Awhile back, Moody Magazine told the story of a guy named George Mason. It was Christmas Eve, and, as usual, George Mason was the last to leave the office. He walked over to a massive safe, spun the dials, and swung the heavy door open. Making sure the door would not close behind him, he stepped inside. A square of white cardboard was taped just above the top row of strongboxes. On the card, a few words were written. George Mason stared at those words, remembering:

Exactly one year ago he had entered this same vault. And then accidentally, the big steel metal door swung shut. He was trapped – entombed in a three-foot wide, eight-foot long, seven-foot high metal vault. His mind flashed to all the stories he had heard of men found suffocated in vaults. But there was nothing he could do; he would have to wait until morning.

Then the realization hit him. No one would be there tomorrow – because tomorrow was Christmas. Would the oxygen last? Perspiring and breathing heavily, he felt his way around the floor. Then, in the far right-hand corner, just above the floor, he found a small, circular opening. Quickly he thrust his finger into it and felt a faint but unmistakable current of air.

Surely he would not have to stay trapped for the full 36 hours. Somebody would miss him. But who? George was unmarried and lived alone. The maid who cleaned his apartment was just a servant; he had always treated her as such. He had been invited to spend Christmas Eve with his brother’s family, but children got on his nerves. The realization hit him that nobody would come and let him out. Nobody!

George began to think about the true meaning of Christmas. Was it possible that he had been blind all these years with selfishness, indifference, pride? Wasn’t giving, after all, the essence of Christmas because it marked the time God gave His own Son to the world?

He had the entire year to think about this. All of a sudden it was Christmas Eve again, but George Mason was a different man. Slowly he backed out of the safe and closed it. Then he walked a few blocks, flagged a taxi, anxious not to be late. His nephews were expecting him to help them trim the tree. Afterwards, he was taking his brother and his sister-in-law to a Christmas play.

Why was he so happy? Why did that which used to annoy him all the sudden exhilarate and delight him? Perhaps the card he taped inside his office safe last New Year’s Day had something to do with it. On the card is written: “To love people, to be indispensable somewhere, that is the purpose of life. That is the secret of joy.”

For 36 hours George Mason was locked in a vault with no way out. There was no doorway to freedom, no window, no escape hatch, no road to lead him away from his personal misery and darkness. Just like the people of Isaiah’s day, there was no road for them. They were in a desert wasteland with no water for survival. There was no fertile soil to grow crops. They were trapped, doomed in a barren place, with no apparent way to be liberated from their bondage.
So, in a vivid and prophetic manner, Isaiah tells them that “a highway will be there.” A highway, a road to freedom, a road to joy, a road that would lead them from their despair. It was a road where there would be joyful singing, one that would lead them to eternal happiness.

Joy is a distinctly Christian trait. It goes beyond happiness. Someone once said, “Happiness comes from happenings, but joy comes from Jesus.” Your happiness may fluctuate up and down, depending on how your day is going. But joy is more deep-seated. It is an inner contentment, a fulfillment that says life is going to be ok no matter what, because God’s got me. That’s why the Apostle Paul could write from a jail cell, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

A.W. Tozer said, “The people of God ought to be the happiest in the world. People should be coming to us and asking the source of our joy and delight.”

The “most wonderful time of the year” [air quotes here] can seem to usher in a blue Christmas, particularly for those who have been through loss or pain or sadness, perhaps missing a loved one. Sunday churches around the world will light a rose-colored candle in the Advent wreath. It is known as the joy candle; it reminds us to pursue joy, born at Christmas.

Today’s scripture is all about joy! It was crafted by the prophet Isaiah some 700 years before Jesus’ birth. In the chapter before, Isaiah had been writing about a time of judgment, but in chapter 35 he writes about a time of joy. It’s a beautiful picture of a barren desert that suddenly springs to life. Some of his original readers would be longing to return to their homeland to rebuild their capital city from ruin.

Today as we look to Christmas through Isaiah’s eyes, we long for Jesus’ return. As God will someday rebuild his heavenly city right here on earth, bringing an eternal fulfillment to all our joy. I’d like to highlight from today’s reading three actions we can take to enhance and build our joy. First, we can encourage joy in others. Isaiah really starts off the bat by shifting the focus away from us and onto others who need our help. He gives us a job to do! When you know someone is down, offer them encouragement. Let them know God has not forgotten about them. Joy is one of those things where the more you give it away, the more you have it. Researchers in depression have found that an almost immediate mood lifter is to go out and help someone in need.

Secondly, receive joy’s healing. The scripture here speaks of radical physical healing. Right after Isaiah tells us to spread joy to others, he shares some incredible results in verses 5-6: These people have received a complete physical healing: “the blind can see, the deaf can hear, the lame can leap like a deer, and the mute can shout for joy.” I don’t know if you’ll see this radical of a change, but I will tell you this: our mood impacts our health.

Thirdly, pursue joy with others. After Isaiah has described this desert come to life, he pictures a superhighway right through the middle that leads toward home. This highway is filled with pilgrims headed to Zion, the City of God. Listen to what he writes in the last part of verse 9 and 10: “Only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” It’s a wonderful picture. The roads are crowded with believers, all walking and singing together. And here’s the truth: joy is meant to be pursued in community. You build their joy and they build your joy! Don’t be a loner! There is no such thing as a Lone Ranger Christian. It is not good for man to be alone. We are designed to be in community. And it is there that we find our deepest joy.

Our lives can be like the story of George Mason that I told at the beginning of my message. We want newness, but are we willing to bury the old? George Mason was trapped until he rid himself of his indifference and selfishness. Unfortunately, it took being locked up in a safe for him to see himself as he really was. We don’t have to spend 2 days in a safe to travel a new road. There is a new highway for all of us when we are willing to allow our old ones to be destroyed. New relationships, new understandings, new opportunities can all be realized when we let go of the old ones which are keeping us from being fulfilled or experiencing the joy of life.

Joy doesn’t have to wait for heaven. Jesus brought joy at Christmas so we can have joy every day. We can have a deep-seated contentment that our soul is good, that we know we belong to God, that we enjoy each day of life while also remembering we are just passing through, aliens here, headed home.

                                                                                                       Till next week when we meet at the P.E.W.
                                                                                                       Pastor Joel