Wednesday, December 23, 2020
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the
fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord
suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they
were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for
behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. Luke 2:8-10
“Joy to the world, the Lord has
come! Let earth receive her King!”
Christmas carols are playing and the message we hear once
again is the promise of a king who is coming to bring us joy, peace, and
love. Songs of the shepherds, the star,
the wisemen and the manger retell the story of God’s coming to earth in the
form of a babe. “Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King!” The world loudly sings the triumphant message
of God’s wonderful grace given for the souls of men but is that gift really
complete unless it is received?
“Joy to the world, the
Lord has come!” Sadly, the promise
of Christmas is not realized in our world.
Where is the peace, when rioters storm the streets and wars rage against
those who are not like them? Where is
the joy, when so many are burdened by debt and damaged relationships? Where is the love, where divorce, hate and
distrust eat like a cancer on families?
Did God not provide what He promised?
“Let earth receive her King.”
It is not because God has not provided the needed gift, but that man has
not “received her King.” There in Bethlehem on that first Christmas
night there were a few who were extremely joyful. But even the joy they experienced was an
expectant joy. While the Lord had come,
His work was not done. The joy was in
the promise of His fulfilling the further prophecies of His work here on
earth. For right now, He was merely a
baby in a manger.
Too many feel that joy is the product of circumstance. They wait for something to come into their
life that will create feelings of happiness, joy, or peace. For them, joy is something that happens to
you, not something that you carry with you.
Consider the expectation of the birth of a child and the
mixed emotions that are a part of the waiting.
When the day of delivery comes there is an abundance of happiness. But the real expectation is for the change
that the coming of the child will bring in the days that follow. Life will be different; and that joy of the
promise is the deeper joy that fills the thoughts of the parents and family. Receiving the child into their homes and lives
will transform their lives. The same is
true with Jesus.
How many missed the coming of the child that night but
“received their King” later - a blind man sitting by a roadside, a tax
collector whose life was transformed by the Master, a woman caught in adultery,
some fishermen who laid down their nets and followed - all found joy. I received Him and I pray you have as well
but the joy I find in His coming is not just the experience of today but the
promise of tomorrow and all of eternity.
“Joy to the World, the
Lord has come” is not an empty
pronouncement but the invitation to receive a new perspective on our lives and
our world. As we anticipate His impact
on our today and our tomorrow, we can experience the joy of His presence and
power. His coming changed eternity for
all men, but it can also change our today as we joyfully live in the hope He
brings for our future. “Let
earth receive her King!”
"You will have joy and gladness, and many will
rejoice at his birth”. Luke 1:14
