The Third Advent: the Grace of Christmas Joy

Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King! 

Let’s be real – there are days when the stuff we have to deal with has the power to sap the joy out of the entire week. Our own worries, stresses, disappointments, pressures, conflicts, and sadnesses have that capability, let alone circumstances around the world that we cannot help but be affected by. And for many people, the Christmas season – a time when joy is supposed to be at a premium – is often when the lack of it is intensified.
The comedian Phil Callaway talks about the fact that people nearly stop laughing when they become adults. How sad is that?! Is there actually such a thing, though, as a true and lasting joy that remains, regardless of what happens from one day to the next?

God’s Word tell us that there is.

There is a story in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah in which the people of Israel have returned to their homeland after many decades of living in captivity. They assemble in a town square in Jerusalem to worship God as they haven’t been able to in seventy years. Ezra, who is a priest and a scribe, begins to read the Scriptures, and as he reads he also explains them so the people can understand. Their first response is to weep over their own rebellion, faithlessness and treachery. Then their weeping turns into “very great rejoicing” as they understand that in spite of the vastness between their wretchedness and his majesty, God is reaching out and renewing their relationship with him.

That was hundreds of years ago, but this same God continues to reach out to us today. Through Jesus we can know him, experience his goodness and have a relationship with him, too. When we open ourselves up to this truth we will be filled with a joy that surpasses anything we could ever imagine. That’s because it is a joy that is not based on our circumstances, and it doesn’t come from within ourselves. Its source is God and it is the very joy that Jesus has. In his last days with his disciples, Jesus said to them, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete …. No one will take away your joy.” (John 15:11; 16:22[b])



Joy – the kind that lasts forever – is here to stay. It is found in the discovery of God’s goodness and the beauty of his plans and purposes as it is spelled out in his Word. It is also found in realizing his provisions for us, his sheer grace towards us, and in being freed from the things that imprison us. There is joy in the healing of our souls and in being made new. Joy is found as we enter his presence, and as, in an unfathomable way, his presence is born in us.

King Jesus has come. Take some time to pause this Christmas. Kneel by the manger. Read his Word. Ask him to help you understand. Let his joy wash over you, fill you, and transform you, no matter where life finds you today.

Suggested readings for this week: Nehemiah 8; Luke 2:8-20; Psalm 16:11