Today’s devotional is offered by Ruth Finch.

Love came down when Gabriel brought a message of love to Zachariah that his wife Elizabeth would bring forth a son, a gift from God. Their son, John, the Baptist, humbly recognized Jesus as much greater than himself. John’s purpose was to prepare the way for the Messiah.

Love came down when Gabriel brought a message of love to Mary that she also would bring forth a son. He was born of the most humble beginnings and yet destined to be the savior of the world who would redeem humanity.

And the shepherds brought tidings to the shepherds…

Luke 2:11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Imagine being a shepherd…alone with nothing but your sheep to keep you company in the darkness of night, when suddenly, an angel of the Lord appears. The Bible says “and the glory of the Lord shone ’round them.” It goes on to say that shepherds were afraid. Who wouldn’t be? But, the angel tells them to fear not, do not be afraid and shares with them the good news that a Savior has been born. He is the Messiah, the Lord! And so, the shepherds set out to find this Savior, and when they do, they know the announcement is true. Imagine the excitement and joy!

Luke 2 verse 17-18 “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child and all who head it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”

What a privilege to share this moment and become bearers of good news to all that would hear.

And Love comes down today. It is the Holy Spirit that makes known to us His will and renews in us His promises of hope, love, joy, and salvation.

As believers in Christ, it is not only our purpose but our privilege, to bring glory to God by sharing with others the Christmas story of how a little babe, born in a manger, came to save the world. May the true meaning of this season fill us with an overwhelming desire to be faithful to our calling to share, with joy, the Christmas story; a story not reserved for this season alone, but all the year through.

Today’s Devotional is offered by Alex and Darcy Drake. 

James 1:2-3 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

We have celebrated all season with the climax being Christmas Day because of the knowledge that Jesus was born to us! Because of His birth, we can have pure Joy in all that we do. What is pure Joy? We believe it is greater than happiness. It is NOT a Joy that is temporary or passing. It is not presents under the tree, boxes from Amazon, Starbucks or Netflix. With pure Joy, you have Hope, Peace, and Love too!

Joy doesn’t always come in the form of pure happiness without difficulties and hardships. It was a purely Joyous night when Christ was born, but many trials were encountered to bring Him into the world: an unmarried pregnant virgin, a man faced with this and the decision to trust and have faith, a long journey to Bethlehem, no place but a stable with a manger to give birth, and even labor itself! Through these many trials and the testing of faith, Mary and Joseph had a strong perseverance or persistence despite the difficulties and delivered to the world the Joy of our Savior! What an honor to have been given these trials!

We all face our own life challenges and trials of many different kinds. We reflect on our lives and the blessings we’ve been given by each of our children. Each brings a wonderful and unique story to our family. Vivie’s story is the one that comes to mind when reading James 1:2-3. We could never have imagined the challenging trial our family would embark upon with the birth of our second daughter, Vivie, and the countless ways it has brought our entire family closer. We think of the unwavering faith and trust that Mary and Joseph must have had in their journey as well and know that the only way challenges like these are met successfully is with a higher power in control by our sides. When we face these types of life trials, our faith is put to the test. When we endure and persevere through them, we truly gain our souls, and it becomes apparent that we can only successfully face these challenges with Jesus by our sides and in our hearts. With Jesus, we can rest comfortably knowing that He would not place us into these trials if He didn’t already know that we have the power to conquer them. How deeply honored we are to be given these trials! Through them, we have gained a stronger faith and relationship with God. With those strengths, we can live more Joyfully. Vivie is undoubtedly our angel from Him. She and all of our children have brought God’s Joy into our lives!

Thank heaven that pure Joy isn’t fleeting. It doesn’t leave you like your good mood may when you’re having difficulty downloading something on your phone. It’s not fleeting like the peaceful moment right before the hectic chaos breaks loose at 6 pm in our house! It doesn’t change as quickly as we can change from calm to anxious when you walk into your home that looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in weeks. So when you think, “how can I be full of Joy in times like this,” or “my Joy is gone,” remember that those are just passing moments. Pure Joy is a Joy that is PERMANENT and sustainable through any trial or tribulation. Because God sent his son who taught and lived His word, we are able to know and have pure Joy. We can feel honored and full of Joy to be given challenging trials knowing the strength of faith they produce. And by knowing and having Joy, we can feel Hope in our everyday struggles; we can be blanketed by Peace when we allow it; we can have Love surround us.

