“But the angel reassured [the shepherds]. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior -- yes, the Messiah, the Lord -- has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!’” (Luke 2:10-11 NLT)
“Joy
to the world; the Lord is come;
Let
Earth receive her King;
Let
ev'ry Heart prepare Him room,
And
Heav'n and nature sing.” (Isaac Watts)
The problem with Christmas is that January comes. Reality returns. However joyful Christmas makes you, you can’t live in December for ever.
But imagine if Christmas could be rescued from the stress or sadness of just getting through Christmas. Imagine if January could be rescued from the disappointment if your joy was in getting to Christmas. Imagine if there were a joy that lasted -- that endured through January and wasn’t dented by reality. That kind of joy would be worth finding, wouldn’t it?
And Christmas does offer that kind of joy. It’s to be found, very simply, in getting it. Not in grasping hold of the commercial version of Christmas -- the tinsel, the tree, and the traditions -- but grasping hold of the events and the meaning of the first Christmas.
The people who experienced that first Christmas and understood its meaning found a joy that did not fade. So can you. Whether you’re a get-to-er or get-through-er, if you get the meaning of the first Christmas this Christmas, then you’ll get the feeling of joy, and find it’s a feeling that lasts.
-- Carl Laferton in “Rescuing Christmas: The Search for Joy that Lasts”
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