Do you remember the greatest Christmas gift you ever received? While it is difficult for me to pinpoint one specific Christmas gift that stood above all other Christmas gifts, I can think of a few that stand out. As a child, I remember having the original Nintendo video game system (NES), on which we played Tetris and the original Super Mario Brothers. Don’t misunderstand me–these were great games. However, one Christmas, my brother-in-law gifted me and my other siblings a Super Nintendo (SNES), which gave access to many more, newer games and, to my mother’s chagrin, provided me countless hours of joy as I helped the plumber from Brooklyn liberate new worlds.
More recently, shortly before my now wife and I began dating, my then friend Amy gifted me a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a theologian that until then I had not heard of. But in reading the story of the pastor, spy, and martyr, Bonhoeffer quickly became a hero of mine. Reading his story of disobedience under Nazi Germany caused me to rejoice for the pastor’s ministry, despite his martyrdom at Flossenbürg just days before the concentration camp was liberated by the Allies.
In the previous two weeks of Advent, we have looked briefly at passages discussing Hope and Peace and how they relate to the first and second comings of our Lord. Now, as we near the end of the third week of Advent, we reflect on the lighting of the third candle, the candle of Joy.
I’ve heard the difference between “happiness” and “joy” described like this: “Happiness” is a gladness that is a result of circumstances, while “joy” is a gladness that is independent of circumstances. Thus, many motivational speakers would encourage us to focus on joy, a permanent gladness from within, over happiness, a temporary gladness that derives from good circumstances.
However, this is easier said than done. When fortune changes like the moon, our happiness fades, and we tell ourselves to be joyful, the feeling of joy may not always come. We might command ourselves again and again to rejoice, but we may just end up gaslighting ourselves.
It is true that the word “happy” comes from “hap,” as in, “happenstance.” Thus, happiness is a feeling of gladness that derives from good fortune or chance; should our happenstances be different, our happiness may fade. But despite what many motivational speakers might tell us, “joy” is not altogether independent of circumstances. In fact, the word has long meant not only a feeling of gladness or delight, but the source of such gladness or delight. This means that our joy may be found in something external to ourselves, like chance or good fortune. In fact, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word “rejoice” originally meant "to own (goods, property), possess, enjoy the possession of, have the fruition of.”
So, in Middle English at least, “rejoicing” was not merely an inward emotion that had nothing to do with one’s circumstances. Rather, it was directly tied to, or even identical to, something we had or possessed.
This is true in the biblical languages as well–in fact, it is very obvious in the Greek of the New Testament: the words charis (“grace,” undeserved kindness) and charisma (“gift”) are closely related to the words chairo (“to rejoice”) and chara (“joy, source of joy”). Interestingly, all the words carry with them the idea of “extending.” This means that, in the New Testament, “joy” is not something we muster up against our will or gaslight ourselves into having. Rather, it is something extended, given to us from without. Joy, then, is a gift, like something unwrapped on Christmas morning that causes intense happiness.
This is true of the Greek word for “happy” as well. Makarios, the word often translated as “blessed” or “happy” depending on translation, also comes from a word meaning “to extend,” the idea being that a blessing is something extended to us by another. I wonder if this made Jesus’ statement, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” all the more shocking to his hearers.
But, if joy is found in an object external to ourselves, how can the Bible command us repeatedly to rejoice, even to “rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16)? Paul’s command in Philippians 4:4 might give us a clue:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Remember that joy, in both English and Greek, is not merely the feeling of delight: rather, it is also the source of such delight. So, when Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord,” what he might be saying is, “Let the Lord be your joy.”
Only since the first advent of Jesus can it truly be said to all God’s people that the Lord can always be our joy. Under the Old Covenant, the presence of God was often fleeting: God’s Spirit left those who, like Saul, lost His favor; His glory, once present in Solomon’s Temple, left Jerusalem in the face of Judah’s rampant idolatry (Ezekiel 10); and, after the death of the prophet Malachi, God’s voice would not be heard publicly for hundreds of years–that is, until an angel announced to trembling shepherds outside Bethlehem, “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11).
The presence of Christ would cause joy to all who welcomed Him. After His death, resurrection, and ascension, the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost would ensure that, for all God’s people, God’s presence would no longer come and go based on our performance. Unlike a wage, paid to us for the work we dutifully perform, God’s presence is a gift which a loving father freely gives to his oft disobedient children on Christmas Day. His grace, His undeserved kindness, is extended to all who welcome Him. This is why the hymnwriter John Mason Neale could boldly proclaim, “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!” Joy is with us because God is with us, and thus, we are liberated from our bondage to sin.
