Why is Christmas A Joyful Day?

 

Luke 2:1-20

Jesus was born in Bethlehem

When we meet each other on Christmas Day, we would greet each other “Merry Christmas”. But why is Christmas a joyful day of celebration?

The Bible in Luke recorded the first Christmas, where there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savoir, who is Christ the Lord (vv.10-11).

The birth of Jesus is such joyful news, and we are to rejoice and celebrate because of two reasons. The first reason is:

God's Love Prevails Among Men

The Bible tells us that God so loved the world that in order to save the fallen world from sin and destruction, he sent his only begotten Son into the world, born in flesh, lived among men, and known by the name Jesus.

Jesus is also called the Christ or Messiah, the anointed one. In ancient Israel, people poured oil on someone's head to declare he was chosen as a prophet or king by God. So, Jesus was born to be king and prophet as Old Testament had long prophesied to come.

About the year 4 BC, Jesus was born in Palestine during the rule of the great Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus. So, Jesus was not really born in 1 AC.

Augustus passed a decree that all the people should be registered. So, the peoples all went to be registered, each to his own town.

And Joseph, the father of Jesus also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with his wife, Mary.

And while they were there, the time came for Mary to give birth.

Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Please take note of this: The humble and fragile baby Jesus is a stark contrast to the magnificent Augustus. By a royal decree, the incarnated Son of God, who is the King of kings, had to be born in a humble manger in Bethlehem as a baby.

However, this scenario actually testifies to the wondrous work of God, that Jesus, born in Bethlehem is to fulfil the Old Testament prophecy 700 hundred years ago, in Micah 5:2. God’s work is so wonderful!

Augustus was a great emperor. He ushered in the golden era of Roman Empire. People hailed the born of Augustus to be “good news” and the emperor is a “saviour” to all his subjects.  Some says, Augustus had made the month of August to be special for having 31 days.

Luke is here using the same terms to challenge the imperial claims. Luke maintains that the birth of Jesus Christ is really the ‘good news’, because Jesus is the real ‘saviour’ who saves all his people and his kingdom is eternal.

The shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks by night, came from the social grassroots, the lowly class of people. The Angel is a mysterious and sublime being, but he delivered the good news to these ordinary, humble shepherds.

The angel said to them, "And this will be a sign for you: you will find “a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (v.12)

“A baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” served as a tag, to enable these humble shepherds to find the Saviour.

The shepherds were the first group of people to receive the revelation concerning the birth of the Saviour. God is gracious and merciful to the poor and weak. He lifts them up.

Jesus lived on earth for 33 years. He was fully divine and fully human. He experienced temptation. He leaned on the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the temptation of the world. He lived a sinless life.

Jesus travelled around Galilee, preaching God’s word to people so that they could know God and understand the gospel.

Jesus also ministered to peoples’ needs by healing them of sickness and casting out the demons.

At the end, he even sacrificed his life, died on the cross to redeem sinners. But three days later he rose from death so that whoever believes in Him, will also overcome death and have eternal life.

Today, no matter who you are, even as low as the grassroots shepherds, also can come to encounter Jesus Christ and receive his salvation.

Many Christians who are seated here can witness that Jesus has saved them from sin, disillusion and hopelessness. He has elevated them and transformed their lives.

We have experienced God’s love in our lives. Our sins are forgiven and we are embraced by God unconditionally. That is why Christmas is such a joyful day for us.

God is so gracious and loving to us. For this reason, we also wish that our family members, relatives, colleagues and friends to know this God. By accepting Jesus as your saviour, you can also experience the love of God, be blessed by him.

We rejoice over the birth of Jesus Christ because of the second reason:

In Weak, Lowly and Painful Situation, God is Working There

Jesus is the King of kings, the Son of God in heaven, but he manifests the act of love through emptying himself, undergo self-sacrifice, taking on a simple and humble form.

Can you imagine: “A baby wrapped in cloths, lie in a manger”, born in such a dirty place, and also accepts the worship of the humble shepherds. I am sure none of us had been born in such a lowly situation!

God's promised Saviour, the Messiah was born in such a humble way so that the shepherds could find him. They could never find the Messiah elsewhere, not in high and glamorous places.

They found baby Jesus in a weak, humble, and ordinary state. And then they acknowledged that it was God’s wondrous act of salvation. They rejoiced at the working of God and gave Him the glory.

Today, we are prone to find God’s works taking place in spectacular and glamorous ways.

That is why in lowly state, poverty, in sickness and pain, suffering and difficulties we would doubt God’s presence, and refuse to acknowledge that God is working. We ask “Where is God”?

As a result, we miss the wonderful works of God and thus losing the joy and peace from God, and entrenched in self pity all the time.

The lowly birth of Jesus Christ reveals that he is gracious to the lowly people and those who are suffering. Jesus is here to identity with them, to lift their burdens and sufferings.

Today we can accept our humble identity, weakness and difficulties we are facing because God's grace and hope is available in the midst of human weaknesses.

Let’s now look around us and start appreciating that God is working in our midst and rejoice over God’s salvation.

Likewise, Jesus was crucified on the cross - the simple, lowly and shameful emblem. Yet it is by the cross that we are redeemed from sin and receive eternal life.

We can encounter Jesus even when we are in low and difficult circumstances. Jesus accepts us even when we fail in many undertakings. Jesus is always there to embrace us, saying, “Come, you are my precious child!”

This is indeed something great that we could celebrate with joyfully!

Calling and Praying

Today, we struggle very hard to achieve health and wealth, loving relationships, career, honour, authority, and so on. To desire and go after these things is not wrong. It is wrong when we think we will surely have lasting happiness, satisfaction, purpose and fulfilment if we achieve these things.

The reality is: If we fail to achieve things, people will despise us as losers. Our lives become miserable.

If we obtain these things, we soon will realize that they do not bring us lasting fulfilment and happiness. For these things are “idols”. They are not God. They can’t give us true happiness and the purpose of life.

Some Christians may also have “idols” that replaced the true and living God. They have just accepted Jesus by words of mouth but do not maintain a relationship with Jesus.

That’s why their lives are also uneasy and overwhelmed by anxiety. People who do not have a relationship with Jesus, will not have peace and joy, but only struggles and exhaustion.

Besides, we ought to know that life is uncertain and changes all the time. For whatever reason, one day we could lose our fame, profit, power, love, wealth, career.

Then we will stumble and be depressed. We might even be unable to face reality and seek to end our own lives by then.

Today the good news is that whether in richly state or lowly condition, Jesus is there with you. You can accept Him as your Lord and saviour.

In this way you are accepted as the sons and daughters of God.  With God as your guarantee and refuge, your lives will be safe and steady, full of joy and purpose.

For God is not any ‘idol’, but the omnipotent creator of this world and he loves you. He will take care of you.

Today, if you had taken the long way round, journeying through countless struggles and pursuing wrong goals to obtain happiness, it is time to turn back and receive Jesus as the Lord of our lives.

Through Jesus Christ, we can return to the embrace of God. And we will be transformed to be a new man and receive lasting happiness, peace, satisfaction and purpose in life.