The Absence

 Joy is not necessarily the absence of suffering. It is the presence of God. (Sam Storms)

Matthew 2:1-2, 4-6, 9-11, Easy-to-Read Version

 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. After Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. ² They asked people, “Where is the child who has been born to be the king of the Jews? We saw the star that shows he was born. We saw it rise in the sky in the east and have come to worship him.” ⁴ Herod called a meeting of all the leading Jewish priests and teachers of the law. He asked them where the Messiah would be born. ⁵ They answered, “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea, just as the prophet wrote:

⁶ ‘Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are important among the rulers of Judah. Yes, a ruler will come from you, and that ruler will lead Israel, my people.’” ⁹ After the wise men heard the king, they left. They saw the same star they had seen in the east, and they followed it. The star went before them until it stopped above the place where the child was. ¹⁰ They were very happy and excited to see the star. ¹¹ The wise men came to the house where the child was with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened the boxes of gifts they had brought for him. They gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

For many, the darkness of the year 2020 has been a time of dried up, dessert-like loss in the midst of a weary pandemic.  How can your heavenly Father provide joy in this chaos?

1.   Seek for joy in the right place-(See Matthew 2:1-2) It is easy to look for joy in the wrong places. The wise men were not finding joy in their own self-fulfillment, but in finding Jesus. Their question was centered on discovering the newborn King. Christmas is when Jesus visibly entered the Earth as a fallible human.

 

2.     Find joy thru the enlightenment of scripture-(See Matthew 2:4-6) Scripture helps us to meet God through Jesus. The Old Testament points us toward Christ. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are the smallest town in Judah. Your family is almost too small to count, but the “Ruler of Israel” will come from you to rule for me. His beginnings are from ancient times from long, long ago. (Micah 5:2, Easy-to-Read Version) Our star to Jesus (of the gospels) is scripture. You carefully study the scriptures because you think that they give you eternal life. Those are the same Scriptures that tell about Me. (John 5:39, International Children’s Bible)

 

3.   Discover joy when you worship with total abandonment-(See Matthew 2:9-11) Manufactured joy can elude you as it does not come external circumstances (and objects), but internally from the Savior. True worship to Jesus is not a passive activity (as you give all you are and will ever be to Him).

The Hymn, “I Surrender All”

	All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live.   Chorus
	I surrender all,  I surrender all. All to Thee, my blessed Savior,   I surrender all.
	All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken; Take me, Jesus, take me now.   Chorus
	All to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Savior, wholly Thine; Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine.   Chorus
	All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee; Fill me with Thy love and power, Let Thy blessing fall on me.   Chorus
	All to Jesus I surrender, Now I feel the sacred flame. Oh, the joy of full salvation. Glory, glory to His name.   Chorus[i]

The formula for true JOY=Jesus first, others second, and yourself last.

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[i] Inspired by the sermon “Stuff with Joy: Stocking Stuffers,” (installment five, final) Thursday December 24, 2020, Pastor Dave Jansen (CPG).  All CenterPoint churches have returned to an online format because of the increase in COVID-19 cases in central Ohio. Services can be viewed at facebook.com/centerpointchurches or centerpointchurches.com/live.