So, while our circumstances may change, and our feelings of joy may come and go, our true joy, Jesus Christ, is ever present in the Person of the Holy Spirit who lives inside all who believe in Him. We may not always be happy: but, joy (chara)–the gift (charisma) of God’s grace (charis)–will always be with us, even when we don’t feel it.
Bonhoeffer, the Confessing Church martyr, puts it like this in his devotional, God is in the Manger:
“Joy to the world!” Anyone for whom this sound is foreign, or who hears in it nothing but weak enthusiasm, has not yet really heard the gospel. For the sake of humankind, Jesus Christ became a human being in a stable in Bethlehem: Rejoice, O Christendom! For sinners, Jesus Christ became a companion of tax collectors and prostitutes: Rejoice, O Christendom! For the condemned, Jesus Christ was condemned to the cross on Golgotha: Rejoice, O Christendom! For all of us, Jesus Christ was resurrected to life: Rejoice, O Christendom! All over the world today people are asking: Where is the path to joy? The church of Christ answers loudly: Jesus is our joy! Joy to the world!
So, as we reflect on the candles of Hope, Peace, and Joy and anticipate the lighting of the cancel of Love, I pray over you the words of Saint Paul, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
For my younger self, holidays were often Star Wars themed, as Star Wars was my favorite movie series. I would decorate the tree with Star Wars ornaments, retire to my bedroom after unwrapping presents to begin my newest Star Wars novel, and a few days later I would time my viewing of A New Hope so that I could ring in the new year with the explosion of the Death Star. While it may seem strange, Star Wars has become a holiday tradition for many Americans, especially since Disney purchased Lucasfilm and began releasing new movies in late December rather than in May, which was once customary.
While as a child and teenager, I loved Star Wars and knew its lore in depth, I confess I know much less about its older brother, Star Trek. It is probably no exaggeration to say that I can count the number of things I know about Star Trek on one hand, even if that hand were performing the Vulcan salute.
The Vulcan salute, one of the few things I do know, is a gesture in which the hand is held up, palm out with the thumb extended and the four fingers parted in the middle, so that your hand makes three points: one created by the thumb, another by the index and middle fingers, and another by the ring and pinky fingers. It is usually accompanied by the benediction, “Live long and prosper,” often followed by the reply, “Peace and long life.”
While Vulcans and their accompanying salute are original to Star Trek, the gesture is not. In fact, Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in the original television series, took inspiration from the priests at his local synagogue, who made the gesture when they recited the priestly blessing from Numbers 6:
“May the Lord bless you
and keep you;
May the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
May the Lord turn his face toward you,
and give you peace” (vv. 24-26).
Why, though, would Jewish priests perform the Vulcan salute? The priests made the hand gesture because it resembles the sacred Hebrew letter shin. While it looks more like the English letter “W,” shin makes the “sh” sound, and is the first letter of many important Hebrew words, including Shaddai (“Almighty”), a sacred name for God; Shema (“Hear”), Judaism’s most sacred law (Deuteronomy 6:4); and shalom (“peace”), a Hebrew benediction and the last word of the priestly blessing.
However, as is so common when translating to English from any Eastern language, “peace” is an imperfect translation. The Hebrew word shalom means much more than nonviolence, which we might consider the default position for any party not at war. While this is a necessary condition, shalom implies also a presence of completeness, good health, and all-around favorable conditions. It might be fair to say that shalom comprises all the elements of the Vulcan benediction: peace, prosperity, and long life.
The prospect and theory of war are so often part and parcel of our culture: We speak of culture wars and cola wars, and our favorite games are often those that bring us into conflict with one another. Indeed, Star Wars sounds far more interesting than Star Peace. But why are we so fascinated with war? Perhaps, and I speculate, it is because we recognize, even if only subconsciously, that we are always at war. Paul tells us that the natural mind–that is, the one that is under the control of the flesh rather than of the Spirit of God–is hostile to its creator (Romans 8:7; cf. 5:10). So, humans, by their very nature, are at war with God: War, not peace, is our default.
War with God should be a terrifying concept to anyone who considers it. We are hopelessly outmatched, even more so than the Rebel Alliance battling the Galactic Empire. A war with God is one that humans could never hope to win.
