Advent 2019 – Day 17

The good times of the wicked are short-lived;
    godless joy is only momentary.
The evil might become world famous,
    strutting at the head of the celebrity parade,
But still end up in a pile of dung.

Job 20:5-7

Things change as we get older. When I was a child, I was so excited for Christmas Day that I could hardly sleep. Of course, the only reason for this excitement was the presents.

Now, I am excited for Christmas Day because I enjoy giving gifts to our children, and seeing the expressions on their faces when we have once again surprised them with gifts they were not expecting.

But of course, these are momentary joys. They last only for a moment and then reality must come back and we move on until next Christmas.

In the passage above, it is stated that godless joy is only momentary. Does this imply that the excitement surrounding Christmas gift-giving is godless? I do not think so. I take it to mean that if we think that our joy comes from those moments, from strutting at the head of the celebrity parade, we will forever chase those experiences rather than going to the source of true joy.

Christmas gift-giving should be an expression of joy, not a source of joy.

We rejoice in the gift of Jesus and express that joy through the exchanging of gifts. It is fun, and I believe we can enjoy it without guilt.

Let us not feel sorrow that we have grown out of the excitement of Christmas morning. Our joy is found in an eternal Source, which sometimes escapes us. So, we need reminders during this advent season of Jesus our joy, the One who gives us reason to rejoice all year round.