Saturday, December 20, 1997

Keep the joy in Christmas

By Joy Thompson / Knight-Ridder Newspapers

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

One of my favorite aspects of the Christmas holiday are the lights. Adorning trees and arranged outside homes, they tend to give the holiday its warmth and cheer. They send the message to the world that this time of the year is different. They tend to say, "Rejoice, it's Christmas."

Christmas is all around us. You can tell by the lights.

But can you see the light in people's faces? Unfortunately, that's where the brilliance of Christmas tends to be the most dim.

Typically, Christmas is the season to get stressed out. People are rushing about trying to find that special gift. They are worrying about the holiday meal. They are fearful that things may not turn out the way they planned, that the gifts will not be appreciated, that the relatives will not get along, that the party will be a dud. Ironically, people's thoughts and hearts tend to be darkened by the details of holiday cheer. And it shows on their faces.

How can we keep the joy of Christmas lighted in our hearts? By focusing on the details of the holiday the right details.

Christmas got its start centuries ago as a celebration of the birth of Jesus, God's gift to the world. None of the holiday festivities we enjoy today are recorded in the Bible. The yuletide traditions the lights, the feasting, the pageantry came about centuries later. Instead, in the beginning, it was an extremely humble yet wonderful event the birth of Jesus that lightened up the world. And that event, in all its humble simplicity, filled people with joy.

In announcing Jesus' birth to a group of shepherds in a field, the angels are recorded in Luke 2 as saying, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Spiritually speaking, it was a time of great darkness and uncertainty in the Middle East. It had been 300 years since a prophet arose and gave the people a message from God. Meanwhile, the world was under the political grip of the Roman Empire. Individual freedoms the freedom to worship and even move about from town to town were subject to the whims and moods of the latest Roman ruler. It was a dark time indeed.

Then a divine message of hope was communicated. First to an elderly woman named Elizabeth. Elizabeth would give birth to a son in her old age. He would be called John, "the voice of one calling out in the wilderness." After 300 years of silence, the people would hear the voice of a prophet.

Then a young, engaged woman named Mary received the message. She also would give birth to a son. This son would not be the offspring of Joseph, her betrothed, but of the Holy Spirit. He would be called Jesus and he would be the light of the world.

At first, the message of hope was only passed to a few. Among them, the fiance Joseph, who at first was distressed by the news; the shepherds in the field; the three wise men; a paranoid king; and the devout man Simeon, who was told that he would not die before he held Hope in his arms.

That hope thrived under the most humble of circumstances: in a small town, in a modest home, in a carpenter's shop. And after Jesus came of age, he and his disciples shared the message of hope throughout the world. That message, love and the hope of redemption, has been lighting the way for Christians every since.

It is a shame that in modern times, the light the holiday was created to honor can be hidden by the trappings and concerns of the holiday season.

In keeping with the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:14-16, it's time to put the lamp of Christmas back on the its stand. Good deeds, good cheer and good attitudes should be the priorities of the season. If you are too harried to smile in the checkout line, too pressed to show a courtesy in the parking lot, or too busy to remember the poor or some unfortunate individual, then you have missed out on the joy of Christmas. And all the fancy lights, purchases and confections in the world can't make up for a dim light within.

So keep the joy in Christmas by keeping your inner light burning bright.

(Joy Thompson is an editorial writer for the Long Beach Press-Telegram. You can write to her at 604 Pine Ave., Long Beach, Calif. 90844.)

(c) 1997, Press-Telegram (Long Beach, Calif.).

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