It's been said so many times before: joy comes from the Lord; we shouldn't see it as being circumstantial. But you know what? I still fall into that trap a lot. Or I fall into a similar one ruled by cognitive dissonance. I have joy. And I can be happy. But I have a melancholy personality. When I feel crappy, I know I have joy in my Savior. But I don't really get excited about Christmas. Sometimes I question if something is wrong with me. I love my Lord. I want to share Him with others. He has given me the gift of generosity. When I get to serve others, that brings me joy.
There's less than 2 weeks until Christmas. Am I looking forward to it? Not particularly. I don't have gifts for any of my family members. And I can't really afford to get them anything. From past experience, they don't seem to really appreciate the effort I put into making things for them. So gift giving is nearly a lost cause for me. Based on the less-than-pleasant experience of visiting them over Thanksgiving, I'm not really looking forward to that aspect much, either. Or having strange conversations with my family about faith - my father would stop going to church rather than give up the Masonic lodge if he were forced to choose, because he doesn't want the church to stifle his freedom; my sister stopped going to church services and goes to a book study currently on The Shack; she may or may not believe in mediums or reincarnation. And they don't really understand why I'm in seminary. I feel like I don't get support for what I do or what I want to do from them. They are unsatisfied with the church they are members of, but they refuse to try to make a difference or to look for another church because they're all the same.
So what of this joy that I am supposed to experience this time of year? I have hope in my Savior. I have joy in Him and in ministering in His name, for His glory. Christmastime doesn't make me giddy or excited. I cherish the hymns that remind us of how amazing God's plan is for our salvation through Jesus Christ. I appreciate greens and poinsettias. But it seems like I'm missing something crucial. Instead of anxiously awaiting the celebration of the birth of the Savior, it seems like a cultural thing that I'd like to pass. I'd love to truly celebrate it. I'd love to celebrate it with my family. I'd love to spend an hour with them in prayer. I'd love to open up to them about life and spiritual matters. I'd love to share with them my faith. I'd love to share the importance of the Scriptures pointing to Christ, God's Son and humanity's Redeemer. I'd love for them to become a people of prayer. I'd love to see their lives truly changed by the Lord. I'd love for my father to be joyful, not cynical. I'd love for him to have godly friends and to spend time with them. I'd love for him to be a true spiritual leader in the family, not just a spiritual decision-maker, whether for good or bad. I'd love for my mother to study the Bible, to understand it deeper, to be able to defend her faith. I'd love for my sister to date a man of God, not a decent person who's an unbeliever. I'd love for her to see why and how there's a difference. I'd love to see her give up watching the trashy tv shows and music. I'd love her to be strengthened and encouraged and challenged in her faith. And I'd love to tell more people about the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, wholly man and wholly God, who experienced what it is to be human, who gave his life as a ransom for sin, that all who believe and call on Him would be saved. And I'd love a godly woman to share my life and faith with me. I'd love to empower others to study God's Word and to live by it. I'd love to call believers to live in holiness. I'd love to call believers to go out and stand with God in His mission to bring His message of forgiveness by faith through Jesus Christ to all the peoples of the earth, whether that means in Appalachia, the Pyrenees, the Andes, the Urals or anywhere else. I'd love to call cultural Christians to make a choice about Jesus and to lay down their lives to Him in obedience. I'd love to teach those people who call themselves Christians and yet don't know what it means to be one. I'd love to explain the Scriptures to them, to tell them about God's mission to reach ALL peoples. I'd love to worship and rejoice with my brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world, to share with them the cup, to teach them and learn from them. Is the joy of Christmas in knowing that God is in control? Is it that Christ has already won the victory for us? Is it to know the future is certain and that God is sovereign over it, as the prophets often understood and anticipated? Is it to have faith in the Lord regardless of our circumstances?
I'd love for you to join with me in praying for these things, that the Lord would be glorified in us and in all that He does. May the joy of Christmas, the hope in the Lord and Savior who came to save us and to call us to Himself, be spread to all the peoples of the earth.
