The Advent of Joy: In Three vignettes
Vignette 1:
He was the cupbearer of king Artaxerxes of the Persian empire. Day in and day out he supervised all the comings and goings of his employer. The king trusted him with his life.
The time came when the king agreed to send Nehemiah back to the land of his fathers, Israel. The land from which he and thousands others were exiled. Ambitious Nehemiah, along with leaders like Ezra, brought worship back to the land.
He did it by opening the scrolls (Old Testament Scriptures) and reading to the people. He encouraged his brothers and sisters to let go of grief and allow God’s gift of joy to empower their lives. (Nehemiah 8:10)
Years of hoping and faithing life, and a 1001 nights of tears. God turned sorrow into joy!
Jesus taught this cycle of faith, hope and joy will repeat until his return (John 16:16-22).
Vignette 2:
God dispatched Angel Gabriel, the mighty one of God, to bring news of great joy to innocent Mary. For centuries, her people, the Jews, (as they were called at this time in history) waited on God and hoped for Messiah. Gabriel called this advent news “Joyful”.
A woman in her teens, promised in marriage, gets pregnant without a man, and that’s supposed to be joyful? The circumstances are not good. But joy defies circumstances. Still joy abounds for Mary: “My spirit rejoices in God my savior” (Luke 1:47).
Vignette 3:
After four years of marriage, the womb was still shut. My wife and I cried out to the Lord, “open the womb”. Friends in churches joined in prayer.
Sunday after Sunday, couples dedicated themselves and their babies to the Lord. “Why not us”, we lamented, while still rejoicing with the parents. “Will joy ever come in the morning?” Then joy surprised us! I remember holding two, yes twins!!!—football style, then turning them to face each other. I wept! I wept for joy!!!We name one of them Hanah Joy and the other Sarah Beth. All women who knew barrenness but also joy!
I have learned these truths about joy. They’re so needed in this joy-challenging year!
1. Joy is a deep sense of well-being. It’s the sense (not just a feeling or being happy) of being safe in God. No matter what! Ponder:
Joy is a positive outlook of hopefulness based upon a pervasive, overall sense of well-being. Joy, like love, has a ‘feeling’ component that is pleasant. Yet like love, joy not a feeling. Joy maintains a positive posture in life that assumes that good will be supported and eventually triumph over any apparent obstacle… one is joyful with the present state of affairs, whatever that may be. (Dallas Willard, Divine Conspiracy pp 117-18)
2. Joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Joy and the rest is simply the inner character of Jesus himself. As his character grows in us, and we slowly become versions of him, so will our lives flourish with fruit.
3. The inner life of Christ is fullness of joy. God is the most joyous being in the universe. His love and generosity go hand in hand with joy. As we abide in Christ, as we hide in him (John 15, Colossians 3:3), joy abounds. Rejoice in the Lord always!