True Joy
The Week of Joy
At the birth of your Son, you whisper to our hearts, Father, as you fill us with the joy of our salvation. We thank you. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Tina McCartney
Psalm 40:16
When you are going through the worst experience of your life, a life-changing experience, can you still find joy?
As Mom and Dad lay in their hospice beds together, holding hands, Mom would ask Dad, “Jerry, are you all right?” Immediately Dad would reply, “I’m great, Barbara!” Then a few minutes later, Dad would ask Mom, “Barbara, are you all right?” She would immediately respond with, “Don’t worry about me, I’m doing just fine, Jerry.” This went on many times a day for two days. When Dad closed his eyes for the last time, Mom woke up and we told her of Dad’s passing. What was her response to losing the love of her life? Without hesitation, with a smile on her face, “I am so happy for him and I’m next!” This is one of the last phrases she ever spoke. That’s when I knew it was going to be okay. Her joy for Dad was so evident and she couldn’t wait to join him.
During the time of their sickness, I found such comfort in God as I experienced the worst life-changing five days of my life, an experience I was not prepared for nor could I change. I was helpless and in deep despair. During this time God blessed me with good memories, support of family and friends, scripture embedded in my heart and soul, and laughter of family as stories were being told. The more I sought Him during this time, the more joy I was able to experience. He provided what I needed, and I knew He was thinking of me, helping me through it all.
My prayer for each of you this Advent Season is that you can find true joy and happiness in Him. Know He is great and is always thinking of you.
Love in Action
The Week of Joy
At the birth of your Son, you whisper to our hearts, Father, as you fill us with the joy of our salvation. We thank you. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Debby Murphy
Romans 12:9-12
When God called Mike and me to move to San Antonio two years ago, we didn’t know anyone here except our daughter and her family. Then we found Woodland and experienced the sincere love, devotion, and joyful hope that Paul highlights in Romans 12:9-12. People welcomed us, prayed for us, and invited us into their lives. We cherish the new friendships we have made.
With the birth of Jesus, God once again invited His people, all people, into a love relationship with Him and with each other. When Jesus ascended from our world, He left the mission to us to share with others the news of this incredible love relationship. As Christians, He equips us with the Holy Spirit who gives us the power of God and His resources to share the great message of salvation and envelop each other in love, patience, and kindness. God is love in action, and He invites us to join Him where He is already working so He can involve us in building His kingdom on earth and accomplishing His purpose.
Because God first seeks us, we are able to experience His infinite grace, love, and peace. As believers, our love for fellow Christians and others in our world is a manifestation of Christ’s love in us and gives us that satisfaction and joy of spirit as we respond to God’s call. And herein lies the potential. When we are so utterly loved by our Father, and when we find the sincere, accepting love of a community of believers such as at Woodland, we are blessed and eager to share and extend that love and service to others with the spiritual fervor Paul describes.
The Greatest Gift
The Week of Joy
At the birth of your Son, you whisper to our hearts, Father, as you fill us with the joy of our salvation. We thank you. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Kay Dabney
John 1:14
“The Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love, grace and truth. We have seen his glory, the glory of the only son of the Father.” John 1:14 (NLT)
This is one of my favorite scriptures of the Advent season. To better understand the miracle of God’s Word becoming flesh in the form of Christ we turn to John 1:1-2: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” Jesus was sent by God to live among us. He came to show us God’s love and his grace and to show us the truth. Living among us, Jesus understood us, he identified with us, he felt our pain, and he hurt. He was “despised and rejected” by some. And yet, through all of it, he proclaimed the gift of grace.
God’s glory shone brightly through Jesus as he lived among us. People could see God’s presence through Him. They saw the importance of God in their lives. John recorded seven miracles that declared the glory of God. Among them, the feeding of the 5,000, the healing of the lame and the sick, and the turning of water to wine at the wedding at Cana of Galilee. John tells us that “He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him” (John 2:11 NIV).
Jesus stepped down from heaven, coming for you. He brings with Him the amazing gifts of grace and truth. He is the One present we can’t live without. Christmas is celebrated as the beginning of the Word becoming flesh in the birth of Jesus Christ. Let the person of Jesus be the greatest gift we celebrate this Christmas.