Thanks be to God for sending his son so that we can live a life of Joy, Hope, Peace, and Love!

Prayer: Lord we thank you for the challenging life trials you have laid before us because each brings us stronger in our faith and relationship with you. We are thankful for the pure Joy you have allowed us to experience through you and ask that you continue to guide us every day of our lives. Amen. 

Today’s devotional was written by Jim Adcock. 

The Jewish people had no Messiah throughout the Old Testament except God the father. God used certain people, like Moses, to further His kingdom, but they still desired a messiah.

When did God start think about a messiah for His people, Jesus?
Maybe it was with Abraham, 2000 years before Jesus birth.
Maybe it was back even further, back to Adam, the first human.
Maybe God never started thinking about Jesus, as God the Son was always with God the Father.

The Jewish people had been waiting for centuries (700 years) for the Messiah promised by the prophet in Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel”. The birth of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of this prophecy by Isaiah.

Mary was pledged to Joseph, but before marriage, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. The Lord told Joseph she would give birth to a son and you are to name Him Jesus. This was done to fulfill what God said through the prophet. Being a good man, Joseph did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

The Angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will be the mother of the son of God. I know she has mixed feelings and being unmarried she could be ridiculed or worse. But, she believes that the angel Gabriel is a messenger of God and shows her feelings by singing “My soul glorifies the Lord”.

We as believers celebrate Advent as a period of 4 Sundays before Christmas when Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ. We take four weeks to get ready because, well, it’s overwhelming, isn’t?

Prayer: Father I am overwhelmed by the story of the nativity. Help me like Joseph and Mary to believe and we thank you for the birth of our personal savior the Messiah, Jesus – the babe of long ago. Amen 

Today’s devotional was written by Ann Timberlake. 

I don’t think I had ever noticed how much JOY there is in scriptures related to the Christmas story until I began preparing for this devotion.

• The story begins with the angel visiting Zechariah and Elizabeth to tell them that their son, John, will “be a joy to you.”
• Luke speaks of Elizabeth’s neighbors and relatives sharing the joy when they heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy.
• When Mary visits Elizabeth the unborn baby “leaps up with joy”.
• When the angel Gabriel visited Mary with the news that she would bear the Messiah the first words from her lips were “Rejoice” which means be full of joy.
• Mary cries out in her response, “Yes, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!”
• The shepherds in the fields were told by the angel, “Fear not. We bring you good news of great joy!”

There are approximately 250 references to joy in the Bible and another 150 about rejoice. That’s a whole lotta JOY. Joy is a major theme in God’s words to us. And, If JOY is that important to God, then it should be important to me.

By the time you read this, I hope to have everything on my list finished. But as of now, I haven’t. As soon as I complete the shopping, send a few more Christmas cards, buy the stocking stuffers, decide on the menus, shop for groceries, cook, clean, wrap the gifts, finish decorating…and I am sure there is something else I have forgotten…then I can be JOYful!

Somehow though I don’t think it’s supposed to work that way. Perhaps if I focus on the JOY of the good news first, all the things that I think need my attention will not rob me of the joy I am to have as one of His children this Christmas. There is no doubt Mary and Joseph had plenty to think about as they began their lives together with a special baby boy to be born under very special circumstances, yet the angel told the shepherds, “Fear not. We bring you good news of great joy!”

This year, let’s put Joy first. That way, it can be carried through all of the rest of the things we must do, and we can keep a whole lotta joy in our hearts and lives.

Prayer: Father, thank you for the joy you give us through the birth of your son Jesus. This Christmas help us to focus on you and the joy of the blessed gift of your son. In your precious and holy name, I pray. Amen

Today’s Devotional is offered by Kyle Yarbrough. 

As we come to the Christmas Season I read through the Christmas Story several times before beginning this devotional and one situation kept appearing – Fear of the unknown and then angels calming message of…

For unto you a child is born…
…Having a child is one of a very small number of events in your life that can truly excite and terrify you at the same time. How am I ever going to be a good dad? Am I ready for this? Or the real frightening question – Is she going to be ok?

