Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. —Psalm 126:5
Joy, in order to be real, requires a counterweight. It must stand in contrast to something hopeless. And the joy of Christmas does exactly that. It shines against a backdrop of banishment. Our sins had alienated us from God, leaving us no reason to expect rescue. We were alone and left for dead.
True joy depends on remembering that misery, acknowledging that sin is a separator. It once separated us from God—and can separate us from experiencing Him fully. Only when we face that reality can we understand the joy of the gospel.
Because joy doesn’t only come “in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Joy comes also from our mourning, from the awareness that our sin has never been and will never become excusable or harmless.
We must stay awakened to sin’s gravity even as we open our arms to its remedy. Real joy—Christmas joy—is knowing He’s able to comfort all who mourn, “to give [us] a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair” (Isa. 61:3).
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Born a Child and Yet a King: The Gospel in the Carols
©2020 Revived Hearts Foundation
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
What would be different about the joy emanating from us if it grew out of the full recognition of our sin and forgiveness?