Advent 3: Joy
As we begin week three of advent, I want us to take a minute to look back at the past two weeks. Hope was week one and peace was week two. Neither one of those things are easy to achieve in this world. It takes building on your relationship with Christ daily, trusting in what He is doing in your life, and recognizing His goodness in every situation. Week three of advent is all about joy and it is the same, it takes work to find pure joy in this world. There is only one way we can find it, you guessed it, through Jesus.
The story of Jesus’ birth begins with inexpressible joy, not only to Mary and Joseph, but to others who had no idea what was going on that evening. Some shepherds were simply doing their jobs, tending the sheep, when an angel appeared to them. God’s Word tells us in Luke 2 that the glory of the Lord shone all around them, and they were terrified. Think about the circumstances you have in your life that appear out of nowhere. These circumstances are usually alarming and bring us fear, stress, worry, and confusion. The shepherds were undoubtedly confused. Why would an angel appear to them? The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” When the angels left them, the shepherds immediately left to find this newborn baby who is their Messiah.
As we look for joy, the quote from the angels in Luke 2:10 tells us exactly what we need to know about joy that comes from Jesus. Let’s break it down. In this particular verse the Bible defines joy as calm delight, cheerfulness, and gladness. The one that sticks out to me the most is the words, calm delight. Can you name more than one thing in this world that gives you calm delight? You can maybe name a few things, but if you really think about them, there is usually always some worry or fear attached to those items. For instance, I love being on the lake with my family, it does calm me and bring me delight. But I do have a fear in the back of my mind that there could be an accident on the lake and someone I love could drown. I have to be watching them at all times and ready to rescue if need be. Another thing I love is sharing an excellent meal with family and friends. This always brings me delight, but there are always underlying worries and work. Either I had to spend hours cooking the meal and making sure it was delicious in every way or I need to have the money to pay for a meal in a restaurant. One more example is that I find delight in spending time with my husband. After he experienced his time with cancer, the thought cannot help but cross my mind that what if it returned and he didn’t survive this time. That fear comes in and interrupts the joy I find in our time together. Do you get my point? Things that bring us delight, cheerfulness, and gladness here on earth usually include work or some form of fear. The joy the angel was talking about does not come with fear or work. In fact, he told the shepherd to not fear or be alarmed. The joy that is coming with the birth of this precious baby would bring joy for all people, joy that would be unexplainable, inexpressible, and free to all people. The angel did not appear to kings and queens, he appeared to humble shepherd working in the fields. This was the first example of how Jesus came for all people, Jews and Gentiles alike. He came for all sinners, just like you and me.
The Jewish people had been looking for the Messiah for ages. They had been looking for true joy that could get them through the tough lives they were living. We too live tough lives but we have the joy that Christ brings to all people. By humbling ourselves just like the shepherd and accepting that Jesus is the Messiah and admitting we need Him to save us, we can have the joy the angel was talking about.
Gratitude brings joy, and what greater thing to be thankful for than the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus that brought us our salvation? We can work hard to feel joy here on earth, but it will never last. The joy that lasts is joy that is free to us. There is nothing we have to do to earn this joy. We do not have to be a certain way, have a certain amount of money, live in a certain neighborhood, or even send our children to a certain school to find joy. Our joy comes from Jesus and that is the only way we can have joy that brings us true freedom. It’s hard to imagine anything being free that brings us freedom from the demands of life, but that is exactly what Jesus offered to us when He came to earth as a baby born in a manger.
This Christmas, may we feel the joy that comes from Jesus. May we humble our hearts so that this joy seeps into our bones and overflows from our mouths, actions, and love for others. May we give up the control we think we need to grip on to and give our lives over to Jesus, the one that is completely in control. Letting go of that grip brings joy that is unexplainable.
1 Peter 1:8 says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Remember that your joy does not come from a perfect Christmas dinner, the best gift for each person, how you perform in your career, or how many party invitations you received, your joy comes from the gift that Jesus gave to you. Will you accept that gift?
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.” Romans 14:17-18
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalms 16:11
“If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:10-11
Digging Deeper:
If you had joy in your life, what would it look like?
How is Jesus calling you to accept His joy?
How have you experienced freedom through Jesus’ joy?