Wired to Love Music
The Week of Joy
At the birth of your Son, you whisper to our hearts, Father, as you fill us with the joy of our salvation. We thank you. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Patty Villarreal
Psalm 98:4-9
“Tell everyone on this earth to sing happy songs in praise of the Lord.” V. 4
This week’s emphasis is on Joy. From cradle to grave, music is an integral part of our human nature. An infant coos to music, a toddler begins body movement from head to toe to match joyful tunes. Teens and adults automatically hum and bob their heads in timing to songs that may even be heard in an elevator! Even when unconscious, people in a coma or as they lay dying — medical and grief experts encourage that music is played or sung to them. My mom, as she lay dying from Alzheimers, visibly reacted when we played southern gospel at her bedside, a staple music in our house since early pastorate days. Rhythm and music is a part of our very being from beginning to end. God wired us that way!
Verse 6 says “Sound the trumpets and horns and celebrate with joyful songs for our Lord and King!” God directed the writer, David, to write what comes natural for David, music and his love for God. For those who love Christ, this is natural for us. Wired biologically to love music. Wired spiritually to hunger for God and REJOICE in Him! As His children, what brings Him joy brings us Joy! This season we celebrate the greatest Joy to and from God, the birth of His Son on this earth. He wanted us to experience true Joy by knowing His Son so that we know God’s Unconditional Love. Be Joyful in that knowledge! Share the good news. Jesus is the Reason for the Season!! Sing happy songs in praise!
Entrusted with a Treasure
The Week of Joy
At the birth of your Son, you whisper to our hearts, Father, as you fill us with the joy of our salvation. We thank you. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Diana Bridges
Luke 2:8-10
Shepherds in first-century Palestine understood their status in society. It was low and upward mobility wasn’t a possibility. Their work was necessary, but neither glamorous nor celebrated. If you pause for a moment, you’ll be able to identify those in our world who would fall into the same category.
If we hadn’t known this story our entire lives, it would be shocking that the angels gave this most important of messages to shepherds. (You might want to pause again to imagine the President delivering the State of the Union to an audience of migrant workers or the Queen of England giving her Christmas Day Address exclusively to day laborers.) Their response, however, was textbook — abject fear. The appearance of angels out of the blue seems to be one of the great levelers of humanity.
They soon followed orders and headed toward Bethlehem and the Baby. I wonder if that other piece of information ever took root in their overwhelmed minds. “I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide.” (The Message) Did they hold their heads a little higher, do their work with a greater sense of pride, teach their children and grandchildren this very good and inclusive news?
Where do we find ourselves in this bit of the gospel? We don’t occupy the high place of angels or the shepherds’ place on the margins. However, the meaning of the word angel is “messenger” and that actually is us. We’ve been entrusted with this treasure for the sake of all people everywhere, including those most often overlooked. This Advent and beyond may we find our joy multiplied as we embody the gospel to people in unexpected places.
Promises
The Week of Joy
At the birth of your Son, you whisper to our hearts, Father, as you fill us with the joy of our salvation. We thank you. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Jerome Malek
Luke 1:46-48
Then Mary said, “My heart is overflowing with praise of my Lord, my soul is full of joy in God my Savior. For he has deigned to notice me, his humble servant, and after this, all the people who ever shall be will call me the happiest of women!“
“Cross my heart.” This is a universal saying of children around the world. If we want to give even more credence to our promise, we include “hope to die”. Promises should be sacred, with the assurance that what is promised will be fulfilled. No room for doubt. The entire Christian faith is founded on the belief that the promises of God found in the Holy Scriptures are to be trusted. Some promises are easy to believe: “I’ll take you to the movies this afternoon.” Others are much more difficult to believe: “If you go to college you will be wealthy.”
Abraham was promised that his family would one day become a great nation. Mary was promised that she would be blessed above all women as the mother of the promised Messiah. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
Mary’s response to the angel’s message was to lift her voice in praise to God.
Tell out my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
tender to me the promise of his word,
in God my Savior shall my heart rejoice.
