Dave spoke this morning from Luke 2:4-14, giving us further insight into ‘the Nativity‘, something often re-enacted in school and church plays throughout the country in December. The scene of shepherds and wise men all gathering around the baby Jesus gives us a feeling of comfort and peace, even if we have no personal knowledge of God. Nostalgia and sentiment are often associated with our memories of Christmas, but the message of good news brought by the angels goes beyond our feelings of magic and family harmony.

Christmas is important because of Christ. We may focus on other things (material gifts are great!), but all of us need more than the material; we need the warmth, love and peace which Jesus brings to us. The birth of any child is special, but the birth of Christ, prophesied for so long, heralds a new age, a new covenant. Even poor shepherds were invited by angels to welcome this child; we see wise men kneel in awe before a baby. We see Joseph, the village carpenter, a man of integrity, standing next to Mary, the woman who sang of justice and God’s grace to her.

All of us see ourselves in this Nativity scene; we feel the wonder and awe of this scene as we gaze on the power of the ordinary mixed with the miraculous. Christmas brings the gift of God to us in humble, simple ways: a baby born in Bethlehem. We come with our own gifts of love and service and find in HIm all we could ever need.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians, written from a Roman prison, exudes joy. The command to rejoice in the Lord is found twice (Phil 3:1, 4:4) and the word ‘joy’ is found five times in four chapters. It’s probably the most joyful of all Paul’s letters and reminds us that joy is not dependent on favourable circumstances or personality. Joy is made possible to all because of Jesus.

We rejoice this Christmas not simply in our gifts, food, families or friends (some people do not have these things at all.) We rejoice in the Lord. We rejoice in sins forgiven. We rejoice in reconciliation, that we are now children of God. We rejoice in God’s love, grace and mercy. We rejoice in the fact that God cared enough to send His Son to save us. We rejoice because we have hope, no matter how bleak the weather or what is going on in the world. The light has shone in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome. (John 1:5) Therefore, we rejoice.

Nehemiah 8:10 says, ‘the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ Christmas can be a stressful time for people, especially those who have been newly bereaved during the year. It’s hard to face the first Christmas without a loved one, and there are times when joy seems a totally alien emotion to us. We feel cut off from joy, like the Israelites in exile who said,

‘By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

 How can we sing the songs of the Lord
while in a foreign land?’ (Ps 137:1-4)

It’s worth remembering that Jesus is ‘a man of sorrow and familiar with pain’ (Isaiah 53:3), that He put on human flesh to walk with us in grief and sorrow. ‘Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.’ (Heb 2:18) The Christmas story is full of pain and sorrow, especially because of the Slaughter of the Innocents. (Matt 2:16-18) Mary was told by Simeon, in a prophetic word looking ahead to Easter, ‘a sword will pierce your own soul too.’ (Luke 2:35) The Bible does not tell us a rose-tinted story; this is not a fairy tale with no difficulties.

But joy can exist alongside sorrow, despite the fact they look like unlikely bedfellows. Nehemiah knew that joy can bring strength, strength when you feel weak and despairing. Even in those times, Jesus can bring joy. He sits with us in our sorrow and strengthens us until we once again know joy.

‘A friend in need is a friend indeed‘, the proverb goes, and in 1 Samuel 20, we see this in evidence, as Jonathan proves himself to be a true friend to David. Saul’s increasing hostility towards David has left him afraid and vulnerable and he turns to Jonathan in bewilderment, asking what crime he has committed to provoke such murderous intent. Jonathan is equally bewildered, believing his father’s earlier promise to spare David (1 Sam 19:6), but he proves himself to be loyal to David in warning him when his father reacts so violently to David’s absence from the royal table.

It can be hard to understand the motives and thoughts of other people, and sometimes the faithfulness and loyalty of friends are what keep us going in difficult times. Jonathan and David renew their covenant in this chapter and work together to determine the true state of affairs. They cannot control or change Saul’s behaviour (he is so irrational that he even tries to kill Jonathan in his fury), but they can reaffirm their commitment to each other. True friends are a blessing from God.

This chapter marks a change in circumstances; prior to this, David has been in close contact with both Saul and Jonathan, but now he must flee and the next chapters show him as a fugitive on the run. Parting causes them both sorrow, but they both remain committed to God and to each other, and their loyalty and friendship will be played out in the chapters to come. Covenantal love is so important. We see God making covenants with people, remaining faithful and true even when we are faithless. As His love shapes and influences us, we can truly care more for others than for ourselves and through our love and commitment can be a witness to the world of a God who never lets us go.