Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
If I am being completely honest, and I most always am- I don't know why I say that, but it's one of my favorite phrases.....if I'm being completely honest. It is a most handy precursor, that I use to give myself permission to reveal most anything. People ( I ), use it like bait in hopes the listener will then interrupt with "No please Sara! Be completely honest!......Tell us how you really feel." And, I readily admit this, but, since most of what I reveal is only telling on myself, being open about what the Lord is showing me, convicting me of........using to humble and prune me, I'll keep sharing until the Lord spares me the lesson. But, I digress.
If I'm being completely honest, I've had a bit of trouble getting Christmasy this year. I've been in a bit of a fog lately, discouraged about what I see, about what I sense in my spirit is happening around me, around us.
If I am being completely honest, it is easier for me to get down, than up. There is life, stress, kids, church, finances.......... shut downs, lock downs, roll outs and gridlock........ shootings, storms, hunger, need and suffering. The world has produced a thousand things, any one of which is capable of consuming us with worry, anger, sorrow and grief. It seems like this year more than ever, there is less to be ecstatic about and more to be heartbroken about.
So you can see why I might have struggled to come up with an appropriate message to get people in the mood for Christmas, and not just in the mood, but genuinely get their hearts ready for the most joyous and blessed season of all. I spent weeks praying about it, trying to come up with something light and funny, or at least clever. I considered taking a Christmas carol and using that as my theme or a holiday movie and making it the basis of a devotional.......... but, the more I prayed, the more I felt the Lord repeating to me "Have yourself a merry little Christmas." I kept going to the song and reading the lyrics and every time I did, I found them uninspiring........."from now on our troubles will be out of sight"...... Ha!! ......"hang a shining star upon the highest bough......" Nothing. Nada. No hidden nuggets of wisdom or previously skimmed over meaning, that now came to life. "Merry Little Christmas" is no "O come, O come Emmanuel," if you get my drift. Surely not, Lord.This can't be the message of encouragement I'm looking for? But, there it was again,
"Have yourself a merry little Christmas, NOW." I knew I was supposed to camp here, but wasn't sure why, so I took it to Scripture and started researching what it meant to be "merry."
Did you know "merry" is in the Bible 38 times? Old Testament and New Testament, in Hebrew and Greek.......Merry, merry, merry.....all over the place. I read every occurrence and every variation, but the one that jumped out at me was James 5:13 - "Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any among you merry? Let him sing psalms." Other translations use happy, rejoicing and of good cheer, but merry is the intended word from the Greek.
The word "merry" in this verse is the Greek word euthumeo, which is a compound of the Greek words eu and thumos. The word eu describes a good feeling, and it is where we get the word euphoric. It pictures a person who is absolutely elated, thrilled or ecstatic about something. The word thumos is the idea of swelling emotions or a strong and growing passion about something. When these two are joined together to form euthumeo, the new word expresses the idea of a person who is just about to explode with joy! A person who is so excited they can hardly contain themselves, so overwhelmed with joy it floods uncontrollably, out of them!
Great. Fantastic, in fact. This didn't encourage me at all, in fact I was more discouraged than ever and now feeling totally convicted, to top it off! I didn't feel "merry" at all and I certainly didn't feel merry about Christmas! Whatever the opposite of merry is, that's how I am feeling! I'm feeling so anti-merry, so consumed with fear, sadness and discouragement that a black hole-like implosion, that actually drains the merry out of the atmosphere............ is the more likely outcome right now.
Merry is not a nation in peril, dangerously close to being handed over to itself. Merry is not families with no jobs and no money during the holidays, merry is not nations at war and merry is definitely not 20 precious children ripped from the earth in the cruelest, most appalling violence. What could we possibly have to be merry about now? It almost seems inappropriate to rejoice during times like these........... and yet, this is exactly the time to rejoice. As it was then and so it is, again.
The greatest, Good News- the entire reason for Merry Christmas- came in darkness just like this. Think about it, Mary and Joseph on the way to Bethlehem for a census.......and why a census? Taxes. And why taxes? Oppression. Merry Christmas came under the rule of Herod, the cruelest and most wicked ruler of the time. Herod was so evil that God sent angels twice, once to the wise men and once to Joseph, warning to stay away from Herod. It was Herod who ordered the murder of baby boys under two, hoping the Messiah would be included.
If ever there was an inappropriate time for rejoicing, it was then. A world so shrouded in darkness; you were much safer, anonymous, silent and in the shadows, then speaking "Messiah" on the streets. This was no time for heavenly hosts; or fixed and radiant stars, that pierce the night sky. And, yet God sent forth His light into darkness then............. just as He does now. Just as we are incapable of readying ourselves for redemption, cleansing ourselves of sin- the world was incapable of bettering itself for the good news of the Savior's birth. You'd think that society, the world................ mankind.......would have gotten it's act together a bit better as they waited for the Messiah, after all they had hundreds of years, to just "be ready"- Right? But noooooo! That's not how it works, is it? His ways are higher than our ways, His timing is not our timing, is it? Love came gently, quietly and innocently as a baby......into a world that had grown tired of waiting, a world that had lost it's way, it's hope, it's beauty and innocence, long ago- a world much like ours is today. Christ came as light into the world, but the world which He illuminated only seemed more filthy and disappointing in His radiant reflection. But, God works in darkness, doesn't He? If you've been redeemed, you know it's true. The most magnificent backdrop for the Light of the World to marvel and astound us, is darkness, total and consuming darkness.
