Then the angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid, for behold,
I bring you good tidings
of great joy which will be
to all people.
Luke 2:10
Adult Devotion ...
What is joy?
And how can we experience more of it?
Let me give you a few glimpses for how to comprehend joy ...
First, you've surely heard how we spell joy at Spirit of Joy: Jesus-Others-You. The secret to life is not to focus on yourself. No, joy comes from focusing on God and his priorities first and others second.
Second, I was preaching once through the book of Acts. I came upon the word "joy." I wanted a Biblical definition, so I started searching for all of the references to things like "joy," "joyful," and "rejoice" in Luke-Acts. And I came up with experiential definition based on Scripture: Joy breaks through whenever the kingdom breaks in.
· The first example occured when the angel was proclaiming -- after five hundred years of prophetic silence -- that a new prophet (John the Baptist) would be born. The angel said, "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth" (Luke 1:14). Angels were speaking, the forerunner of the Messiah was about to be born, and the kingdom was definitely breaking in!
· The second time joy occurred was when the first human met Jesus the Messiah. Mary was pregnant with Jesus. Her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist. And when Mary greeted her cousin, Elizabeth exclaimed, "as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy" (Luke 1:44). Finally, the Messiah was coming into the world. And joy was breaking through as the kingdom was breaking in.
· There are many more examples, but Luke 15:7 summarizes this theme well. Joy doesn’t just break through when huge kingdom events occur – like the once in history birth of the Messiah. No! It’s also terrestrially joyful when even one individual experiences the kingdom breaking in. In fact, Jesus says, "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."
In today's verse, the Kingdom of God was definitely breaking in! Christ the Messiah was being born! Therefore, angels were swooping joyfully through the Judean countryside. And they were singing, singing to the shepherds: The King was coming. A holy child was born. The kingdom was breaking in. And there was great joy! "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people."
Let's look at the events of that first Christmas Eve, through the lens of Jack Wellman's Biblical explanation of joy (Patheos, May 2015). He says essentially ...
· Joy is not happiness. Happiness is based upon happenings or whether things are going well or not. Rather, joy remains even amidst the suffering. Think about this: The angels were singing for joy that holy night, even when they knew that this birth would lead to the greatest pain the world had ever known -- the death of God's Son on a bloody cross.
· Joy is an emotion that’s acquired by the anticipation, acquisition or even the expectation of something great or wonderful. The birth of the Messiah had been anticipated for at least 1500 years. The acquisition -- the arrival, the birth -- had just come. Shepherd, hurry with expectation to see this child in the manger. It is more great and wonderful than any event in history.
· Joy is also gift, says Wellman, and the Apostle Paul frequently indicates that joy is associated with God, especially God the Holy Spirit (see passages like 1 Thessalonians 1:6 and Galatians 5:23). And if joy is associate with God, then, indeed, joy breaks through whenever the Kingdom breaks in.
· Finally, Wellman says, You cannot fake joy…you either have it or you don’t. The angels surely weren't faking joy. This was the greatest event in the history of the world!
In Christ's Love,
a guy who wants his faith
to look like a child anticipating
Christmas morning
Children's Message ...
What is joy?
And how can we experience more of it?
Let me give you a few glimpses for how to comprehend joy ...
First, you've surely heard how we spell joy at Spirit of Joy: Jesus-Others-You. The secret to life is not to focus on yourself. No, joy comes from focusing on God and his priorities first and others second.
Second, I was preaching once through the book of Acts. I came upon the word "joy." I wanted a Biblical definition, so I started searching for all of the references to things like "joy," "joyful," and "rejoice" in Luke-Acts. And I came up with experiential definition based on Scripture: Joy breaks through whenever the kingdom breaks in.
The first example occured when the angel was proclaiming -- after five hundred years of prophetic silence -- that a new prophet (John the Baptist) would be born. The angel said, "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth" (Luke 1:14). Angels were speaking, the forerunner of the Messiah was about to be born, and the kingdom was definitely breaking in!
The second time joy occurred was when the first human met Jesus the Messiah. Mary was pregnant with Jesus. Her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist. And when Mary greeted her cousin, Elizabeth exclaimed, "as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy" (Luke 1:44). Finally, the Messiah was coming into the world. And joy was breaking through as the kingdom was breaking in.
Luke 15:7 summarizes this theme -- joy breaks through when the kingdom breaks in -- by describing even personal experiences of the kingdom breaking in. Jesus says, "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."
In today's verse, the Kingdom of God was definitely breaking in! Christ the Messiah was being born! Therefore, angels were swooping joyfully through the Judean countryside. And they were singing, singing to the shepherds: The King was coming. A holy child was born. The kingdom was breaking in. And there was great joy! "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people."
Discussion Questions:
1. How would you describe joy and how to get it?
2. Based on your definition, why was that first Christmas (just about) the most joyful day ever?
3. Would could you do to experience more joy in your family and your life?
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