-Timothy Dudley-Smith
Christmas Music
The Week of Joy
At the birth of your Son, you whisper to our hearts, Father, as you fill us with the joy of our salvation. We thank you. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Jason Hanchey
Isaiah 9:2-3
I love Christmas. I should say I need Christmas. I get a of lot tears in my eyes this time of year. It’s the music that plays on the radio with messages of love, joy and grace that I sing along to silently. There are ones in particular that make me nearly instantly wipe tears from my cheeks.
Often I will get into my truck and scan across the various holiday and Christian stations seeking songs in particular. I am often not disappointed and will find one that I needed in that moment. I am particularly glad that stations begin playing Christmas music now. Our kids ask to have music on when we are doing chores around the house. During the short trip to school in the morning, we listen to one of the stations playing classic themed songs the kids enjoy.
These moments are those private times when I feel the warmth of the light of the Lord shining from others. I am instantly rejuvenated., ready to turn off the radio, prepared to be the bearer of this gifted light to others. My spiritual journey is young, so I have to do this consciously. Only late in my adult life have I felt a connection with a church, thanks in large part to the light and love that shines from my wife and further strengthened through my kids growth in their faith in our church here. I pray I am a good bearer of the light for others.
Life, Love, and Joy
By Marilyn Gladson
John 6:33
“The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Today is a special day for me. My father was born on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1926. Once, when I was a child, I asked him if he got combined Christmas/Birthday gifts when he was growing up. “What gifts?” was his reply. He was the third of three brothers and had three younger sisters. It is safe to say their family was quite poor. My grandfather was a jack-of-all-trades who made his living by doing a variety of jobs. He even did some preaching along the way. Yet, he always provided for his wife and children. And not all gifts come wrapped in pretty paper, ribbons, and bows. Daddy had the gift of a loving family who nurtured his faith, taught him to sing the old hymns of praise, and showed him how to be a fine man, husband and father.
He learned those lessons well. While his teacher/preacher salaries did not always stretch to the end of the month, our family of five was never hungry, always had clothes and shelter, and managed to put a dollar each in our Sunday School envelopes every week. The “true bread of God,” Jesus Christ, was as familiar to me as my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I cannot remember any time in my life when I did not know about our loving God and our salvation through faith in Jesus.
So, today I celebrate not only the human birth of Jesus in tiny Bethlehem, but also the birth and life of my dad. Both have given me life and love and joy.
Choose Joy
By Elizabeth Pruitt
Psalm 40:16
Choose joy!!
Have you seen this advice on social media or received it from a well-meaning friend? Sometimes when I hear those words, I think “Really, you don’t understand what I am going through. Seems too easy. Seems a little trite.”
Psalm 40 verse 16 says, “But all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, The LORD is great!”
This Psalm is about David being in distress, praying to be rescued, waiting (and waiting) for God, to lift him from his trouble, and then giving God praise for saving him. We’ve all been in our own pit of trouble: an unwelcome diagnosis, the loss of a job, disappointment, death of a loved one, a broken relationship. The list could go on and on. We can be comforted, that our joy is not contingent on our situation, for our joy is grounded in the Lord. Romans 5 verses 10-11 confirm this, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
I guess as believers, we have “Chosen Joy”. This deep-down joy comes when we are reconciled to God through faith Jesus Christ.
This Christmas, and always, let us remember that we can rejoice regardless of our circumstances because of Christ within our hearts.
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart (where!?)
Down in my heart (where!?)
Down in my heart.
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart (where!?)
Down in my heart to stay.
Ready for Joy
By Gina Garrison
Luke 1:46-48
One of my favorite folk songs, recorded by Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, is titled “Ready for Joy.” The song expresses the dark places in our lives, when we feel downtrodden, tied to the ground, or surrounded by midnight. Throughout these hardships, the lyricist speaks enthusiastically of his or her anticipation of joy. “I wanna be ready when joy comes back.”
In what could have been a time of great despair, Mary expresses her overflowing joy and gratitude for God’s blessings. Despite the challenges she was facing, she was ready for joy. In this advent season, may we all make room in our hearts for the anticipation of joy. May we all be ready for the darkness to turn to light, our crying to turn to laughter. I want to be ready for the joy of Christmas and the birth of the Christ Child.
Holy Father, As we prepare for Christmas, may you delight in our joy and anticipation.