Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Who couldn't use a message of comfort and joy about now? Perhaps you imagine a peaceful moment in cozy clothes under a blanket while holding your favorite hot drink in your hand much like the picture above. You think "Oh, if only I could have this. Just one moment of peace. That's all I need. Christmas is so busy. What I wouldn't give for just a moment of comfort and joy!"

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen". Part of why I love this song is for the message that Christ came to die so that we could be saved. All of us, unless the Lord returns while we still breathe, are born into a short time on earth eventually ending in physical death. But Jesus came to die! That was His purpose: to die as a propitiation for our sins in order to save us all from Satan's power and defeat him, fulfilling the word of God in Genesis 3:15. Christ's victory is certainly a message of comfort and joy.

We, as believers given the message of reconciliation, have the privilege of bringing the very truth of what we celebrate at Christmas into our everyday lives. While sinners, we were hopelessly stuck in an impossible situation; we were lost, blind, and in need of rescuing. The more we tried to make ourselves clean or righteous, the deeper we sunk into the mire of our own pit of sin. Yet, “...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” (John 1:14). The Word that had always existed and reigned humbled Himself beyond any imagination to such a low degree that He became one of us to ultimately die on our behalf. He lived among us. He became Emmanuel - God with us. He was God above us, God separate from us, and then became one of us limiting Himself to breathe air, need food and water, be tired and need sleep, hurt physically, and live in this fallen world. What humility! What beauty! What hope!

In the same way, we are called to live and tell people of this Good News. You may be in a difficult situation that you contributed to. You may be “above” the other person. You might be sinking further into a dark hole of sin, But Christ. But Christ is with you. Because He humbled Himself, you can humble yourself. You can entrust yourself and the things and people you love into the arms of the One who not only has awareness of our suffering but knows suffering intimately having experienced it Himself. “Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded" (1 Corinthians 6:7). If we have Christ, what else do we need?

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:32-35a)

If Christ came to lay down His life, what reason do I have to not do the same? 

Maybe you will get that blissful moment of peace cozied up by the fire this Christmas season, but, even if you don't, you have a much deeper and lasting truth to cling to in Christ Jesus.

May the beauty, humility, and awe of what Christ has accomplished encourage and challenge you to follow His example. God is with you, and He will carry you. This is our message of comfort and joy.

God rest ye merry, gentlemen,

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day

To save us all from Satan's power

When we were gone astray.

O tidings of comfort and joy,

comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy!