Christmas approaches and I’m looking at John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
It's Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day is approaching; are you excited?
Unfortunately, there are times in our lives when Christmas isn't as cheerful and bright as it should be. Although it is widely assumed that the Christmas season is the happiest time of the year, many people are painfully aware that not everything is always bright and cheerful, that we are neither bright nor cheerful, and that the world in which we live is neither merry nor bright.
Some Christmases are simply just too much for us….
It's difficult enough to live a normal life. But when everyone around you looks to be singing carols, sending cards, wrapping presents, and acting as though everything is suddenly wonderful, it's much more difficult. There is occasionally a sense of obligation to enjoy Christmas, which makes any joy difficult to feel.
But looking back we can see that the very first Christmas was far from happy and bright. Yes, there are flashes of joy but there is also overwhelming despair and disorder.
In a land of deep darkness, the first beams of brightness promised in the scriptures have finally begun to filter through.
God's chosen people had waited thousands of years for the fulfilment of this promise, and for 400 years, God seemed to be silent – but now that silence is broken by the cry of a baby in Bethlehem.
Mary and Joseph's situation was far from what we would consider a romantic story, and even in today’s world of “anything goes” it could hardly be considered merry and bright.
Following the angel's announcement, Mary was probably overjoyed, but she would soon be showing...and unmarried. How long before the people of Nazareth started murmuring about her and passing judgement on her?
Even after 30 years, her son's opponents would do what we've all done when we feel cornered.......they retaliated with unjust comments, demonstrating that she had been, and most likely still was, the target of much rumour. In John 8:41 there is a sharp response to Jesus’s refusal to allow the Jews to claim to be Abraham’s descendants, a response that would effectively make them spiritually illegitimate, but was this also a dig at how Jesus was viewed in his hometown...as an illegitimate child? (“We were not born of sexual immorality” John 8:41)
Poor Joseph. His fiancée " was discovered to be pregnant " before their wedding (Matthew 1:18). At the time, that was hardly the kind of news any man wanted to hear. What kind of embarrassment would this information have caused him? What pain he must have felt when he found out she was expecting a child. She had appeared to be a beautiful, chaste, young woman, a perfect wife. What would happen now to the hopes he had for a happy life with her, were they now crumbling before him? He must have been so disappointed, so angry, so in despair, and yes, he did receive a comforting message in a dream, but what must he have been thinking before that?
Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:20)
Trusting the angel's words most likely brought him comfort, but he must have had his doubts.....dreams don't keep the talk in town at bay.
Was there a reason for this? The angel had declared to Joseph, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Joseph could understand the need for salvation; in fact, every Jew, including Joseph, knew they needed to be saved, but they most likely believed that the salvation they required was rescue from Roman conquest and dominion.....However, there was no mention of this!
You were hardly likely to find Bethlehem in any tourist guide, let alone any 5-star hotels; this wasn't regal Jerusalem; there was no royal welcome, no king's palace, no palm leaf waving crowd applauding the entrance of their king....although that moment would come soon enough. No, this was simply a run-down tiny village a few miles south of town...no one knows if it was an inn, a stable, or a guest house, but we do know there was no room for them...we don't know how bad it was, but it wasn't the best place to give birth to your first child.
There was confirmation that Joseph and Mary’s first child was the Christ when Jesus was taken into the temple in Jerusalem for the required redemption of the firstborn son…..Simeon’s words confirmed that the salvation for all peoples had been fulfilled….but it came with word that Mary herself would suffer anguish at the consequent treatment of Jesus….. “a sword will pierce through your own soul also.” Luke 2:35
This is not an easy first Christmas and it was about to get worse as Joseph was warned they needed to flee; can you picture fleeing to Egypt with a toddler to avoid the massacre that would ensue?
It was becoming clear that the life that came into the world that first Christmas was not going to be an easy one.
And every Christmas brings unwelcome firsts into our own lives also; for some, it will be the first without a loved family member, a loved child, a loved mother or father, a loved husband or wife. This year our very own Queen Elizabeth will have her first Christmas without her beloved husband Philip after 73 years of marriage, even the most privileged amongst us are not immune from sorrow.
I know many who will try to celebrate the birth of our saviour with strength and courage this year, while also missing and mourning the loss of a dearly departed loved one….their ‘first without’ Christmas.
While most firsts in our lives are joyful and exciting, many are not. Although Joseph clearly trusted God throughout this time, I’m sure he would have preferred the birth of his first-born son to have been the result of a post matrimonial ceremony and romantic nights with his new bride, I’m sure he would have liked his and Mary’s first-born to have been his biological son, that he would like to have been the one to name him….but these births would come, just as more joyful Christmases will come for those who are in despair this year.
In this day and age, Christmas doesn’t guarantee joy and happiness, but it does promises much more, it promises a joy that will be without compromise, a joy that is not dependant on circumstances, but dependant on God and the salvation that faith in Christ can bring.
And there sits our promise, like a gift sitting under our tree, a gift from God that we cannot unwrap just yet, but if we look carefully there is a torn corner on the wrapping and peeping through there is a brightness, a joy that is breaking through into the darkness in our lives, a foretaste of the glorious joy to come.
I watched the 2009 film The Nativity a few days ago, I’m not sure what I was expecting but it was quite a pleasant film with a few messages within it.
One of the songs around the manger included the line; “and everything’s changing forever”
And from that first Christmas, everything did indeed change, it changed forever, it changed when Jesus came to “deal with sin” (Hebrews 9:28) and we need to see our Christmas celebrations as pointers to Christ’s second coming when he will as scripture says, “save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28) and bring them “everlasting joy” (Isaiah 35:10).
So if this year is your ‘first without’ Christmas; pain and loss do hurt, we are not superhuman, not invulnerable to pain and sorrow, but while you can’t stop the pain and tears from coming, you can stop the joy from leaving; if you, if we, see Christmas as an indication, a glimpse, or a hint of future lasting joy, then we can deal with anything in our lives, as God, by His Spirit, gives us all that we need to be able to rejoice and to know the hope and fulfilment of everlasting joy.
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