Gospel Joy in January
“What are you doing?! Where are you taking my stocking?!”
“We can’t put these ornaments away! I love them!”
“Not the Christmas tree too! Mom, why?!”
This was the chorus of protests that filled our living room on one of the last days of winter break. We had planned to take down our Christmas decorations before my husband went back to work just like we’ve done every year. However, this year our daughter is old enough to realize what was happening.
She couldn’t understand why we would do this to her. She took it very personally when we started putting away ‘her’ ornaments and was shocked beyond reason when it came time to say goodbye to our gingerbread house. It took a lot of extra snuggles and thoughtful explanation to help her start to understand that Christmas wasn’t done for forever, just for now. By God’s grace, 3-year-olds have an incredibly short attention span, and all of the horror she had just witnessed was soon forgotten.
I mentioned in one of our last Advent devotionals that the days, weeks, and months after Christmas have always been a challenge for me. January is one of my least favorite months. The magic of the holidays seems to stop abruptly and all we’re left with is cold, snow, and ice.
But I also mentioned in one of our last Advent devotionals that the joy of the Christmas season doesn’t need to stop after the decorations come down. I’d like to take some extra time as we start the new year to really look at why that is.
The difference between the joy found in the gospel and the joy found in all things Christmas is that gospel joy is not limited to a season. The joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ is ours to enjoy every moment of every day we’ve been given. Our souls can rejoice whether we’ve been homebound during a 7-day snowstorm or we’re lying in the grass under the warm summer sun. Joy can mark my life when I’m sleep-deprived and fully rested. I can be just as joyful when my children are melting down as I am when laughter and silliness abound.
This beautiful passage in Romans explains the source of our joy so well:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:1-11
Hope, peace, love, joy - all of the Advent themes we spent weeks studying together are all found in these verses - and this passage isn’t even about Christmas! That’s because the incredible gifts introduced at the birth of Jesus Christ are gospel gifts that are ours for eternity.
Our souls have been reconciled to God. Think about that. Our souls that were stained by sin and burdened by debt we would never be able to repay have been reconciled to God. God showed his love for us in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. He gave us peace with himself and unshakable hope for our weary souls in his son’s sacrifice. And because our salvation is secure, we can rejoice in every season of life.
We can rejoice in battles against depression. We can rejoice when life’s demands threaten to consume us. We can rejoice when our season of life saps our strength. We can rejoice when our weaknesses are on full display because no matter the season, no matter that trial, no matter heartache, our souls have been saved. The truth of the gospel cannot be touched. It remains forever.
The past couple of years have been something else. So much so that my social media feed is flooded with memes making light of everyone’s obvious anxiety of a new year. But no matter what this year holds, globally, locally, or personally, let us cling to the joy we have in Christ. Let us keep our sights on our Savior and rejoice at the hope we have with him. Praise God for the eternal joy his gospel has given us!
