It’s Christmas! Should I Be Happy?
It’s Christmas! Should I Be Happy?
Ordinary shepherds watched their flocks on Judah’s hill;
Hard-working men with mouths to feed, they toiled like you and me.
With struggles, doubts, and fears they lived, with little hope until…
Hark! The herald angels came with peace to set them free.
Every little girl, it seems, dreams to have a child;
“Round, yon virgin,” voices sing, so sweet, but was it so?
Every girl who bears a babe is often seen defiled;
In Mary’s anguish, Jesus came, our joy amidst her woe.
Solemn Joseph, pregnant wife, and child not his—what pain!
Mary’s shame, his burden too, no angel’s words forestall,
Yes, he heard the bitter words, yet faithful did remain;
Jesus, child of God he was, the one to save us all.
Our hurts are theirs; no plastic saints, all humans wonder why;
Yet grace through trials conquers all, and Christmas joys supply.
Is Christmas really about childish glee and sappy sentimentalism? Harsh words, I know, and they don’t reflect my true feelings because I really don’t mind such things. I do oppose them becoming the primary spirit of Christmas. For all their emphasis in our present day, feelings do not hold us up when things are tough, and life is often difficult for most of us—lost jobs, desperately sick loved ones, broken hearts, and shattered dreams! Colorful lights and beautiful music don’t make grief, sadness, or despair go away. By all means, enjoy the sweet moments, for the bitter do come.
So what is all this business of “Joy?” Jesus coming in the incarnation was an awesome event, but it was a costly miracle for Mary and Joseph. Our easy acceptance of the virgin birth doesn’t remove the stigma of illegitimacy for them. Did the lives of the shepherds suddenly become lives of comfort and ease after the angels’ visit and a visit to the stable? Their hearts may have been lifted by the knowledge of the Savior’s birth, but their struggles remained the next morning. As remarkable as the accounts make them seem to us—the purposes of God notwithstanding—our lives are no different than theirs.
God used them to fulfill his plan and change the world, but God uses us in much the same way if we, like they, are willing to accept his direction. Where’s the joy? Joy comes to us in serving him through the difficulties of life. Joy comes to others through the fruit that our lives produce, even as we struggle and suffer. Through us and our pain, the Lord comes, again and again. Joy to the world! The Lord has come.