This is the third week of Advent – the week of JOY. How have you seen God’s joy in your life this week?
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But 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.'” (Luke 2:8-11)
We don’t use the word joy all that much in our daily lives. We’re more likely to say that a book or movie was great or amazing or any number of descriptors. But how often do we say that it gave us joy? Or that dinner was delicious and filled us with joy? Not often.
When we say we “enjoy” something, it seems watered-down and polite. I’m pretty sure that if someone said my chocolate pie was enjoyable, rather than delicious, my first response would be to ask if anything was wrong.
So, in this third week of Advent, the week of joy, I feel a little unprepared for the enormity of it. Maybe those shepherds felt the same way. For them, it began as just another night. Tending the flock, chatting with their other shepherd buddies, going through the daily motions. Much as we do each day.
But, suddenly, an angel appeared and brought news that a baby was born and would bring “great joy for all the people.” And let’s not forget that once that pronouncement was made, a host of angels appeared and sang praises to God.
What did those shepherds do? They went to see that amazing baby that God had told them about. Just like that.
Finding joy in God’s promptings
I don’t know if the shepherds knew exactly who they were visiting, if they knew that he was fulfilling a promise that was made centuries before, or that he really would bring joy to us all. But I do know that they made room in their schedules for that little baby.
Are you prepared for the birth of Jesus? Is your heart, your mind, and your schedule open and ready to experience the great joy of the coming of our very own Savior?
With only one Advent week left until Christmas, most of us are obsessing about how many days we have left for shopping, or plane ticket availability, or whether our boss is going to let us off early on Christmas Eve. I’m running around trying to get everything ready for our family, making sure I don’t drop any balls and disappoint my kids, or miss a commitment.
But with all the other preparations being made, we also need to prepare ourselves. We need to put aside selfish pursuits, slow down with other obligations, and declutter our minds and our environments, so that we can focus on the joy of this birth. Jesus came to save us and this is just the beginning of that story.
I hope you have a joy-filled Monday!
Looking for more posts on the Advent season? Check out the other weeks:
Advent Week 1: The Week of Hope
Advent Week 2: The Week of Peace
and
Advent Week 4: The Week of Love
This post was originally published in December 17, 2017, but it has been updated since then.
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