But, if we are at war with God, is God therefore at war with us? To any God-worshiper living under Emperor Augustus in the nascent Roman Empire, it would not be unreasonable to believe so. A thousand years prior, God was clearly on Israel’s side: Faithful and just kings like David and Solomon sat on the throne; Israel was wealthy, it had few enemies, and its borders were at the largest they had ever been. But, successive kings became more and more unfaithful; the once united kingdom became divided and its people repeatedly spurned God’s prophets until the pagan empire of Babylon sacked the Holy City of Jerusalem and destroyed its Temple. While the Temple would be rebuilt seventy years later, Israel would never again enjoy the glory it once had, becoming instead a colony of pagan, polytheistic empires like Greece and Rome, who regularly stripped faithful monotheists of their autonomy and suppressed their religious practices. The average God-fearing individual could only guess how God felt about them, as Israel had not heard from God in centuries, since its last prophet Malachi died four hundred years earlier. It seemed that God had, at the very least, abandoned Israel, or even declared war on them.
That is, until, one night in the town of Bethlehem, God broke through the silence and announced heaven’s stance toward Mankind. To a group of trembling shepherds, a host of angels declared: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14 NKJV). Despite centuries of rebellion against God, followed by centuries of silence from heaven and oppression by foreign powers, the message from the angels was clear: God desires not war with Mankind, but peace. But this is not merely a “lack-of-violence” peace in which heaven agrees not to take up arms, but rather, a loving relationship of goodwill: shalom. God desires peace, prosperity, and long life for his creation which had for so long been declaring war on him and on each other.
To accomplish this, God sent his shalom into the world in the person of his Son. He would grant peace with God to those once at war, spiritual prosperity to the poor in spirit, and eternal life to those once dead in sin. Jesus would not only declare and ensure this shalom from heaven, but he would also teach his followers how to have it with one another. As the carol goes, “Truly he taught us to love one another; his law is love and his gospel is peace.”
What, then, is our response to heaven’s peace proposal? Our response, first, is to accept it. While the natural man is at war with God (Romans 8:7), the man that is governed by the Spirit is at peace with God. Paul tells us, “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). Ending our rebellion and believing in the Son of God grants us peace with God and with heaven.
Secondarily, our response is to live as Jesus lived, and so to extend the Spirit of Peace to others. When we declared war with God, a war that we could not possibly win, God’s response to us was, not to defeat us, but to offer peace. Our duty, then, is to bring peace to those who declare war against us, even when we cannot possibly lose. Paul gives these instructions to his readers in Romans 12: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (vv. 14-18).
Our command, our duty, and our joy as Christians, governed by the Spirit of God, is to live in peace and harmony with one another, to humble ourselves, and to do right to everyone. There is perhaps no better way to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace than to lay down our arms against those who have wronged us and, rather than cursing them, to bless them, as God did for us.
How, specifically, we are to bless our enemies, Paul does not say. But, it is probably safe to pray over them what the priests of Israel have prayed for three thousand years or more:
“May the Lord bless you
and keep you;
May the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
May the Lord turn his face toward you,
and give you peace.”
But, if that is too much to remember, you might just raise your hand, part your fingers, and say, “Live long and prosper.”
May God grant peace, prosperity, long life, and good health to you and yours this Advent season. I hope to see you in church on Sunday, and I look forward to celebrating Christmas Eve with you. Please invite your friends, your family, your neighbors, and even your enemies to one of our two services at 10AM or 6PM!
In Christ,
Pastor Larry
Hello FCC family!
I hope you all enjoyed our Hanging of the Greens service this past Sunday and the potluck thereafter. If you weren’t there, please know that you were missed and that we look forward to seeing you soon.
Our Hanging of the Greens service introduced us to the season of Advent. Advent is a time when we remember the nativity of Christ our Savior at his first coming, and look forward to his return at the Second Coming. Traditionally, there are four themes to the four weeks of Advent: Hope, peace, love, and joy. As we plan our vacations and family get-togethers, hurry to complete our Christmas shopping, and fight holiday traffic, I would love if we could take some time each week to ponder the meaning of Advent and the significance of these four themes, beginning with hope.
One of my favorite Christmastime movies is Chris Columbus’ 1990 classic, Home Alone. Who among us hasn’t forgotten something, perhaps something very important, in a mad dash out of the house? What child hasn’t imagined how he might resourcefully defend his home during a burglary, a war, or a zombie apocalypse? What parent wouldn’t sacrifice anything and everything to get home to their child for Christmas? And what grinch’s heart fails to grow three sizes when, at the end of the movie, Old Man Marley reconciles with his estranged son and granddaughter?
