On Sunday night, our world broke. Innocent Jewish Australians had their blood spilt on the sands of Bondi Beach. Juxtaposed against that horror, Australia is heading into Christmas—a time of tinsel, toys, and test-match cricket! Traditionally, the key words for Christmas are Hope and Joy. But in the shadow of the Bondi massacre, ‘joy’ feels heavy. It feels almost inappropriate. Singing ‘Joy to the World’ seems out of place when families are wondering if they will ever feel joy again.
In this Sunday's passage, we read of joy from an unexpected place when Mary stays with Elizabeth. On seeing Mary, Elizabeth is suddenly overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit. In a world occupied by Roman swords, the Spirit gives her eyes to see the truth: she looks at her young cousin and doesn't see an unwed mother; she sees the mother of her Lord.
“Blessed are you among women ... As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” (Luke 1:41-42)
Let’s pause to recognise how gritty and resilient this joy was. This wasn’t the soft, comfortable joy of a holiday commercial. This was the joy of two vulnerable women—one facing the scandal of an illegitimate pregnancy, the other the physical dangers of old age—huddled together in the hills while a paranoid tyrant named Herod sat on the throne. Their world was just as broken as ours is today, yet John leaped. Their joy was an act of defiance against the darkness surrounding them.
For centuries, Israel thought God had forgotten them. They thought their sin had disqualified them. But as we read through Mary's song, she says: No. He remembers. He remembers the promise to Abraham. This is the ultimate answer to the grief of our world. We don’t need a God who just ‘wins’ battles. We need a God of mercy. And the sending of Jesus is the mercy. When Mary holds that baby, she isn't just holding a future King; she is holding the physical proof that God is merciful. He didn’t send a lightning bolt to judge the world; He sent a Son to save it.
In Jesus' birth, the King has arrived. The rescue has begun. And that is why, even in the shadow of Bondi, we can have Joy. Joy is not the amnesia of grief. Joy is the defiance of it. We acknowledge the pain, and yet we still leap—because we recognise Jesus is Lord.
Yours in Christ,
Eric