This time of year is supposed to be filled with joy and happiness.
Many of us take time off to spend with family and friends.
We give and receive gifts as well as prepare special meals to be shared together.
But for many of us, Christmas is are from joyful.
We have the stresses of work and navigating crowded malls in order to find the perfect gift.
For some, this time of year is a painful reminder of ones we have lost…

So my question today is this: “Where is my joy?”
When the chaos and pain of life pile up, how do I find the joy of the Christmas season?
Paul’s epistle to the Philippians has been called the epistle of joy.
In this book, there is an emphasis on the joy that is available through Jesus Christ
It permeates and saturates the entire epistle.
What was the source of this wonderful joy?

Most religions are made up of rules and regulations rather than freedom and liberty.
Compound that with the many factors in today’s world that contribute toward an unhappy frame of mind and the end result is a lack of joy.
The world situation is enough to make a realist sick in the pit of his stomach.
Think about all the things in our world that need fixing – the economy, our medical system, world politics, disasters, family situations, even sports teams (and I’m not even an Oilers fan and I feel bad!)

Most of us have experienced some personal failures that can contribute to a pessimistic frame of mind if we concentrate on the negative.
It might be a career change, a job loss, a failed, relationship and our children
Then there is the competitive and materialistic spirit of our age.
Living in a dog eat dog world takes the joy out of work and success when credit for our own ideas is taken by others.

All of this leads toward an unhappy frame of mind for everyone.
Take some time and stand on a busy street corner or in the mall and watch people as they pass by.
What is missing?
You will discover a tragic absence of joy and happiness.
The problem we face is this: where can we find joy in a world of bah humbug?

Solomon wrote about that in Ecclesiastes.
He looked at various aspects of life and the pursuit of happiness and found a common theme.
Some believe that joy is to be found in wealth.
Only a few in our culture are able to achieve a position of economic security.
Even then, there is still the nagging feeling for more.

When it comes to money, Solomon had it all – he had wealth beyond wealth, but in Eccl 5:10 he gave this conclusion, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.”
His conclusion was in the end, you can’t take it with you.
But it’s not just money – some find their only joy in fame and popularity.

Again Solomon addresses that in chapter 4.
He writes, “Better a poor but wise youth than an old foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning… this too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

When we look at the celebrities of our culture today, with all the perks, glitz, glamour and fame, don’t you find it surprising to see the higher than normal rates of depression, substance abuse and suicides?
With all the stuff and status the world offers, it still doesn’t bring them satisfaction.

But still others search… many end up searching for joy in the pleasures that the world has to offer. Sin has its pleasure. Many good things do too. (food)
Solomon was the king of seeking pleasure – achievement, material gain, women, even wisdom and it all fell short of what really mattered.
In Eccl. 2:1, Solomon writes, “I thought in my heart, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.’ But that also proved to be meaningless.”
This is coming from the wisest man (other than Jesus) in the world.

So what is the source of joy that lasts?
There are many legitimate sources for joy and happiness.
One can find a measure of joy in worthwhile achievement, in a devoted family, and in the blessings of good health.

The apostle Paul found his source of abiding, overflowing joy in his relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
We hear him say repeatedly, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”
The Lord does not change. problems can’t remove Him from us or us from Him.
Jesus promised never to leave us or forsake us.
In that promise we find comfort and ultimate joy.

In the Lord we can rejoice in the fact we have been forgiven of our sin.
Psalm 103 speaks about God forgiving our sins and sending them away as far as the east is from the west.
Acts 10:43 says that in Christ we receive the forgiveness of sins.
And we all know the promise of 1 John, that God is faithful and just and will forgive us and cleanse us.
Because all of us are sinners, all of us need forgiveness.
Some see the response to forgiveness as relief, but for the Christian, our response to forgiveness is joy.

In the Lord, we can rejoice in the blessed assurance of being His child.
John 1:12 says, “For all who received Him and believed in His name, He gave them the right to be called children of God.”
Gal. 3:26 says we are sons of God because of faith in Jesus Christ.
Joy comes from knowing we are His.

In the Lord we can rejoice in the promise that God is at work in our lives.
Phil. 1:6 is one of my most quoted verses, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” and 2:13, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
The Christian life is not a human achievement alone – some legalists think it is about following the rules and having no fun.
The Bible speaks about the Christian life as being a cooperative achievement on the part of the one who works with God as God works within his heart.

We can also rejoice that God supplies all we need to live a victorious life.
Phil. 4:13 says, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
Challenges are always around us – God gives us the tools to meet them in the power of His Spirit.

The last area I want to touch on as a source of joy that Paul speaks about is in Christ, we can rejoice in the hope of heavenly rewards.
In Philippians 4, Paul shares about how the people were generous in their support of Paul and his ministry.
He turned their generosity to show that what their were doing was for their eternity.
In verse 17 Paul states that what they are doing is being “credited to their account” with God.

If you are feeling a little overwhelmed or down in the dumps, go to the book of Philipppians and give it a read…

The shepherds upon seeing Christ were filled with joy.
Our Lord desires that we live lives that are filled with joy.
John 15:11, He says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
If we will devote our hearts and our lives on Him, we will find that joy will be the result.
As we rejoice in the blessings of God, our lives will be transformed.
May the Lord give us the joy of His salvation and may we radiate that joy to those whom He places in our lives.