Category: Advent Joy

Luke 15:3-7 (NIV)
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

God delights in seeking out the lost and he celebrates with joy when the lost are found! Through these parables, Jesus is inviting us into his heart and mission. He is inviting us to be present with and pursue others with the love of Jesus. And he is inviting us to know his joy and to celebrate with all of heaven when each precious one experiences rescue.

Prayer: Father, thank you for the privilege of sharing in your joy of seeing your salvation come in other people’s lives. Please fill me with your Spirit and help me to receive and express even more of your love and care to those who need your rescue. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s sing “I Speak Jesus” by Charity Gayle (click here).

-KW

 

 

 

Philippians 4:4 (NIV)
⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NLT)
¹⁷ Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
    and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
    and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
    and the cattle barns are empty,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD!
    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
¹⁹ The Sovereign LORD is my strength!
    He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    able to tread upon the heights.

(For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)

“Pay attention to the word picture here. If you are in an agricultural culture and there is no food to harvest and no cattle in the stalls, you are in dire circumstances. Yet, Habakkuk writes that he would still have reason to rejoice, because God is the source of his joy. The Lord’s presence, power, promises, and covenant love give Habakkuk reason for joy no matter what. Vertical joy is the only kind of lasting joy.

Notice the note at the end. Habakkuk’s joy poem is actually a lyric, meant to be sung. So, go out and sing for joy; God exists, and, by grace, he is your Father forever.” (Paul David Tripp, Everyday Gospel, 338)

Prayer: Father, I confess you are my source of joy and you never fail. In the midst of ___________ today, I rejoice in you, your love for me, and your salvation! In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s sing, joyful in the God of our salvation, to “Grace Is On Our Side” by Vertical Worship (click here).

-KW

Psalm 16:9-11 (NRSVUE)
⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
    my body also rests secure.
¹⁰ For you do not give me up to Sheol
    or let your faithful one see the Pit.
¹¹ You show me the path of life.
    In your presence there is fullness of joy;
    in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

“V. 9 sums up the psalmist’s embodiment of the Lord’s salvation. Heart and body combine to represent the totality of the psalmist’s life. God’s deliverance is not merely an intellectual matter for the mind, or a spiritual matter for faith, but a reality in which the entirety of the self partakes.” (The Book of Psalms, NICOT)

Let’s partake in God’s salvation with our entire being today – heart, soul, and body – for he delights to make known to us the path of life. What more can we receive than fullness and forever? He gives us nothing less than fullness of joy, pleasures forevermore.

Prayer: Father, we take it all in – fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore in your presence! Lead us to walk with you today in the path of life – fully satisfied in Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s rejoice with our entire being as we sing “The Lord is My Salvation” by Keith and Kristyn Getty (click here).

-KW

 

 

Luke 2:10b-11 (NIV)
¹⁰ “…I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Luke 10:21 (NIV)
²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

“What’s the significance of Jesus’ birth? It means that God is pursuing you…Christmas is not unrelated to you, it is exactly for you. You, of all people, are included!…

By Luke 10, Jesus sends out 72 disciples to minister, to do the works he’s been doing. They come back rejoicing because they did the works of Jesus. And it works! Life in Jesus works! Hear that [Agape churches], life in Jesus works!… The wise and learned of this world will never see, never have the life that actually works. The ones who listen to Jesus, who are taken care of by him get to experience a life that really works, even as they face opposition and challenges and struggles of all kinds.” (P. Brian’s message, adapted)

Prayer: Father, thank you for the good news of Jesus, my Savior and true life in you! May my life be marked by this joy and life more and more. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s sing “Hearts Waiting (Joy to the World)” by Matt Redman (click here).

-KW

Let’s read aloud the following passage, confession and prayer:

1 Peter 1:3, 6a, 8-9 (NIV)
3 In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…6 In all this you greatly rejoice…
8 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, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

“We rejoice that the living God did not abandon us to our lostness and despair. In his love he came after us in Jesus Christ to rescue and remake us. So the good news focuses on the historic person of Jesus, who came proclaiming the kingdom of God and living a life of humble service, who died for us, becoming sin and a curse in our place, and whom God vindicated by raising him from the dead. To those who repent and believe in Christ, God grants a share in the new creation. He gives us new life, which includes the forgiveness of our sins and the indwelling, transforming power of his Spirit. He welcomes us into his new community…” (Manila Manifesto: Good News For Today)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in you, I love you, and I praise you with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for I am receiving today the good news of salvation, rescue, and new life in you! In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s be filled and overflow with joy today as we sing to “The Joy/Joy To The World” by The Belonging Co. (click here).

-KW