A Light from on high will dawn upon us…to shine upon and give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct and guide our feet…into the way of peace.
—Luke 1:78–79
God chose that time, that season, to send His one and only Son to earth- to begin His journey as both Savior and Sacrifice, for us. God gave us "good tidings of great joy" when the world was most desperate and undeserving. And, God chooses this time, this season to remind us of that- to remind us that the Good News is STILL GOOD. Lord Jesus, in a world so full of pain and so desperate for You, remind us that even if all really was lost, the gift of Your Son is reason enough for endless rejoicing! O God, even if we have nothing else to boast of, let us burst with unspeakable and overflowing joy, for unto US a child- a Savior, was born! Let us be Merry at Christmas and for Christmas!
And, what should we do if we are merry? Sing psalms. Not songs, psalms. Two different things. "Sing psalms" comes from the Greek word psallo, which has several meanings. First, to pluck, as to pluck the strings of a harp or bow. Then later, it meant to play, as a musician would play an instrument, a heartfelt expression. But, by the time of the New Testament, it pictured a person who sings and becomes a hymn or some other special heartfelt expression of music. I know that seems like all the same thing, but it's not. It is a difference of degrees. Here is how I understand it, when I am merry, I should: sing songs, but sometimes I need to do more- I need to use my gifts and resources, my instruments, to create a song that glorifies my King. But, there are times when my heart is empty of songs and I am no longer the musician, but the instrument. I have nothing, and yet, God "plays" the strings of my own heart to create His song, in me.......through me.
And, that is the place the Lord has found me now. I have nothing to offer, no song worth singing- my heart is simply to heavy to be merry. But, the Lord soothes and comforts me, reminds me of who He is and who I am, reminds me of His promises and His gift given lavishly to us, in love, at Christmas. And He strums the strings of my heart to create a song, that only He can and it brings me to worship Him, again.
James 5:13 is perhaps better understood as this: "...Is there anyone among you who is so excited he can hardly contain it and who feels as if he is about to burst with overwhelming joy? If that person is so overjoyed and tickled that he can no longer restrain the happiness he feels, let him rejoice, let him sing a song, the song the Father has placed in his heart."
When I presented this message last, I ended with this thought: The other verse that the Lord put on my heart was Revelation 12:11, now I know we are changing theological gears here, but just bear with me........"They overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony."
When I really thought about why I wasn't very merry, I realized something was lacking........and it certainly wasn't the blood of the lamb. According to this verse, "overcoming" requires just two things- the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. What is Christmas? The time we celebrate God's redemptive, saving work on earth through Jesus Christ. With Christ's death on the cross, it was finished, the victory won.
But, there would be no blood of the lamb, without the birth of the lamb. There would be no resurrection, had there been no death........no death, had there been no life...... and no life, had there been no birth. Perhaps, you can think of not one single, other reason for rejoicing and giving thanks this Christmas..........but perhaps, you only need one this year- maybe this year, remembering that the work has been done through the birth and blood of the lamb, is enough? Maybe this year, you are struggling with life, with kids, with marriage or money........maybe this year saw more losses than triumphs, more agony than laughter. I bet you're not the only one having that same year. What if this year, all we had to celebrate was............ Him? What if this Christmas, was only about............ Him? That would be enough, right? Jesus Christ coming to earth as God's Word made flesh, to save us from sin and despair, to give us hope enough to sustain us through the darkest of nights.......until eternity begins...........that should be enough for a Merry Christmas, shouldn't it?
Maybe you know all of this in your head, it just needs to come out of your mouth. Where is your word of testimony, Overcomer? If you are not enjoying victory right now, can you at least remember the last time you did? Can you remember the last time God was faithful and merciful to you? Maybe you need to say it out loud.....a lot. I dare you to pray that the Lord would bring to mind, an answered prayer, a remembrance of His faithfulness............. and just see if He doesn't do exactly that. How would you respond? Would you tell your kids, or the man in line at the store? Our "word of testimony" is testifying of His Word and testifying of His goodness........and testifying means out loud, with our voice, with our song and with our life. Is your life testifying to God's goodness right now? Is your life so filled with "merry" - uncontainable, overwhelming joy that you burst with the love and goodness of Christ? Are you so overjoyed and brimming with excitement over the Still Good, Great News- that your very being cries out..........."Merry Christmas!"
"Is any merry? Let him sing psalms." James 5:13
Have yourself a Merry little Christmas, Now.
Shalom Y'all
Sara
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