Joy
Read John 16:16-24.
16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room, And heaven and nature sing
Take a minute to start this session a little differently. By yourself, with your family, or with your group, listen to “Joy to the World.” You may be tempted to skip this part, since you’ve likely heard this song upwards of hundreds of times ... but slow down, close your eyes, and really listen to the words.
This song does two things—both of which are really simple, yet each should stir up great affection in you for our coming King. First, it gives us reason upon reason why Jesus coming to earth brought great joy for each of us and for the whole world. He has come to rule and reign, with truth and grace. He has come to defeat sin, shame, and death. He has come so that we might see His goodness and righteousness spread through every tribe, tongue, and nation!
The second thing this song does is it calls us to enter into and share the good news of this joy. Over and over the lyrics tell listeners and singers to “repeat the sounding joy.” Christmas provides great temptation to lose our focus—to narrow our attention to selfish worldly things, but this song ought to snap us out of that daze and into great affection for the baby who brought true joy into our world. We know the reason tomorrow matters, and we would be fools to keep that to ourselves.
As you prepare for tomorrow, remember why it is that we have such deep joy. Think about this on a global scale, but spend time reflecting on your own life. Where has He brought you out of darkness and into joy? How did His coming change your life? Throughout the day, refocus your heart and your mind on Him. Steal a few moments away from the excitement and chaos to spend time rejoicing in prayer. Spend time with your family and friends, have fun, but do not miss this opportunity to experience and celebrate the arrival of true joy.
[Matt Chandler (2021). (p. 62). Family Advent Devotional - Bible Study eBook. Lifeway Press. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]