect it and seeing it make them happy, also nature, things like sunsets, hearing an owl at night, seeing the aurora, interesting facts about what God created, serving those around me, singing praises to God, laughter of babies, talking with Jesus and feel His love cover me like a warm quilt.
John Piper defines joy this way,
“Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as He causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the Word and the world.”
Joy is an internal confidence in God’s goodness and love for us. It is not the power of positive thinking, or a glass half full personality, or fake happiness. It is seeing, knowing, and trusting Jesus Christ.
Jesus was known as a man of sorrows but He also possessed deep joy. He told His disciples not long before He went to the cross:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:9-11)
Even as He went to cross to die for our sins in our place, He experienced joy:
“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
As Kay Warren’s necklace reminded Rick in the middle of the most tragic time in their lives, joy is a choice.
When Paul described the hardships he had endured in ministry, he said that he “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” (2 Corinthians 6:10)
We live in a world where people get sick and die, where accidents happen, where wars rage, politics divides, addictions destroy, and, at times, sadness seems to reign.
How can we be more like Habakkuk, who wrote when circumstances seemed to be conspiring to steal his joy:
“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, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
How can we be more like James who wrote that we can choose joy in this midst of our struggles:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2)
How can we look at persecution the same way Peter did:
But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:13)
How in the world do we follow Paul’s command to the Thessalonian Christians that says that rejoicing is part of God’s will for us:
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thess 5:16-18)
In this world of sadness, sickness, and shame, how do we “rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn?” (Romans 12:15)
In Mississippi, we lost a teenager in our youth group in a car wreck. At the visitation, a deacon of the church named Chuck was roaming around rebuking people for being sad, “Why are you crying? Can you imagine what she’s seen and experienced?
Maxine told me that I needed to deal with him or she was going to punch him in the face. I did and reminded him of the command to mourn with those who mourn.
How do we make a choice to rejoice?
Let’s look at three characters from the Christmas story again and see who they chose to rejoice in spite of their fear, worry, resentment, betrayal, confusion, and pain.
Mary’s Fear
Mary was a teenage peasant girl. She was a virgin and pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. An angel shows up and says to her:
“Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33)
Can’t you just feel Mary’s blood pressure go through the roof? Hold on. How I’m I going to give birth to a son? I’m a virgin.
The angel’s response didn’t help her fear and anxiety:
“The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)
How would you have reacted? Excuse me? Could you repeat that?
We would not have blamed Mary at all if she was completely paralyzed by fear, anxiety, and worry.
This trio of emotions seek to steal our joy every day. Fear of the unknown, anxiety over what could happen, and worry over things we can’t control.
We all feel these from time to time. But some live in these emotions so much that it steals their joy.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in America, especially among students.
There is no shame in feeling these emotions. Many times, medicine and counseling can help tremendously. But that will not necessarily lead to joy.
Let’s look at Mary’s response and learn from her:
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38)
In the midst of the fear, worry, and anxiety over being the mother of the Messiah, Mary simply said, “I’m willing to accept whatever God brings into my life. I’m going to trust the God I know as good and find my joy in that today.”
As she sings her song, joy radiates from her heart:
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:47)
Kay Warren said it this way:
“Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all of the details of my life; the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be okay; and the determined choice to praise God in all things.”
In the middle of your fear, anxiety, and worry this Christmas season, would you be willing to trust that God will take care of you?
Joseph’s Anger
Joseph was betrothed to Mary. This is different from our “engagement.” It was a legally binding arrangement that could only be broken by divorce. The couple would spend a year getting ready and would not have sexual relations during this time.
That’s why it was so bewildering when Mary came up pregnant claiming that it was from the Holy Spirit.
But can you imagine what he was feeling? Anger, hurt, betrayal, resentment?
These emotions can steal your joy and fill your heart with bitterness.
Because we live in a sinful world, we all have been hurt. Some know the pain of abuse, of betrayal. We have been hurt and we have hurt others.
But how did Joseph respond? Did he have her stoned?
