In 1979 Magic Johnson played in his first professional basketball game. The game ended when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit a buzzer-beater to give the Lakers the victory. When this happened, Magic exuberantly jumped onto Kareem, hugging him and joyfully celebrating. After the game, Kareem took Magic aside to talk to him. To put it simply, he told him to calm down. He told him that he could not sustain that kind of celebration over a simple regular-season game. After all, this celebration would be short-lived. Another game was coming. Then another. Then another. The only appropriate celebration would be after a championship. But even then the celebration would be relatively short-lived. After all, the next season would soon be upon them. The celebration would end and they would have to move on.
This story serves as a sort of parable of the fleeting nature of joy. We all desperately want it. But even when we think we have it, we come to realize that the joy it short-lived. We get a promotion, but then the new workload settles in. We get out of debt, and then new bills and expenses begin to appear. We graduate, and then we struggle to find meaningful work. We find a spouse, and then we find it difficult to live in harmony. Joy – lasting joy – seems elusive at best and mocking at worst.
The Christmas story is a story about joy – lasting joy. The angels announce to the shepherds, “good news of great joy.” This Sunday as we get closer to our own Christmas celebrations, we will explore how the Christmas story relates to our quest for lasting joy.
Dan
No comments:
Post a Comment