Trust that brings joy

 Trust That Brings Joy 

Read Luke 2:10 

The Christmas season usually comes with a lot of talk about joy. We take Christmas card photos where everyone shows off their best smile. We watch movies with comforting plots and happy endings where two characters fall in love or the town grouch learns to love Christmas. The word that probably best describes this aspect of Christmas is “joy.” When we think of joy, we probably think of happiness and smiles and laughter. 

But while that’s how we express joy, joy itself isn’t an emotion; it is a disposition — a state of the heart. 

You’ve likely heard the song “Joy to the World.” This classic and familiar Christmas hymn reminds us that Jesus’s birth brings joy to all who live on earth. The joy the Bible talks about is stronger and deeper than a temporary positive feeling: it’s a constant state of being, no matter what situation you might face. It’s a cheerful disposition of the heart, even when your circumstances themselves aren’t cheerful. It could also be described as contentment motivated by belief and confidence in God’s control of all things. 

This joy ultimately comes from the good news of God’s plan of redemption: that Jesus has come to save us. In fact, in Luke 2:10, an angel declares that this news is great joy and that it will be for all people! 

This week, we’ll continue our journey through the events of Jesus’s birth, as told by Luke and Matthew. We’ll meet Jesus’s earthly parents and some other people they interacted with at the time of His birth. Mary, Jesus’s mother, will teach us about the joy we can have through knowing and trusting God, even in difficult and scary situations. Joseph, Mary’s fiancé and Jesus’s earthly father, will teach us what it looks like to find joy in God’s plan, even when it doesn’t align with our own. We’ll also meet shepherds entrusted by God to deliver His joyful news, wise men who journey a long way to experience God’s joy for themselves, and a king who refuses to accept the joy God has offered him. 

Through each of these figures, we’ll learn more about God’s heart and the significance of Jesus coming as a baby over two thousand years ago. The reality of Jesus’s birth is the best news, and when we trust God and accept this news, we’re granted great joy that surpasses all other emotions we may face. 

Reflect on the word “joy.” What does it mean to you?

What are some things that give you joy? 

What songs or movies make you think about joy? 

What comes to mind when you read the phrase “rejoice in the Lord”?

Pray and ask God to reveal how He offers you joy through Jesus Christ this week.

Song to Reflect On “Joy Joy” from the album A Child Is Born by Sojourn