By: M. MAKANDA
Plain old joy undersells the glory of Christmas. Matthew and Luke accent different aspects of Jesus’s birth story, but they sing this note in unison: Christ’s coming is not simply an occasion for ordinary joy, but great joy (Matthew 2:10; Luke 2:10).
God gave us a world of joys to prepare us for an angel heralding, “Great joy!” Christmas offers us supernatural delight — higher, longer, deeper, and better than any joy we’ve ever known. Tonight’s lead article is a Christmas meditation on the glory of that one blessed syllable in our English: “great.” Ponder with me the significance of Christmas not just as the coming of joy, but the arrival of great joy.