Isaiah 9:4
“For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.”
Reflection:
Let me explain the joy of Christmas: If you are cheesy, like I am, then you turn up the radio when uniquely Christmas songs come on and you feel particularly joyful. However, many normal people feel angst at such things, so I’ll press on.
You get to put up lights and decorations that are unique to the season. But still, not everyone likes risking their life by climbing a ladder just to put up lights, so I’ll move further.
The things that bring joy to most people during this holiday season are the gifts, the food, and the fellowship. Yet not even these things bring joy to everyone. You might be on a diet (terrible time to go on a diet, by the way!). You might want different gifts. Perhaps, because of the brokenness of the world and death, you might not get to be with the people you love most.
Here is the true joy, the deep joy of Christmas: Just as in “The day of Midian” where God delivered His people from a massive army by using only stone jars and torches, so also God is able to save His people in an utterly unexpected way – through the birth of a child, through a cross, and an empty tomb. The joy of Christmas is that through the finished work of Jesus, He has removed the rod of your oppression by allowing Himself to be beaten with it. He chose to take on flesh and be born in order to step in front of you and receive the blows you deserve. Now, Christian, the chains of your guilt are broken. The burden of your sins is taken from your back and rolled into the empty grave. The love of God that you don’t deserve is restored to you forever.
THAT is the joy of Christmas.
In Christ,
Pastor Yonkman