The Gospel of Joy in the Hope of Advent
This is the time of year we are to rejoice in the Holy Spirit as a means of evangelizing the world. We are to prepare for the celebration of the birth of the Christ child. Sure the story may lean toward reindeer and snowmen and Santa but the reason for the season is the coming of Jesus. It is the story of Christians but also the story of Christ, for without Jesus there is no reason to celebrate…for without Jesus everyone is worse off…even those yet to be born. With this manifestation of Christ in culture in mind…with the life and death reality of the drama exposed we instead choose The Gospel of Joy in the Hope of Advent.
Scripture: And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1 John 5:11-12 (NRSV)
You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
Ephesians 2:1-2:10 (NRSV)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.
Colossians 1:15-16 (NRSV)
At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’ Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.’
Luke 10:21-24 (NRSV)
Message: Imagine what the world would be like if God, in the person of Jesus Christ, had never come to earth. That’s right…no Christmas. But that is just the beginning of what a pit we would be in without Jesus. Gone would be the amazing music as Bach. Beethoven and Handel. So too for many of our universities and hospitals. This work would not have existed without people who had hearts inspired and filled with compassion in the hope of a better world because of their experience of a joyous Jesus. We do not usually think of Jesus as joyous but he was filled to overflowing with joy. And now is the time of year to experience it. As we begin the four weeks of Advent it is a good time to reflect on the meaning of Christian joy and the hope joy brings in our work of sharing the good news. It is a great time to contemplate of our relationship with Jesus and what a gift it has been and continues to be. It is a great time for us to experience Gospel joy… to proclaim Gospel joy… to learn to rejoice as we really begin to realize that God has come to be with us encouraging us to cultivate the fruit of Gospel joy. We just need to say yes to the invitation to discover that Jesus, the great hope of mankind, is with us and we are his contemporary disciples. Yes, He still walks with us, instructs us and leads us in the Way of forgiven sins. Friends, Advent promises new life. Because Jesus came, we know more of what God is like. We experience forgiveness for our sins and the transformation of our hearts and minds. We receive the promise of heaven and eternal life. Friends, this season be transformed by his grace and renewed by his love. Extend grace to others because it has been so wonderfully extended to us. Forgive because we have been forgiven. Give because he gave to us. Live because he has given us eternal life. Because Jesus came, we know the joy and the hope of living as love. Christ showed us what God was like. Now let us become more like him.
Pray we like John the Baptist in the womb, leap for joy in the presence of Jesus. Pray we like Mary rejoice in the hope that our very soul would proclaim the greatness of Christ. Pray we like Jesus learn to share the hope of joy. Pray that the coming of Christmas becomes for us the promise of new life in Christ. Pray we know the joy Christ and the hope Jesus brings. Pray we know the joy of sins forgiven. Pray we believe in the hope of heaven. Pray we become the fuel igniting the light of Gospel joy. Pray we are encouraged by the Spirit to cultivate the fruit of joy…the fruit of hope. Pray in keeping with his promise we look forward with hope for a new heaven and a new earth and unwrap it day by day this Advent.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 