I am not going to wish you a Merry Christmas.

I have no problem with merriness, and I certainly hope you have your share of it today. May the frosting on your cookies be extra thick. May the lights of your tree be particularly twinkly. May the crackling of your fire be especially pleasant, and the places around your table filled by smiling loved ones. No, there is nothing wrong with being merry, especially on such a day. 

But the angels did not bring news of great merriment. They brought news of great joy, and though our world often confuses the two, they are not the same thing.

Joy is harder to achieve than merriness, but it’s easier to keep because it is far, far more durable. Joy can withstand the roughness of this earthly life in a way that merriness never could. Merriness cannot live in the hearts of people whose plans have been upended, whose futures have been rearranged and whose very lives are in danger. But joy certainly can. 

Merriness doesn’t follow from a long and uncertain journey, with no reassurances except the steadfast belief that you are doing the will of God. But joy does. 

Merriness does not shiver in a stable or hang on a cross. But joy can, and it has.

May you have a truly joyful Christmas. 

“You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing…” — Isaiah 9:2