Reclaiming Joy
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes, the oil of joy
instead of mourning, and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
10 I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.
This Sunday’s service can be viewed on our Facebook page @Sunday, December 17, 2023
Hello NewDay brothers and sisters,
This third week of Advent we focus on the virtue of Joy.
In my work as a therapist, I have often heard people say something to the effect of, "I have lost my joy," or "I wish I could find my joy again." Have you ever felt like this? I know I have.
In Hebrews 12:2-3 the apostle Paul writes "... And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
Jesus' long range goal was to set us free from sin, and to him it was a joy, even though he had to endure hardship and pain. This is simply astounding. Joy is something so powerful- so powerful it filled Jesus up! And it was so, so he could accomplish God's purpose to save us.
C.S. Lewis wrote in his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, “I had hoped that the heart of reality might be of such a kind that we can best symbolize it as a place,” Lewis writes. “Instead, I found it to be a Person.” C.S. Lewis discovered this..."joy is a gift graciously bestowed on us by God himself."
On this 3rd Sunday of Advent, we will attend to the gift of Joy, found in the gift of God's one and only Son, Jesus, given to us, so that we could be set free from the power of sin, death and the devil. This is something to feel and be joyful about!
One of the Names of Jesus that best describes this is, "Emmanuel," which means God with us. May the presence of Jesus fill you today, and remind you today, He is with you, loves you and is your source of Joy.
In Christ,
Pastor Kari