Wednesday, December 20, 2023
JOY TO THE WOLD!
Matt 2:1-2
2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod
the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen
his star in the east, and are come to worship
him.
Try to imagine a darkened bar room in some forlorn tavern. The room is filled with a
luminescent blue cigarette haze and the revelers are listening to “Christmas
music” from a local station. From the
ceiling speaker one can hear “Joy to the world the Lord is come. Let earth
receive her king! Let every heart prepare Him room.” The dismal patron at the
bar pays it no mind and sucks a long pull from his cigarette while
contemplating his mug of beer which has lost its frothy foam.
In a rundown living room of a tumbledown house family members sit in hushed silence as one
church after another is called asking for assistance because “we are poor folks,
and the kids won’t have Christmas without your help.” The phone is placed
gently in its cradle and the room erupts in cheering because the church has promised
fifty dollars and a bag of groceries. The room returns to silence as another
number is dialed. This will be repeated many times. In the background the
familiar Christmas song plays unheeded: “No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor
thorns infest the ground.”
Matt 4:16
16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which
sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
John 1:4-5
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended
it not.
Those who
continue to sit in
darkness while clutching a lantern are fools. The lantern is a burden to them! Only
when they light the lantern can they safely navigate the darkness.
Lord, let us not ignore the message of the
season. Our joy is in Christ and the salvation He brings. Let us be fools no
longer. AMEN
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