Maybe this week hasn’t gone as planned.
Long lines at the store. Grumpy customers. Only a few gifts under the tree. A misunderstanding with your in-laws. The overcooked meal. Overdraft fees. Late dinner guests. An empty home.
The weeks leading up to Christmas are often filled with lists and lines, to-dos and to-don’ts.
If we’re not careful, a season meant to bring the greatest joy, can steal our joy.
In the second chapter of Luke, the author sets the scene of Christ’s birth by explaining a somewhat ironic political situation. At the time Augustus Caesar, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, was at the height of power. Under his leadership, Rome had become an empire famed for its opulence and power. Some people even referred to Augustus as “Savior” and as king he was known as “Lord”.
During his reign, Augustus decreed the Pax Romana which demanded an end of wars and a creation of order throughout the Roman Empire. While peace was mandated by Caesar, many sects awaited a revolution—including the Jews. The Jews waited for the Messiah to come as a military and political leader to establish Israel’s throne in Jerusalem. Against this powerful, wealthy backdrop, an infant is born to two peasants in a humble barnyard stable.
Compared to Caesar Augustus the rex, pontifex, maximus, infant Jesus was powerless, helpless, weak.
Caesar reigned from a throne; Jesus reigned from hay.
Instead of whispering messages from the throne room of heaven, Jesus dives into the muck and mire of the world. He heals, thirsts, stoops, protects, provides, teaches, holds, weeps, feels, hurts, hungers, suffers, raises, and leaves us wonderstruck again and again.
Christ’s birth is a holy exclamation point that the King of kings is with us in a real and tangible way. And that gives us reason for great joy.
Don’t miss the joy today.
Breathe in grace. Breathe out gratitude. Make some confetti out of gift wrap. Let’s celebrate the Great Joy-Giver offering the greatest gift of all time—Himself.
Merry Christmas—from our family to yours.
Margaret, Leif, and Hershey
I’d love to see what brings you JOY today. Share your Christmas photos on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram using #fightbackwithjoy. Let’s open our eyes to the JOY of Christmas.
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Step 1: Purchase Live Loved (of course!) from your preferred retailer.
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