Scripture: Luke 1 & 2
Video Link: https://youtu.be/HqQXjSp8HI8
Audio Link: Sermon – 25 Dec 2025 – Joy at Christmas by tawabaptist
Structure:
- Introduction
- Elizabeth’s joy
- The shepherds’ joy
- Mary’s joy
- Conclusion
Introduction:
Good morning and merry Christmas everyone.
I have here in my hand an apple. (Don’t worry, this is not going to be a sermon about forbidden fruit.) If I were to plant the seeds of this apple and nurture them, it could take several years before the seeds produced more apples to eat.
The theme of this morning’s Christmas day service is joy. Joy is the fruit of hope. Or, to put it another way, if joy is the apple, hope is the tree. If you want joy, then cultivate the seeds of hope, and be prepared to wait. We can put our hope in many different things, but for our joy to be secure, our hope must be true.
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. When our hope is in Jesus, our joy is secure. The account of Jesus’ birth is peppered with joy. This morning’s message touches on some of the joy found in Luke’s birth narrative.
Elizabeth’s joy:
We begin with Elizabeth and Mary. When Mary learned from the angel that she would become pregnant with Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, she went to visit her relative Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist.
Mary entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear. But why am I so favoured that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy…”
What was the cause of Elizabeth’s joy? Two things: the presence of the Holy Spirit and the anticipation of Jesus’ arrival. The Holy Spirit confirmed Elizabeth’s hope to be true, and this produced joy, from the inside out.
Now it needs to be acknowledged that for many years Elizabeth’s life was not characterised by joy. Zechariah and Elizabeth suffered a great deal of disappointment in not being able to have children. Their hope of starting a family died. But the Lord in his mercy resurrected new hope.
In verses 57 and 58 we read: When it was time for Elizabeth to have a baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy and they shared her joy.
Joy was a long time coming for Elizabeth, but it was worth the wait.
When our hope is in Jesus, our joy is secure.
The shepherds’ joy:
Joy is for sharing. In Luke 2, an angel from heaven shares the joy of Jesus’ birth with some shepherds in the fields saying: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord…
What we notice here is that divine joy is not just for a select few. The joy of Jesus’ birth is for all people. There is more than enough salvation for everyone. That is very good news.
After the angels left, the shepherds went and found Jesus, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. When they had seen him, they shared the joy by praising God and spreading the word about Christ the Lord.
Now it needs to be acknowledged that life was not easy for these shepherds. They were poor, working around the clock in all sorts of weather, not able to participate in the normal rhythms of community life. They were looked down on with suspicion by many. Misunderstood.
So it was a joyful surprise for these shepherds to be among the first to hear about the birth of the Messiah. It meant they were seen by God and trusted by him. Included. Accepted. When our hope is in Jesus, our joy is secure.
Mary’s joy:
We have compared joy to the fruit of a tree. We might also compare joy to the keel of a yacht. The keel is that part we do not see because it is underwater. The keel keeps the yacht upright, especially in high winds. Without the keel, the yacht would be prone to capsizing.
In the same way a keel lends stability to a boat, so too joy (born from a deep and true hope) lends stability to our soul, especially in the storms of life.
The joy surrounding Jesus’ birth acted as a keel for Mary’s soul. In Luke 2, we read how Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Joy often overflows in praise of God and sharing good news with others, but for those with a more contemplative soul, joy finds sanctuary in the heart and mind. As we ponder what God is doing in Christ, our joy deepens (like the keel of a yacht) lending stability when the circumstances of our lives get a bit rough.
It needs to be acknowledged the first Christmas was far from ideal. Israel was oppressed by the Romans. The people suffered under a heavy yoke both politically and spiritually. Not a great environment for raising children.
And yet, in spite of this, hope was growing and joy was budding.
Conclusion:
We are not oppressed in the same way people were in the first century.
But many of us feel weary and weighed down in other (unseen) ways. Christmas is not always a happy time. The expectation that it should be happy only heightens our disappointment when it is not.
Perhaps you identify with Elizabeth. For you, joy is a long time coming. Hang in there. A bruised reed he will not break and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. When our hope is in Jesus, our joy is secure.
Perhaps you identify with the shepherds. You know what it is to be left out in the cold, not trusted, misunderstood. God judges fairly. He sees you.
He gets you. When our hope is in Jesus, our joy is secure.
Perhaps you identify with Mary. Young and vulnerable, with something precious to lose. Ponder the Lord’s faithfulness. Treasure the joy he brings.
It will be a keel for your soul.
When our hope is in Jesus, our joy is secure. Where is your hope placed?
May the awareness of God’s goodness sustain our hope and fill us with joy.
Grace and peace be yours this Christmas and New Year. Amen.
Tawa Baptist 