TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS--DAY THREE

JOHN THE BAPTIST: COURIER OF JOY

READ: Luke 1:13-16, 39-43, 57, 80, John 3:25-30 (Click here to read selections from the NIV)

In 1623 a woman in France gave birth to one of the greatest mathematical minds in history.  From early on, he demonstrated amazing genius, discovering at the age of twelve that the sum of the angles of a triangle is equal to two right angles--a fact now taught in every basic geometry class.  As an adult, Blaise Paschal devoted himself to mathematical experiments and traveled about, lecturing on his findings.  Then one night something happened that changed everything.

He was driving a coach home when the lead horses took fright and fled wildly across a bridge, railing into the dark waters below.  Had the reins not snapped, Paschal would have plunged to his death, a reality that deeply affected him.  Later that night, as he pondered his near-death experience, the presence of God descended in a dramatic way.  He wrote of it on a piece of parchment and secured it in an amulet that  he kept next to his heart. Giving up mathematical pursuits, he went on  to devote himself completely to Christ.  Upon his death they found the amulet around his neck, with the paper he'd written that night.  It contained these words:...O righteous Father, the world hath not know Thee, but I have known Thee.  Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy.

Joy  ought to be the life song of every Christ-follower, for it flows from the heart of God and resonates on page after page of Scripture.  The Christmas story is replete with expressions of gladness and calls to rejoice, and nowhere is this seen more keenly than in Christ's forerunner and cousin, John the Baptist. 

John's  joy as a young man was wrapped up in the wonder of being chosen to announce something as incredible as the coming of the Messiah. Though he  preached a radical message of repentance, there is never the sense that he  viewed his calling as anything but the delight of his soul.  He made this clear to his disciples one day, when they were concerned that he was  losing his standing to the  newcomer named Jesus of Nazareth.  Though he'd told them many times that he was only there to prepare the way, they lost sight of that when the crowds thinned around them, flocking instead to the One whom John declared was the Lamb of god who takes away the sins of the world. 

As  they shared their concerns, John explained that he was like a best man in a wedding, waiting with everyone else for the bridegroom to arrive.  Once he heard the bridegroom's voice, he knew the wedding was imminent, and joy completely consumed him.  Nothing brought John greater happiness  than to know that he was fading into the background, even as Jesus gained in popularity.  In reality, Jesus' appearance was the beginning of the end for John; a horrifying one that he may very well have suspected was on the horizon even as he spoke of his joy being made full.

So with every Christmas carol we sing in the coming days, let us cling to the truth that we are made for joy, that no matter what our life might hold on any given day, our very birthright as believers is to know gladness of heart.  Think of it.  We too have the privilege of preparing  the way, of listening for the Bridegroom's voice as He comes to us.  And as we live to see Him increase and ourselves decrease, we will, like  John the Baptist, have our joy made full to overflowing.

REFLECT

Though  joy is our birthright as children of God, we often have to enter into a  fight of faith in order to experience it.  Consider your own life today.  Is it permeated with joy in Christ?  Are you motivated by pleasure to do His will?  Do you live to enjoy Jesus more?  In what ways might you need to enter into battle to reclaim your right to joy?

RESPOND 

John the Baptist rejoiced to hear the Bridegroom's voice.  Ask Jesus to  speak to your heart today by giving you a revelation of who he is and His presence with you, as you read the following verses.  Spend some time worshiping by rejoicing in Him. 

1 Chronicles 16:32-34

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall the trees of hte forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; 
for His steadfast love endures forever!  

A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

Make the Christmas carol, Joy to the World your song of the day.  Click here to sing the song and worship with Chris Tomlin.  As you sing it to yourself, think of joy as the greatest gift of all in Christ.   Celebrate!

For a printable version of this devotional, click here.