“Joy is not a requirement of Christian discipleship, it is a consequence. It is not what we have to acquire in order to experience life in Christ; it is what comes to us when we are walking in the way of faith and obedience.”
– Eugene Peterson
Weekly Readings
God of joy, we delight in knowing You. There is no greater love than that which You have offered us. Help us to acknowledge Your goodness so that our knowledge will become experience. May we complete our enjoyment of You with the outpouring of praise.
We rejoice because we know of Your works. You’ve defeated death forever and invited us into the Kingdom of Your Son. We rejoice because that Kingdom has begun yet awaits an even greater glory. We rejoice because all of these things remind us of Your faithfulness. We rejoice because they will never be taken, destroyed, or replaced. We rejoice because the things You love are becoming the things we love. Give us joy in all circumstances so all people can see a joy that is living, eternal, and true.
Amen.
Weekly Reflection
Victory, love, new life, gifts, relief. All of these are events that draw us into that transcendent felicity. The coming of Christ is the commencement of all of these events. He is the ultimate victory, love, life, gift, and relief that we can experience. Let your joy be made complete by the expression of worship, adoration, and praise. For we delight to praise what we enjoy because it not only expresses but completes the enjoyment. It is its appointed consummation. It is the chief purpose of man to acknowledge and respond to God as the greatest delight and enjoy Him forever. For no other time in history is He as near as He is now, and no other promise surpasses the one that recognizes He will only grow nearer.
Conversation
What are you grateful for that gives you joy?
Who do you know who is always joyful?
What makes them that way?
How can you have joy when you are waiting?
How is gratitude related to joy for you?
Do you think your house is full of joy?
Community
Drive by a local farm where there are animals out in the pasture. If the weather (and safety) allows, get out and observe the surroundings of the farm setting, the buildings, and the animals. Take a moment to talk with your family about what it must have been like for Jesus to be born in a place like this. What does it say about God that He would be humbled to such a lowly birth? How could it be that such incredible joy would explode from a stable like this? How can your family keep joy in your everyday coming-and-going, even in the low times and low places?
Craft • Make a Gift for Someone Else
Do you enjoy baking, woodworking, knitting, or writing poetry? Do you have kids who like to paint or draw with markers? This is the perfect opportunity, just before Christmas Day, to take time together and make a gift for someone else. Even if all of your shopping has been “done” for a while, what a great opportunity to embody the joy of God by creating something as a family.
Think of whom in your life would especially appreciate a homemade gift. Use the opportunity to talk in your home about how this process is like God giving us a gift of joy. Make the process more about who the gift is for, rather than overseeing the “quality control” of what you are making together.