Joseph in his anger and hurt, decided to show grace to Mary:
“Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:19)
He refused to live in unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, and resentment. He offered grace and he let it go.
Remember, the angel had not visited him yet. He didn’t know what was really going on. But he loved her and didn’t want to publicly shame her.
But an angel told Joseph in a dream:
“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matt 1:21)
Because of this choice, he received the blessing of joy of being the stepfather of the Son of God.
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” (Matt 1:24-25)
Who has hurt you deeply? You can choose to hold on to this hurt. But unforgiveness is like swallowing poison and waiting for the other person to die.
We can not do this in our own strength. But Nehemiah said that “the joy of the Lord will be our strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)
Who do you need to forgive today?
The Wise Men’s Confusion
We always put the wise men in the nativity scene but they weren’t there until about two years later.
They had followed a star all the way to Jerusalem and encountered Herod:
“Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” (Matt 2:7-8)
Can you imagine how confused this must have made them? They are warned not to go back to Herod, his jealousy had stolen his joy.
They literally weren’t given a map but had to take one step at a time in order to follow the star to the Savior.
“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” (Matthew 1:9-10)
We all want a map. Wouldn’t it just be great if God could give us GPS directions to our destiny? But if He did that, we wouldn’t trust Him.
Rick Warren has said that He gives us a compass - the Word of God and a guiding light - the Holy Spirit to show us the way - one step at a time.
Some of you are confused as to what your next steps should be? Start with the light you have been given and take the next right step.
David wrote in Psalm 16:
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11)
Jesus is our Joy
Let’s look at one more set of Christmas characters -the shepherds. They were nobodies. In fact, they were less than nobodies. They were considered thieves, dirty, they couldn’t testify in court and were considered religiously unclean.
To these nobodies, angel appears and says:
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths a manger.” (Luke 2:11-12)
To you. To the people who thought they didn’t count. To the nobodies.
Let’s go back to the driveway and the Warren’s sobbing together over their son Matthew’s death. How could they choose joy in the midst of such terrible pain?
Rick said that after Matthew’s death, he got over 35,000 cards and notes from all over the world. Bono wrote a note. He got a card from the queen and several presidents. But he said the thing that brought him joy in the midst of his grief were several letters he received from people that Matthew had discipled.
One said, “Matthew led me to Christ and for that I am eternally faithful.”
That’s where we find our joy- in Jesus.
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (I Peter 1:8-9)
We are a week away from the 14th anniversary of Kimmy going to heaven. The day after Kimmy died, I wrote this on my FaceBook page:
“A student asked me this weekend how my faith can be so strong and I can be so incredibly sad at the same time. I got to explain to her that 25 years ago I went "all in" with Jesus. I committed to trust Him with the good, the bad, and the ugly. I took God out of the little box I had grown up with and gave Him permission to be the Sovereign, (in charge), God of the universe.
He doesn't owe me explanations. He doesn't owe me answers to life's hard questions. I know two things for sure - that He is Good and that He loves me.
How do I know that? Why do I not doubt in terrible times like these? Because the cross said it all. At the cross, God demonstrated the most extravagant love possible.
Kimmy knew this love. Kimmy was changed by this love. And because Kimmy Rachelle Blair trusted in the cross' power to save us from our sins and give us new life, Kimmy has seen the face of God.
I do not grieve as those who have no hope. She has seen the face of God. The older I get, and the more people I know who live in heaven, the more jealous I am of that fact. I will see her again. And she will eat all my mashed potatoes.
This week, we can run to Him or run away from Him. As I have done for the last 25 years, I've chosen to run to Him. Please run to Him. With your questions, anger, doubt, sadness, rage, confusion, and all the other emotions that are keeping you, and me, up at night.
God is big. He can take it. And He wants to comfort you. David wrote in the Psalms that "God is near to the brokenhearted and is with those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18)
At this time of year we sing of this joy:
“Joy to the World, the Lord has come, let earth receive her king, let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and heaven and nature sing.”
Communion:
Mercy Fund Offering : The Christmas Scale
Song: Joy to the World (KN)
