Advent Week 1; Oh Tidings of Comfort and Joy

"God rest ye merry gentlemen Let nothing you dismay Remember Christ our Savior Was born on Christmas Day To save us all from Satan's pow'r When we were gone astray Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy Oh tidings of comfort and joy”

If you were to interview the majority of people you pass on the streets and asked them the question “what is the meaning of Christmas,” you would receive a plethora of diverse answers. I do believe that most would be thematic to children’s joy, family reunions, vacation, decorations, gift giving, and then maybe the secondary thought would be about Jesus’s birth.

There really is a unique feel to this time of year and boy do we love the feeling of Christmas. How can you not? I go out and drive at night just to see all the lights! But we know that joy isn’t found in the holidays. When we shift the focus of our heart from the true meaning of Christmas to the various celebrations we have integrated into our traditions, we lose sight of where the security of our joy is found.

“Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas day”

This Christmas hymn resurrects a healthy remembrance to why we can rest and why we can have both comfort and joy. Christ was born! What was longed for, for many years had finally come! The promise was fulfilled. The shadows that pointed to Christ are now behind, and God in flesh humbled himself to the world he created as a baby to redeem us. And we were gone astray. But this news is why we have such a tiding of comfort and joy.

“I, even I, am he that comforts you” (Isaiah 51:12).

When I think about both comfort and joy, Philippians chapter 4 immediately comes to mind. Paul begins the chapter with exhorting two women to strive for unity. He then moves into the command of rejoicing. He encourages with the truth of peace we will experience. He hits on our minds and what we are to be dwelling on. He speaks strongly of contentment. And he closes with his thankfulness for this church and God’s provision through them. This chapter is so full of truth. Let’s dig a little deeper into this idea of peace and joy.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonablenes be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

So, how does someone really rejoice always? The text is clear. We must rejoice IN THE LORD. It is only when we are rejoicing in the Lord that we have the ability to rejoice always. Because we have salvation in His finished work, there is joy that cannot be lost. It is when we rest in the truth of who He is and what He has done for us that we can have such sustaining joy. When we lose our sense of joy, we can know that our minds have strayed from truth. Because joy is not dependent on circumstances. My salvation is not dependent on circumstances, and that is why there is joy.

Now how does someone have this peace of God that surpasses all understanding? The preceding statement is the answer. “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” We see yet again this focus of our minds. Our fruit is an outward manifestation of what is going on inside of us. So, if we are not experiencing such peace, we can know something is off internally. Start with your thinking. What are you dwelling on? If you are worrying, then how can you have peace? But if your mind is focused on submission and surrender to God’s will and timing, peace will be evident. Everything is out of our hands. So why not rest in the sovereign, good, God who loved you so much that He sent Jesus to die for you? Peace comes as we align our mind with truth. Truth is that God is always after our good and His glory. So, return your mind to His truth. Saturate yourself with Scripture, and rest in His peace as we fight to rejoice in all things because we always have a reason to rejoice.

This advent season return your mind to why we have such tidings of comfort and joy. Return your mind to the everlasting truth.

“Remember Christ our Savior Was born on Christmas Day To save us all from Satan's pow'r When we were gone astray Oh tidings of comfort and joy”