12/14/2025
In the secular world its the Christmas season and with it comes “joy to the world.” Its supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. And it feels like a command that need to spread holiday cheer, happiness, and merriment.
And the thing is, this whole month can be rough for people. People experiencing loss, remembering loss, or fear of loss. People that are struggling financially, only to made to feel worse when they cannot give expensive gifts to tangibly express their love to those close to them. Those just struggling with depression overall are made to feel worse for not being happy.
For Christians it can be worse, feeling that we are obligated to outwardly express our happiness and excitement at the birth of Jesus. Especially on days like today, when we light the candle of joy. In many ways this time for preparation can feel make us feel like we have to put on a happy face. Especially since we know, Christmas Eve service is when we will have the most visitors, people we haven’t seen in person perhaps since last Christmas Eve service.
We want to be hospitable, welcoming, and spread that Christmas cheer…even when we may want to collapse and hide inward to safety, where we can be our dour blue selves.
Its very much like the episode from the old cartoon ‘Ren and Stimpy’ called “Happy Helmet.” Ren was angry all the time, so Stimpy invents a helmet to FORCE Ren to be happy. The helmet makes him smile and do acts of kindness regardless of how Ren truly feels. And its painful.
Eventually Ren is forced to sing a song called “happy happy joy joy” with Stimpy. With the lyrics being just that, happy happy joy joy…until its clear the singer has snapped up and is currently going on a violent rampage. Ren snaps too, grabbing a hammer and violently smashing the helmet off his head.
Its then that he realized that he felt better being his angry self rather than the fake forced happiness thrust upon him.
And that’s often how people feel at Christmas, if we put on this happy helmet it’ll force us to be happy and kind. But all that does is suppress our actual feelings, making us feel worse than if we embraced how we are feeling.
But that’s not the kind of joy we as Christians are to have. First off joy isn’t an emotion. Its not a feeling we have and can control. Its something that God gives us. And God doesn’t give us joy like strapping a happy helmet on our head. Joy in the Bible is the delight at the certainty of God’s promises to be fulfilled.
That is why this Joy Sunday we have the reading from Luke 1:46-55:
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Here we see Mary singing a song of joy. Its not a forced deranged song like ‘Happy Happy Joy Joy’ it’s a song of delight of what God has done, is doing, and will do. In light of the truth, that Jesus the savior of the world is to be born, Mary can only be filled with joy.
Its notable in Mary’s song she’s singing in the Aorist tense, which is the past tense. Christ isn’t born yet but Mary is certain that God will give the world a great reversal, the powerful have been brought low and the low have been lifted up. The hungry have been filled with good things and the rich has been sent away empty.
And most importantly, God has helped Israel’s descendants by keeping his promises made to Abraham that are fulfilled in Christ. The world is blessed through Jesus Christ.
Mary is filled with joy with the absolute certainty of what God will do. Salvation will come through Christ. And that is the joy we too have in Christ Jesus. It’s the joy that remember in Advent.
Jesus Christ, crucified and risen is Lord. Jesus Christ defeated death with his death. And is raised to raise us to new life with him. The joy that overflows at the thought that we are forgiven through the sheer mercy and love of God.
Mary is filled with joy, she’s even filled with joy when she learns from Simeon in Luke 2:34-35, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” The joy of the promise isn’t a happy happy joy joy time for Mary. Its going to be painful. She will watch her son be rejected, brutally abused, and killed. She will suffer a deep, painful, piercing sorrow. But that will never take away the joy given to her by the risen Lord.
Our response to this joy might follow Mary. We can embrace the joy that what God promised will come true. We can be certain of this truth. Even while we experience our own deep sorrows and pain we can be joyful as we trust God’s promises. `
And we can have joy in the expectant waiting.
C.S. Lewis wrote in his book, Surprised by Joy, “All joy reminds. It is never a possession, always a desire for something longer ago or further away or still about to be.”
That is the kind of joy with have in Advent. This longing for what God has done, is doing, and will do in the future. It’s a delight that cannot be forced upon us or taken from us no matter the circumstances of our lives. No matter the pain and sorrows we face in the world God graciously gives us joy.
If you feel like you’ve been forced to put on a happy helmet to sing ‘happy happy joy joy’ then smash it off your head. Feel whatever emotions you have this advent and Christmas. Feelings are neither morally good or evil. They’re normal God-given human expressions to experience in the world.
Instead embrace the joy found solely in Christ Jesus. The present the world was given that first Christmas morning.
Rejoice, a child is born to us. Emmanuel, God with us. Rejoice, He is RISEN. Rejoice, we will be risen and dwell with God forevermore.
Amen.