Emotionally I didn’t know…
…how to handle that question when, during our 3rd pregnancy, we were told that there’s an abnormality with your baby’s heart and she will need intervention to survive. I am one that likes to be in control or at least have a hand in keeping things under control, and this was the extreme opposite.

All of my efforts…
…went into trying to find a way to change the game and gain some semblance of control. Google was my target – If I can’t find answers here then I’m out of luck. So I started and there were so many possibilities of what could be wrong and the doom and gloom aspects that after about 30 minutes I stopped, put the computer away, and started praying – not for answers or truth or to make everything better. No, for the first time I just talked and said that I knew that he was in control and that the outcome was in his plan.

Relinquishing this control…
…brought a calming peace that I didn’t know could come under these situations. The next few months showed me just how much God was in control when I couldn’t be by giving us a great team of professional and personal supporters that gave the level of confidence and understanding that I wanted. They also gave us the only material that we needed to look at for understanding, and to call with any questions.

Nothing could have prepared me…
…for the shock, but nothing comforted me like knowing there was one source of information and someone that could help with the comprehension. It took almost 39 years and a true-gut punch situation to truly understand this concept and relate it back to how to handle situations that are out of my control.

One Source…
…The Bible – is the place to go to find a truly calming peace for difficult situations. The key to finding this calming peace however, is to go into the Bible with the openness to receive his plan and not to seek my answer.

Thank you God for loving us!
…help us to understand that everything is in your hands and that you have a plan for us. Please help us to trust that you have it all under control and to take the advice of the angels.

For Behold, I bring you good tidings of Great JOY!!

Today’s Devotional is offered by Julie Earnhardt. 

Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him…

Every year you hear people complaining about how much they are dreading the approaching holidays. You know you’ve heard it too. Christmas brings chaos. How will we ever find time to decorate? Our list of gifts to buy is overwhelming. When will we be able to squeeze in enough time to attend all of the festivities? For some the stress of the season evokes much deeper emotions. Trying to mask your feelings of experiencing Christmas without a loved one for the first time can be almost unbearable. Others are faced with financial burdens or a scary diagnosis that can create a sinkhole in your heart that seems impossible to fill. These stressors all serve to steal our joy and make us lose our focus.

I challenge you to pause and reflect. We can choose to make this Christmas different. God has promised us hope and joy!

What brings you joy at Christmas?

Better yet, what brings you that giddy, child-like Christmas joy?

I am sure you have a vision in your head of a Christmas past that was filled with contagious joy. …the kind of joy that makes all of those around you smile! Maybe you immediately thought of a special family tradition, a meaningful gift, a favorite ornament, or possibly a Christmas carol. Chances are you didn’t think about the hassle of shopping, the mounds of boxes cluttering the attic for decorating, or all of the other difficulties that can cloud our thoughts.

For me, my mind quickly takes me to the Hanging of the Greens service at Oxford Baptist Church. Ever since I was a little girl the gigantic tree in our church has amazed me. The order of service is always predictable from year to year and I wait with anticipation as the candles are lit, the greenery drapes the railings, the wreath is placed perfectly, and the lights sparkle on the tree. Although each part of this service is special to me, I have to admit that it is one particular part that brings me tears of joy every single year. When Silent Night is coming to an end and the entire church is glowing by candlelight, I open my eyes and stare at the Chrismon tree that is twinkling. The piano and organ begin quietly at first and then the most amazing sound takes over. As the arrangement of the Lord’s Prayer rings through the church I feel calmness; calmness that only God’s presence can provide. For a moment I forget about the busyness of the holiday season, I temporarily cast away the worries that have burdened me, and I am completely focused on the real reason we celebrate this season. Joy! Pure JOY! Joy that brings me to happy tears! Joy that gives me a contagious smile to share with others throughout the entire holiday season!

Of course there are other moments of joy that I could share from each holiday season, but I invite you to stop and reflect for yourself.
What ordinary events during Christmas give you true joy?
Joy is a choice.
Joy is a choice that God wants us all to experience this Christmas and every Christmas.

