The Christmas story announces a new kind of joy rooted in the reality of hope and imagination, not power or coercion: a Savior born who redefines lordship through love, humility, and peace rather than violence or control. In a world that proclaimed Caesar as savior and lord, Jesus’ birth offered a new gospel that asked who truly holds divine power and who is really making a better world. This story invites us to see joy as grounded in humility and transcendence—knowing we matter before God and therefore recognizing that everyone else matters too. True joy grows as we move beyond ourselves, loving others and participating in God’s healing, world-renewing work.