Approaching is what is termed as the most intense and stressful time of the year: Christmas. Over-booked agendas makes us over-extended and stress makes itself known in every shopping mall and holiday party, even within the church through Christmas programs and choir practices. Yet, in the midst of stress, joy bursts in. It interrupts the stress with relief, the darkness with light, and the turmoil with peace.

The prophet Zephaniah wrote during an intense, stressful, anxious time for God’s people. Yet, the closing words of Zephaniah 3 grant the joy that interrupts the schedule of the world. ‘Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!’TNIV

Zephaniah understood the need for the joy that only God gives. He knew that the foundational promise of God needs to permeate the heart of every child of God. Look at the words he expressed: ‘rejoice and be glad’. As we sing a Christmas carol or recite a cantata those words burst from our lips. Throughout the Christmas season, we proclaim ‘Joy to the World’ and we speak of being glad but what of our heart? What is really going on within the person that we are? Is the joy conspicuously absent? Are words of criticism or anger replacing what was once joy? That is exactly what was occurring during Zephaniah’s days. The world was feeding the agenda, every moment tactically used to destroy the believing heart.

Hence, Zephaniah proclaims: ‘Sing ... shout ... be glad and rejoice with all your heart!’ How are you singing? What words are you proclaiming? The words of Zephaniah beckon us to really count our blessings and be thankful; proclaim from the deep recesses of our heart the joy of the Lord as our strength.

After tearing into a Christmas present, my daughter who was three at the time, picked up the toy and proudly announced, ‘Oh, I’ve wanted one of these ever since I was a little girl’. This is the splendour of Christmas, not simply an annual event but wrapped all year long: Joy, unspeakable, unexplainable, uncontainable joy. Michael Duduit explains further: ‘The marvellous thing about the joy of Christmas is that we didn’t know we wanted it until it came.’ The presence of God brings joy. This is why Zephaniah shouts the accolade of joy in the midst of such turmoil of stress.

As we journey through another Christmas season, may we reflect on the joy of the Lord and invite His joy into our stress and anxiety and ‘sing, O daughter Zion’ a rendition of your favourite carol to remind you of the unspeakable and unexplainable joy found in swaddling clothes lying a manger. May you find blessing through this Season entering into this New Year.

Blessings,

Dev