Sure life is hectic. Sure we are faced with circumstances that we wouldn’t choose, but I encourage you to find the simple moments that give you great joy so that you can truly focus on the birth of the Holy One. The greatest gift of JOY ever given to each of us!

Prayer: Dear God, Christmas can be a real celebration of new beginnings if we choose to focus on the joy of a tiny baby born in a manger instead of the distractions. We ask that you help us to find genuine joy in the chaos that each day brings. Thank you God for simple reminders throughout this Christmas season that you are always with us. Thank you God for giving us the greatest gift known. Help us to share your JOY with others! Amen

I challenge you to join me in creating a “Joy Jar” with your family. Over the next few days leading up to Christmas, spend time each day alone thinking about what brings you joy during the hectic days right before Christmas. What or who has brought you joy at a difficult moment? What or who helped you become closer in your walk with Christ during this time? I invite you to take some time Christmas morning to share these with each other. I think this could be a great time for reflection, growth, and pure JOY!

Today’s Devotional is offered by Haven Parrott

“The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me . . . to provide for those who mourn in Zion—to give them the oil of gladness instead of mourning.” Isaiah 61:1, 3b

I just wanted it to be over. December in general, that is, and Christmas in particular. The parties, the presents, the pressure – it all grated on my last nerve. The relentlessly cheerful greetings, “Merry Christmas!” and “Happy Holidays!” were painful reminders that Merry and Happy were faraway lands I could no longer access. My passport to those places had expired on the same day in late November of that year that my father had.

I wanted to sleep till January, or at least make my way through December with as little Christmas as possible. But church pianists don’t take December off, so avoiding the carols and candles was not in the cards. I slogged through rehearsals for the Christmas musical by concentrating on the notes while blocking out the messages of hope and joy which threatened to shatter my fragile armor and leave me in a puddle. By the time the performance rolled around, I was confident my emotions were sufficiently tucked away under a robotic determination to get through without a breakdown.

Only I hadn’t counted on there being a real live baby in the manger.

About halfway through the production, as if on cue, the distinctive wail of a newborn punctured the silent darkness, startling me out of my stoic trance. I looked up to see a tiny arm tentatively reaching out of the manger towards Mary’s face. The little fist unfurled like a fiddlehead fern in the warmth of the spotlight. A real live baby. God became a real live baby.

The message of Christmas – God puncturing the membrane between heaven and earth to be with us, as us, a fellow human griever – came crashing through my carefully defended fortress, leaving me doubled over in grief and gratitude for the implications of incarnation: God feels my feels.

That year, I wept my way to joy.

Prayer: Lord, you feel our feels. Help us to joy, even when we weep our way there. Amen

Today’s Devotional is offered by Cindy Joy.

The Lord your God is in your midst ~
a warrior bringing victory.
He will create calm with his love;
he will rejoice over you with singing.
~Zephaniah 3:17

Tomorrow we come to the Third Sunday of Advent and will celebrate the gift of ‘joy’ through a Service of Lessons and Carols. This traditional English service was first held in King’s College Chapel in Cambridge on Christmas Eve, 1918. Reading the prophetic scriptures and gospel narratives; singing and playing the beautiful carols and music of the Advent~Christmas season are a meaningful way for the church to join together in worship and celebration.

There is something very special about gathering with people we love and care about . . . whether it’s spending time with friends or sharing a meal around the table with our families. There, however, is something so significant and beautiful when we gather as the body of Christ and lift our voices in praise through our words, our prayers, and yes, our singing! God created us to worship Him and we are commanded through the scriptures to “Sing for joy to the Lord, O you righteous ones.” (Psalm 33:1); “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.” (Psalm 100:1-2)

During the Advent season, we focus on the gifts that God gives to us through His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. These gifts are hope, peace, joy, and love . . . four simple words that are so deep and rich in what they mean and bring to us. They are to be cultivated in our own lives so that we might share and encourage them in the lives of others. The ‘joy’ that God gives to us is an indescribable gift! The Psalmist reminds us in Psalm 16:11, “You will make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy…”

I pray that as we continue our Advent journey we will know the ‘fullness of His joy’ through our gathering, in our worship, and through one another!