Where's the Promised Joy, Christmas Tract

Tract reads:

A familiar part of the Christmas story is the angel’s message to the shepherds; “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2.10-11). One of the best-loved carols has captured these sentiments;
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King.”

BUT WHERE’S THE PROMISED JOY?

It seems so illusive. The word ‘joyful’ hardly describes the circumstances of most of the eight billion people on the planet! Many live in misery and fear. Exploitation and injustice are commonplace. In recent times, every Christmas season has seen the world a more dangerous place than it was the previous year. Joy is a rarity.

HAS CHRIST’S MISSION FAILED?

Is the world no happier than it was when the virgin’s baby was laid
in the manger? As yet, His advent has not introduced ‘world peace’, but millions can testify to the change He has made in their lives. The big picture seems alarming, but across the globe countless individuals experience the joy and peace which only He can impart. That could be your experience too.

Regardless of external circumstances, there is something that robs every one of us of the joy that God wants us to experience. That universal problem is our personal sin. In his poem to the mouse, Robert Burns expressed how it affected him personally; to summarise, he said that he had regrets about the past, and that he had fears about the future. These are the personal factors that blight each of our lives and leave us joyless.

As far as the past is concerned, we all have regrets about hasty words or foolish actions. The monitor that we call ‘conscience’ keeps these haunting memories alive and well. Our sins make us unhappy but more importantly, they have angered God.

As to the future, we might well be like Burns, and fear, for “Every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14.12). The Bible warns that after death there is judgment (Hebrews 9.27). It would be a fearful thing for you to pass into eternity without the forgiveness of sins.

THE SOLUTION

Happily, there is a solution, a remedy that in this life substitutes regret and fear with joy and peace, and for the life to come, it assures heaven instead of hell. This is where the “good tidings of great joy” from the angel is so relevant. It was news about the birth of “A Saviour”. The baby that was born that day grew to manhood, and one
day He was nailed to a cross. In His crucifixion and death He was bearing our sins in His own body (1 Peter 2.24). To provide the joy of forgiveness and the bliss of heaven for us, He experienced the grief of rejection, crucifixion and death (Isaiah 53.4-10). He was an offering for sin, our sin, and because He died for our sins, the now-risen Saviour imparts salvation and forgiveness to those who repent of their sins and believe in Him. You could take that step today.

When the good news of Jesus Christ arrived in Europe, it was first preached in northern Greece. Many believed on Christ and faced relentless persecution. However, despite the hostility, they had a joy that was i mparted by the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1.6). It is a quiet joy, a settled peace that is experienced by those who believe. Joy to the World; it is available universally but you must make it your own personally.

Jack Hay