As we approach Christmas with a heightened sense of anticipation and excitement (just one week to go!), our thoughts turn to our final Advent theme: ‘joy’.

Joy bubbles up throughout the whole Christmas story. From Mary’s song of praise in Luke 1: 46- 55 (‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour’) to Zechariah’s song (Luke 1:67-79) (‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them’) to the angels’ message of ‘good news that will cause great joy for all the people’ (Luke 2:10), joy is the recurrent tone of the Christmas message. To be sure, there is sorrow and heartache too in this story (the childlessness of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the prophetic message of Simeon that ‘a sword will pierce your own soul too’ (Luke 2:35) as he looked ahead to the cross, the pain of those touched by Herod’s slaughter of the innocents, the anxiety of the young family’s flight to Egypt), but still we see joy bubbling up nonetheless.

Joy is like that. It can bubble up in the most unexpected places. Paul told the Thessalonians to ‘rejoice always’ (1 Thess 5:16) and reminded the Philippians, whilst he was imprisoned because of his faith, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!’ (Phil 4:4) One of the most amazing things about Christianity is this effervescent joy, no matter what.

Paul gives us one of the simplest and yet most profound definitions of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8: ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.’ In Jesus, we see all these characteristics of love perfectly embodied. He loved people deeply, forgave their mistakes and betrayals and gave them the hope of new life with Him. Even to the thief on the cross He offered forgiveness and the promise of eternal paradise.

Paul reminds us that without love we are nothing, no matter how great our achievements, generosity or sacrifice. (1 Cor 13:1-3) May God’s love be ‘shed abroad’ in our hearts, so that we may love others with that same love. (Rom 5:5)

John, known as the apostle of love, speaks about love frequently in both his gospel and in his letters. He shows us Jesus washing His disciples’ feet as a symbolic gesture of love. (John 13:1-17) Jesus then goes on to give us a new command based on love: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) John reflected on this greatly, writing at length about the practical outworking of love in his first letter. Love has to be shown in practical ways (‘let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.’ 1 John 3:18)

It can be easy to sentimentalise love and to think of it in romantic terms only. But just as Jesus demonstrated love in the very practical act of washing feet, our love can be demonstrated in very practical ways. As a church, we want to help those who are struggling; we want to be generous. If you can bring any gifts for adults or children to church, we will pass them on to the Salvation Army to give out to families who need gestures of love at this time to remind them that God is love.

‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ is a favourite Christmas carol of many, even though its first-verse lyrics may well reflect more about the English weather than they do of Christian truths. The last verse, however, often resonates with many as we reflect on what Jesus means to us and how we want to bring our gifts to Him.

‘What can I give him?
Poor as I am.
If I were a shepherd
I would give a lamb.
If I were a wise man
I would do my part.
But what I can I give him,
Give him my heart.’ (‘In The Bleak Midwinter’, Christina Rosetti)

Christmas is about God’s great gift to us. Jesus gives us a glimpse into God’s heart of love. John’s Gospel does not contain any of the traditional stories about the birth of Jesus, but introduces us to Jesus as ‘the Word’, the One present at the beginning, our Creator God. John goes on to explain that Jesus reveals who God the Father is to us: ‘No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.’ (John 1:18) We now know that God is love, because Jesus reveals love to us in all He does.

Mary and Joseph were not rich people. We know this because the offering they gave when they presented Jesus at the temple was the one that only the poor gave (Luke 2:21-40). Many people believe that love is measured in financial terms through the cost of the gifts given, and Christmas can easily become a time of debt and anxiety rather than a time of peace and love. In our society where credit is often available, it can be easy to spend now and worry about paying later (and indeed, that seems to be the economic philosophy of governments which is causing so much heartache nowadays.)  But love is not simply about money and gifts.

Mary and Joseph showed their love for God in this passage today, following the rules of God’s law and expressing gratitude for the miraculous gift of their son. They understood the principle that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Ps 24:1) and more specifically that ‘every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord.’ (Ex 13:2, 12) Jesus gave us a new rule of thumb when He said, ‘If you love me, keep my commands.’ (John 14:15) The best way to show God’s love is to do what He says. Love isn’t about expensive gifts; it’s about simple obedience to God.

In Luke 2:25-38 we meet two more ‘incidental’ characters in the Christmas story, Simeon and Anna. Simeon was an old man who was righteous and devout and full of the Holy Spirit. Anna was an old widow, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. Both were deeply in love with God and were waiting for His Messiah to come. Of Simeon, Luke tells us, ‘It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.’ (Luke 2:26) Of Anna, we learn ‘she never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.’ (Luke 2:37)

Their love for God was rewarded by seeing Jesus as His parents brought Him into the temple. Simeon knows the peace of God as he holds the baby in his arms and prophesies over him. (Luke 2:28-32) Anna ‘gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.’ (Luke 2:38)

We know nothing else about these two people, but their love for God shines through these verses. May our love for God shine through to our families and communities; may our words this Christmas time be all about the child who brings redemption to the world.