December 16, Joy “A Really, Really Big Joy” by Pastor M. Johnson
Matthew 2:1-2
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem,
asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.”
Theme:
Every year on Epiphany, we hear Matthew’s story of the Magi. It works as an exclamation point to that line from, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” “Yet in the dark streets shineth, the everlasting light. The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Christ can be the focus of our fears as he was for Herod and for too many today, or he can be the focus of our hopes, a source of a “really, really big joy!”
Illustration:
Anyone who has ever traveled to the birthplace of Jesus knows that getting there takes some doing. You pass through a series of unnerving military checkpoints before finally arriving at the grand stone basilica, the Church of the Nativity, built in the 500s by the Byzantines. After you’ve waited in a long line and made it
inside, the darkness is disorienting. Finally, you wind your way down a narrow staircase into a cave –a grotto they call it – where you get to the place you traveled so far to see: a silver star marking the place where Jesus was born. The caretakers, intent on keeping the line moving, only allow you to stop for a moment or two. The whole setting is so rushed and crowded, so different from any manger scene you’ve ever seen, you’d be
forgiven for not feeling much of anything at all. Except for Jesus.
My friend Linda visited with her grandchildren as the culmination of a whirlwind trip of Israel and
Palestine. They had wound their way through the checkpoints, the cramped Bethlehem streets, the vendors, the fancy church, and the lines. Finally, they were about 4 feet away from the silver star when she noticed her 10-year-old grandson sobbing – tears streaming down his face. Had his big sister had stepped on his foot? Said something to hurt his feeling? It wouldn’t have been the first time that had happened on their trip. “Luke, what’s wrong?” she asked. “Granny, he’s real! Jesus! He’s real.” He had seen the star, and he was
overwhelmed with joy.
The wise men, too, had seen a star stop over that very spot. They had traveled a thousand miles across the Syrian dessert into Roman-occupied Palestine until they got to the little town of Bethlehem. They too
contended with checkpoints, narrow streets, and vendors selling their wares. But when the star led them to Jesus, the original Greek text says, they “rejoiced with a really, really big joy.” They crumpled to the floor
beside the oxen and the sheep worshipping the child and opening their treasure chest to give him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. Why? In the presence of Christ, it seems the thing to do.
Takeaway:
Final Thoughts – If hope in Christ leads us to joy, what does joy lead us to? It led the wise men and Linda’s grandson to worship. May this season lead you, even today, to worship with a really, really big joy.
Prayer:
Lord, in this season of Advent, help me live a life a life mindful of the coming of Christ that I may have hope and joy in a world without end. Amen. Amen.