This Sunday our Advent theme will be joy—something everyone talks about this time of year, but few truly experience.
Our culture is full of “holiday cheer.” Festive lights, concerts, music and parties give us the general sense that we’re all supposed to be merry. And while those things can make this season fun and memorable, they can’t deliver the kind of joy our souls were built for. At best, they create a moment. At worst, they leave people seeing a stark contrast between how they’re supposed to feel and what they actually feel.
But the joy of the Lord isn’t fragile. It isn’t tied to circumstances, sentiment, or the “success” of a holiday season. Joy is what happens when the goodness of God breaks into our real lives no matter how bad it may be. This is the joy that is rooted in the news that Jesus came into the world for us—God in the flesh, drawing near to rescue, restore, and redeem.
Jesus accomplished all of that. He made a way through this world of strife and onward toward a heaven of bliss. The certainty of our eternal future is what can give us joy in the present. That kind of joy isn’t seasonal or optional. It’s a joy that lasts.
And that’s why this time of year provides such a meaningful outreach opportunity for families. There are people all around us—friends, neighbors, coworkers, relatives—who may celebrate Christmas but miss the true joy behind it. They sense something essential is missing. That quiet ache opens a door for us to gently point them toward the source of joy: Jesus.
The beauty of the gospel is that Christian joy isn’t forced or demanded or awkward. It doesn’t need perfect conditions. It grows quietly and steadily in hearts that know they are loved by God. And when that kind of joy flows through your home, it becomes something your family can give away—something others can actually see and feel.
Let’s spend this week asking the Lord to deepen our joy in Him, and then open our eyes to the people around us who need to see and hear where that joy comes from.
“Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” — Psalm 32:11 (ESV)