Christmas Family Devotional Guide

Joy – Christmas

The words ‘joy’ and ‘Christmas’ are synonymous for many people. Christmas is a joyous time of year. The bright lights, the colorful decorations, the beautifully wrapped packages, the brilliant shades of red and green, the Christmas carols, songs and stories, all the sights and sounds of Christmas ring with Joy!!

Christmas is a joyous time! Our celebration of Christmas – the birth of our Christ should be a joyous occasion. The very first Christmas was a time of joy for the angel of the Lord who told the shepherds about Christ’s birth, “…I bring you good news of great joy that will be to all people.” (Luke 2:10 NIV).

It was a joyous time for the shepherds when they found the Christ, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, …” (Luke 2:20 NIV). It was a joyful time for the Magi who visited the Christ child, “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” (Matt. 2:10 NIV).

Through the Christmas stories recorded in Matthew and Luke there is a sense of excitement, anticipation, and joy. Much like what we experience now in our celebration of Christmas.

But wait just a minute. On that first Christmas there were no Christmas trees with bright lights and colorful decorations. There were no presents and toys for all the girls and boys. There were no warm family gatherings in comfortable settings with carols being sung by all. Remember, Jesus was born in a stable where animals were fed. How did the angels, the shepherds, and the wise men have joy on that first Christmas and what can we learn from them?

They had joy at Christmas because they were more concerned about what they were giving instead of what they were getting.

The angels gave their praise to Christ as they told of His birth.
The shepherds gave their presence to Christ as they visited Him at the stable.
The wise men gave their possessions to Christ as they placed their gifts before Him.
To have real joy at Christmas you must answer the question, “What are you going to give Christ this Christmas?

That may be a tough question to answer. After all isn’t He the One who truly has everything. Yes, that is right, Christ has everything and doesn’t need anything from us. What He wants from us is us.

Christian Rossetti said it well in her poem,
“What shall I give Him poor as I am,
If I were a shepherd I would give Him a lamb.
If I were a wise man I would do my part.
What shall I give Him, I’ll give Him my heart.”

That is what Christ wants from us in our hearts. And when we give Him our hearts we will have the true joy of Christmas. Then we can join the song writer in singing, “Joy to the world the Lord has come!!”