Luke 2:8-20
As an adult, the joy of Christmas has honestly been harder for me to catch hold of. The season is so busy and rushed; stressful and anxiety producing. There are presents to buy, parties to attend and never-ending traffic. I’ve worked in the church most of my adult life which adds its own frantic activity. There seems to be nothing easy about finding Christmas joy anymore. And yet, every year, I long to be filled with the joy and wonder of a calm and bright Christmas.
I do find joy in this Calm and Bright series we are taking part in this season...even if only because I feel a little rebellious reading the Christmas story during Advent and singing Christmas songs before Christmas Eve. And we are talking about joy this morning instead of peace! What rebels we are! For a mainline, liturgical denomination, this is a pretty big faux pas. And yet, here we are at the beginning of December hearing of the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night and singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
Although we like to imagine the night Jesus was born as calm and bright, I’m not sure it was. There’s not much that is calm or bright about a baby being born surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of animals. There’s not much that is calm about shepherds being spooked by angels and leaving their flock of sheep to find a baby. Especially when we consider that those shepherds most likely had a life that was anything but easy. The shepherds in our story were the night-shift shepherds. They didn’t own the sheep, they didn’t own the land. They were, most likely, low wage hired hands or indentured slaves. They were at the bottom of the social structure, the outcasts and nobodies. And yet, this familiar story tells us the glory of the Lord shone around them. God chose these guys! This phrase, “The glory of the Lord” is used throughout the Hebrew Bible and New Testament alike. Most often it refers to God’s presence and strength and is often associated with light. Sometimes God’s glory comes in a burning bush or a pillar of fire. Sometimes is comes streaming down from the stars above in an open field. One thing is sure, in moments of glory, God draws near. Divine presence is made known. There is an intimate connection between the glory of God and joy. Joy is deeper than the happiness of circumstance; joy pours out from a spiritual connection to Divine presence. Glory and joy go hand in hand.
On the night when Christ was born, God’s glory, God’s presence, came first to lowly shepherds. But instead of being in awe and filled with joy - the shepherds were terrified. The presence of God was shining on them - and instead of basking in the glory of the moment, their gut reaction was fear. “And they were terrified.” Now, to be fair, I’m not sure multitudes of singing angels were a usual part of their nightly routine. There probably wasn’t that much excitement taking place in the shepherd’s fields outside of Bethlehem. Of course they were afraid. Their fear shouldn’t surprise us, especially when we begin to consider our own responses to moments of joy.
How often do we have a split second response of fear in moments when we are overwhelmed by God’s presence, moments of joy? Can you think of a time that you experienced a moment of pure joy, only to be filled with dread? There are lots of catch phrases for this: waiting for the other shoe to drop, expecting the worst, not wanting to tempt fate. If things go too good, we seem to look over our shoulder, waiting for the bad news or disappointment that is sure to follow. Or, instead of sinking into a moment of joy, we are overcome with thoughts like: Who am I to be happy? How can I let myself feel joy when other people are suffering? How can I be joyful when a loved-one is not here to share the joy with me?
Research has actually shown this to be true. Dr. Brene Brown, a social worker and research professor who studies fear, shame and vulnerability, spent several years conducting research on feelings of fear in vulnerability. To her surprise, she found that fear was often connected to times of joy. When she asked people about the times in their lives that they experienced the most fear or vulnerability - their answers were similar: the birth of a baby, watching children while they sleep, falling in love, being promoted, getting engaged, realizing how good they had it. These experiences of joy are actually the moments people often feel most vulnerable and afraid.
I can relate…..walking down the aisle on my wedding day, taking my babies home from the hospital, watching my daughter drive away after getting her drivers’ license, even getting on an airplane to travel overseas. In each of these instances, joy was accompanied by fear. Instead of letting myself lean into joy - I push it aside because I, too, am terrified. And it’s not just fear; other things creep in to try to steal our joy, too. I’ve heard it said that comparison is the thief of joy - I would agee. When we spend our energy comparing ourselves to others, joy evaporates. When spend our energy being stressed, worried, anxious, overwhelmed, or trying to meet unrealistic expectations - joy hard to hold onto - because we are not trusting in Divine presence.
Yet, the angel spoke words of good news of great joy to the terrified shepherds. “To you is born this day a savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” Born to you, lowly shepherds. Born to you, people of Tulsa. And born to you, all people of the world. Why is this good news? Why is this joyful news? The news is filled with the promise that God’s presence comes to earth so that we will never be alone. Jesus comes to reveal the love and grace of God to us on earth. The Holy Spirit comes to fill us with Divine presence and peace. In our most vulnerable, fearful moments - God is with us. In our most joyful, wonder-filled moments - God is with us. That is good news of great joy to bask in.
It is good news - and our response can be nothing less than praise and gratitude. Filled with joy, praise was the response of the angels. The angels sang of God’s glory, “Glory to God in the highest!” And the shepherds - after they calmed down a bit and saw the baby lying in the manger - they returned home, glorifying and praising God. Their joy led to praise and thanksgiving. Brene Brown’s research found a deep connection between joy and gratitude as well. Those people who said they experienced the most joy in their lives, were the people who engaged in intentional gratitude practices - they kept a gratitude journal, they talked about what they were grateful for each evening around the dinner table, they went to church with the intent of giving thanks and praise to God. She says, “The shudder of vulnerability that accompanies joy is an invitation to practice gratitude, to acknowledge how truly grateful we are for the person, the beauty, the connection or simply the moment before us.” Gratitude is the root of joy. We dispel fear by practicing gratitude.
Glory streams all around us everyday, bringing us moments of joy. The presence and strength of God shows up in simple and ordinary ways. We can be too focused on expecting or searching for joy in the extraordinary and we can miss it. But, joy radiates from the ordinary. We just have to slow down long enough to recognize it and be grateful.
You see, the world needs people - a church - not afraid but in search of joy and wonder. People who seek out beauty, who laugh with delight. The world needs people who stand in awe of our awesome God and who are filled with gratitude to our wonder-worker God. The glory that streams around us, it can stream through us, too.
As Christmas draws near, I invite you to open your eyes to the glory streaming down all around you. Open your heart to joy. Give thanks for all of the ways that God’s presence is made known to you. Don’t take those moments for granted - celebrate and give thanks. And may this practice help you experience Christmas through childlike eyes of wonder, bringing you simple Christmas joy.
