Our Gigantic Secret

G.K. Chesterton called it the gigantic secret and C.S. Lewis says he was surprised by it and that his search for it finally led him to Christ.  It is the content of the good news the angel proclaimed to the shepherds who had been keeping watch over their flocks by night. It is joy. 

I’ve been thinking about joy.  The news flashes that will crawl across the bottom of our TV screens tonight and be splashed, hysterically, on the front page of tomorrow morning’s Beaver County Times will have to do with steroids, mud-slinging in Iowa and Britney Spears’ legal problems.  Not so the news alert brought by the army of heaven’s angels that night outside Bethlehem.

Luke tells us the story of the good news the angels bring, but it is in John’s three letters that I have discovered some practical clues to what we have come to call Christmas joy.  I believe John suggests three sources of Christian joy and each is more than applicable to this Christmas season:

The Gospel In his first letter, John reflects on that which he had heard and seen and touched: the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Our deepest Christian joy comes as, with John, we contemplate the Gospel itself. 

Face to Face Fellowship In his second letter, John speaks of the joy he anticipates in being able to meet with his friends face to face.  A second source of joy for all of us this season will be times spent with Christian friends – face to face, eye to eye, sharing laughter and celebrating love.

Faithful Families  In his third letter, John writes figuratively about his children in the faith, but behind the figure of speech is a literal truth.  There is no greater joy than being a part of a family that shares Christian faith.  

The good news of great joy is that a Savior has been born.  We can experience a bit of that joy this season as we contemplate the Gospel story.  It you read nothing else this season read and ponder this. The light of Christmas joy is also reflected in the fellowship we have one with another.  Find time for Christian friends this season.  And we experience joy in the faithful lives of children, parents, brothers and sisters.  This season be sure that your meal time conversation and family events are seasoned with something more than the talk of steroids, politics and celebrities behaving badly.  

The world is waiting the hear our gigantic secret.  The Christian life is all about joy!

This Sunday we will light the third candle of Advent, the pink candle, the joy candle.