In one scene during the movie, Kate McCallister argues with an airport employee as she tries to secure a flight to Chicago, where her son Kevin is home alone. In the background, an extra in a sports jacket patiently waits his turn in line as Gus, played by John Candy, listens on empathetically. This extra would hardly be worth noting, if he did not bear a slight resemblance to the late Elvis Presley. Following the death of Elvis thirteen years prior, several people reported seeing Elvis alive. Numerous conspiracy theories arose that the King of Rock & Roll had not really died. And now, here in the background of a now beloved Christmas movie alongside Gus, coincidentally (or maybe not?) nicknamed the King of Polka, was a man who bore a suspicious resemblance to the celebrity.
Of course, all this comes to naught, as the extra in question was one Gary Richard Grott. But while Elvis Presley’s body is interred next to that of his mother Gladys at Memphis’ Forest Hill Cemetery, and while many of the lookalikes have been identified as just that, theories continue to abound. Many hold on to the hope, however slim, that Elvis is still alive.
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines “hope” as, “to cherish a desire with anticipation; to want something to happen or be true.” Intrinsic to “hope” is desire; but confidence may or may not be present. A person may hope that Elvis is alive, even if they believe confidently that he is not.
The Greek word translated in the New Testament as “hope,” however, is somewhat different. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance defines the Greek word elpis as “a confident expectation.” While the English “hope” conveys a desire that may go against every expectation, the New Testament’s elpis conveys a strong expectation that the thing hoped for will occur. With this in mind, let us turn to the eighth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, where the apostle writes,
“The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope (elpis) that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time” (Romans 8:19-22).
The whole of God’s good creation–you, me, our friends and family, our pets, our environment, our nations, and everything else we know and love on this earth–was subjected to “futility”--that is, “hopelessness”--when our first ancestors, Adam and Eve, chose to disobey God and wilfully sin. This hopelessness only increases when we, their heirs with the proclivity to follow in their footsteps, do the same. This is the root cause of all the pain that we witness and experience, and as a result, all of creation cries out with groaning, as a woman in the midst of giving birth. But, unlike a woman in labor, the creation seems to have nothing to look forward to. Instead, it is subject to bondage and decay. Everything is futile–all hope is lost.
That is, all hope was lost. But something happened two thousand years ago that changed all that: the First Advent. The incarnation, ministry, atoning death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, our true and only hope, restored what had been lost. Jesus came to earth to love, to identify with, and to ransom the children of God. Paul continues,
“Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope (elpis) we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently” (8:23-25).
Because of his work from the moment he was conceived in the womb of Mary until today, we now have the elpis—the confident expectation—that all this groaning will one day cease when the Lord of Glory returns to finish what he started, redeeming all things to himself and identifying those who trust in him as the true children of God.
In the meantime, however, we wait in this season between the First and Second Advents. But, this season of waiting is no longer futile, no longer hopeless. Instead, we can look forward with a confident expectation to our adoption as God’s children, the redemption of our bodies, and our final salvation, that will cause all of the current birth pangs and seeming futility of our present world to be forgotten, or even better, to be worked for our good (8:28). Paul reminds us, “our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us” (8:18).
So, while the world around us continues to groan, we can wait patiently, as Gary Richard Grott waited patiently for his turn in line behind a distressed mother. Certainly, anyone in Gary’s situation would be expected to be agitated or impatient; however, Gary waited patiently, with a confident expectation that when Kate McCallister’s groaning was over, his turn in line would come. A woman in labor, though she suffers in the present, joyfully endures her trials, because she has a confident expectation that when the trials are over, she will be united with the one that she has loved and longed to see for so long. And because of the incarnation, we can have that same expectation.
Advent is a season of hope. While we were once home alone, helpless on this earth, suffering in futility, Advent is the story of a God who sacrificed everything to be with his children for Christmas. Because of this story, we have hope. Because while Elvis, the King of Rock & Roll, is dead, our elpis, the King of Kings, lives.
I hope (though not necessarily with a confident expectation!) that you find this short devotional edifying, and that you feel free to share it with others. I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday and connecting with you next week about the theme of peace. In case you have forgotten or you haven’t heard, we will be having two services on Christmas Eve: One at 10AM, and a candlelight service at 6PM. Please invite your friends, family, neighbors, and everyone you can!
Blessings,
Pastor Larry
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