Advent for Christian Leaders, Part 4: Rooted In Joy

When we're younger we hear the word happy a lot. It's a familiar companion on our birthdays, during holiday celebrations, and is synonymous with laughs, smiles, confetti, and a good time.

As we get older, the concept of JOY - the third theme of Advent - is introduced. Joy is happy's older, calmer, more settled cousin. It speaks to a delight, pleasure, or satisfaction that is grounded in something greater than emotion, and is less fleeting.

One of the early ways I remembered the difference between the two was that happiness comes from what is happening in my life at the time. Joy is centered on Jesus - the promises, track record, and Character of God. In other words, happiness is a feeling, while joy is an anchor.

So what exactly does joy have to do with Advent? How is it associated with Jesus?

Joy In Difficulty

In our first installment of this series, I mentioned that hundreds of years passed between God's promise of a Savior and when Jesus came to save the world. Over those years, difficulty, capture, and lack of progress were all things that could have thwarted the feeling of happiness regarding the promise of a coming messiah. Yet Israel held on to joy because they knew God would keep His Word.

We have an example of how joy can anchor us in God's words when our current conditions look different than what He said in Habakkuk 3:17-19 (KJV):

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments."

God had just shared with Habakkuk that Israel will be captured by an evil nation. Habkkuk pleads and prays for God not allow this to happen, asking for God to deliver them and use their safety as a testimony of His Glory.

Habakkuk recounts God's past victories for Israel and implores Him to do it again. He acknowledges the nation's current situation, but commits to joy in the Lord anyway. He trusts that God will allow them to stand in this challenging and unsettling situation, and bring him and Israel up to a better place in their faith.

This is a reminder that when the time between the promise and fulfillment are long, when the things that have sustained us fail, we can encourage our hearts with God's track record. We can hold on to our joy as we wait, because we know God will save us - no matter what the world around us is experiencing.

The Joy of Jesus' Birth

In Luke Chapter 2 we see God's promise of a Savior fulfilled. Jesus, Emmanuel, is here! Angels announce His arrival to shepherds tending their flocks near the manger where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were staying. Luke 2:8-11 (KJV) tells us the story:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

The tidings of great joy have two parts. First, our Messiah has come! The centuries-old covenant has been fulfilled. Hallelujah! Secondly, Jesus came for all people - Jew and Gentile alike.

God was faithful to keep his word, and He is so generous that He does not limit access to this great gift. God confirmed this intent by revealing His arrival to those doing honest, non-glamorous work, and allowing Jesus to be born humbly in a manger. He wanted everyone to have access to this great joy.

The Fullness of Joy

Now that Jesus has come, how do we hold on to the the joy He has given us? How do we experience its fullness? Jesus answers that specifically in John 15:4-11 (KJV), which says:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Jesus explains that our joy is a byproduct of our relationship with Him. There is no way for it to exist or grow outside of connection with Him.

If we don't stay connected to God, we lose any spiritual usefulness and become vulnerable to evil schemes.

Yet if we keep the commandments, and allow God to produce a harvest of the Fruit of the Spirit within us, He will be glorified. When He is glorified, our joy becomes an anchor attached to His goodness. It is then made full as we abide in His love.

Your Joy

What do you hold onto when life gets boring, tough, confusing, or unclear?

Have you let circumstances dictate your mood or how you respond? 

How could allowing joy - the delight, pleasure, and satisfaction that is grounded in abiding with the Lord - help you see things differently?

How could it settle your spirit? How could it allow you to draw closer to God?

Remember, we don't have to wait until Jesus returns - we can have joy in all He has done and will do right now!

That wraps our third theme on Advent - Joy.  We're almost at Christmas! I pray each post helps you to see God's heart in a new way. I'll be back with Part 4 - Love next.

If you have any questions, tips, or favorite things about Advent that you'd like to share with me and each other, please send me a note here. I would love to hear your feedback on this series and your favorite takeaways in the comments below.

I'm excited to uncover these lessons together and to add a new layer to the happiest time of year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lorin R. Carter

The Corporate Consultant