Pain and Joy
Christmas and waiting are linked together in multiple ways. We wait in Advent to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We wait with great expectation for a break in our normal routine. We wait in lines to purchase gifts that we hope will bring joy to those who receive them. We are all eagerly waiting for the hope and joy that Christmas promises.
For some, this waiting is a time to reflect and anticipate. For others, it is a time that accentuates their loneliness, grief, and suffering. For still others, the high expectations bring intense anxiety and stress. It is simultaneously a time of immense joy and immense pain.
It strikes me that this is not much different from the first Christmas. Two young adults had traveled a great distance away from their home and could find no place for which to rest their weary bodies. The woman was pregnant and had to know the time was coming soon to deliver her baby. And then, the time does come, and they are stuck in stable, surrounded by animals. No family to help usher in the new babe, no pain medicine to ease the stabbing pains. No one to help in anyway. Both Mary and Joseph had to be scared, lonely, and immensely anxious.
And then, suddenly, strangers appear. Shepherds rush to the manager to worship the baby, having been told by angels that He was the Messiah. In the midst of pain and loneliness comes the greatest reason for joy. The shepherds must have told Mary and Joseph what the angels had said, for the Bible says that they spread the word about what the angels said, and that Mary treasured up all these things in her heart. (Luke 2:16-19) Mary and Joseph are still in a stable, they are still far from home, and now they have a newborn for which to care. Even still, they have the gift that the shepherds bring, the gift of knowing that somehow this baby they held would be the Savior, the long awaited for Messiah.
On this day, three days before Christmas, we are all waiting.Whether with joy and anticipation, dread and sadness, or a mix of both, we are all waiting. While we are waiting, I think we can learn two lessons from the first Christmas. First, let us be like the shepherds. Let us bring words of hope and joy to others and share with them so that they may treasure those things in their hearts. What joy and hope we have needs to be passed on to those around us. Like a darkness fades as candles are lit, may we not give our light away, but simply give others a spark so their light shines too. Second, let us remember that the message the shepherds carried to the stable that night remains true. There is reason to have hope and joy, even in the midst of heartbreak and despair. Jesus came and He accomplished His goal. He has made a way for us to come to God. Someday, even if it is not this day, there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain for those who believe. (Revelation 21:4)
Hold tight to hope. Hold tight to the promise of who Jesus is and what He has done. Hold tight and allow whatever joy seeps in to fill your heart.
Leave a Reply