Advent Joy: Choosing Justice, Love, and Community

Devotional

Day 1: Joy that Lifts the Lowly and Vulnerable

Advent joy is not shallow cheer; it is God’s justice and mercy breaking into ordinary lives. With Mary and Elizabeth, we learn to sing about a Savior who notices the overlooked and raises the vulnerable. This joy doesn’t skip the low places; it goes there first and lifts. When you bless the God of justice and joy, you join a song that stretches from generation to generation. Let that song move your hands toward someone who needs lifting today, so that praise becomes action. Come and worship, all you who dream and wait, and let your waiting be filled with holy courage [09:44]

Luke 1:46–55: My soul celebrates the Lord; my spirit is glad in God my Rescuer. He has looked kindly on His lowly servant, and from now on people will call me blessed because the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His name. His mercy rolls on from age to age for those who live in reverence; He disrupts the proud and their schemes, topples the powerful, and raises the humble. He fills the hungry with good things and sends the self-satisfied away empty. He has helped His people, remembering mercy, just as He promised to Abraham and his children forever.

Reflection: Who near you is being overlooked this week, and what is one specific way you can lift them—through a visit, a warm meal, or connecting them to needed help?

Day 2: Joy That Lives Within Our Hardest Emotions

Joy can live beside tears, holding what hurts without rushing it away. God stays close when breath is short and hearts are heavy. In that nearness, grief begins to shift—not erased, but companioned until it slowly makes room for gladness. Choosing joy in such times looks like choosing each other: showing up, listening long, praying for those wounded in our communities and across the world. Trust that the One who promised joy will meet you in the night and will not let that joy be stolen. Take the next small step toward connection, even if your hands still tremble [10:03]

John 16:20–22: You will weep and mourn while others seem to celebrate, but your grief will turn into joy. Like a mother in labor, pain is real, yet when new life arrives, the anguish gives way to gladness. So now you feel sorrow, but I will see you again; your heart will rejoice, and no one will be able to take that joy from you.

Reflection: Where is grief tender for you right now, and what gentle practice could create a meeting place for God there this week (a quiet walk, a journal line, a candle, or a trusted conversation)?

Day 3: Choosing Justice, Love, Each Other, and Joy

Joy grows where justice is practiced and love is shared. It is more than a feeling; it is our faith made visible in connection, blessing, and sacred disruption. When we bless neighbors with clothing, healthcare, or a warm meal, we become a living chorus declaring God’s good news. Such joy resists apathy and joins Spirit-filled solidarity, especially with those who are overlooked. Choose justice, choose love, choose each other—and watch joy take root in ordinary places [10:26]

Micah 6:8: The Holy One has already shown what goodness looks like: do what is just, treasure steadfast kindness, and walk humbly alongside your God.

Reflection: Which act of justice-shaped love will you practice this week—volunteering your time, supporting a local clinic, or advocating for someone—and when specifically will you do it?

Day 4: Confession, Reconciliation, and Becoming Christ’s Hands

We confess that we can be cantankerous and too sure of ourselves. Division grows quickly when we prize our rightness over right relationship. Grace calls us back—to humility, gentleness, and the hard work of repairing trust. As we receive mercy that God is more willing to give than we are to accept, we are shaped into people who carry peace. Then God can send us as healing hands and feet, offering comfort to the hurting nearby and far away. Let reconciliation start with one conversation, one apology, one brave kindness today [51:17]

Ephesians 4:1–3, 31–32: Live a life worthy of your calling—be humble and gentle, patient and willing to carry each other in love; do all you can to keep the Spirit’s unity through the bond of peace. Put away bitterness, rage, and hurtful words; be kind and tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Reflection: Think of one strained relationship; what is one concrete step toward peace you can take in the next 48 hours (a listening meeting, an apology, or a handwritten note)?

Day 5: Praying 'Your Kingdom Come' With Our Lives

The prayer Jesus taught is an Advent way of life. We seek the Father’s holy name, the kingdom’s arrival, and the daily bread we truly need. We ask to be forgiven and to forgive, to be guided away from traps that would undo us. Prayed honestly, these words form us into people who live the answer—generous, grounded, and courageous in the face of evil. Let this prayer set your pace today, and let your Amen become action in service, giving, and peace [59:28]

Matthew 6:9–13: Pray like this: Father in heaven, may your name be honored. Let your kingdom come and your desire be done here on earth as in heaven. Give us today what we need to live. Forgive us our sins as we release those who wrong us. Keep us from the paths that entice us and rescue us from the evil one, for the kingdom, the power, and the glory belong to you forever.

Reflection: Which line of the Lord’s Prayer speaks most to your season right now, and what one simple practice will you adopt this week to live that line?

Sermon Summary

We gathered as prophets and dreamers, joining Mary and Elizabeth’s song, and asked God to fill us with Advent joy—real joy that doesn’t skim the surface but roots itself in God’s mercy and justice. We prayed that joy would refresh our souls and move our bodies into action, because joy that never leaves the heart never reaches the neighborhood. Together we confessed how easily we become certain of our own rightness, how quickly we divide, and we asked God to mend us—restoring right relationship with God and one another. We gave thanks for a grace that outruns our reluctance to receive it, and we named the gift that Jesus is to us: God-with-us in power, tenderness, and truth.

As a community, we affirmed a richer vision of joy. Joy is not luxury or denial; it is the justice we practice, the truth we tell, and the solidarity we choose. It grows as we bless others and form honest relationships. It even lives within the swirl of grief, holding our pain without letting it have the final word. That’s why we prayed for those in our own family who are healing, and for neighbors we may never meet—the Brown University community and those reeling after the Hong Kong fire—trusting that God’s presence can travel where we cannot, and asking to be sent where we can.

We chose, again, the path we named aloud: we choose justice, we choose love, we choose each other, we choose joy. Not because life is easy, but because Christ is near. Advent joy is freedom and healing, redemption and return; it is God’s nearness becoming visible in embodied compassion, steady truth-telling, and small acts of repair. May that joy keep us tender in a hard world, courageous when the costs rise, and attentive to the ways God is already birthing newness—right here among us.

Key Takeaways

1. Joy is justice with skin on Joy is not a mood we chase but a life we practice. When we say joy is “the justice we give ourselves,” we name a wholeness that honors dignity—ours and our neighbor’s. Joy matures as we disrupt harm and bless others in concrete ways. It is public, relational, and visible. [49:57]
2. Joy moves us toward embodied action God’s joy does more than soothe; it sends. When our souls are refreshed, our bodies are called into generosity, presence, and service. Advent joy is love with motion—hands, feet, calendars, and budgets aligned with God’s dream. [10:26]
3. Joy holds grief without denial True joy does not cancel sorrow; it companions it. When we ache, God’s nearness opens a spaciousness where tears and hope can share the same room. This honest joy refuses shortcuts and makes room for lament while leaning toward resurrection. [50:33]
4. Repent of divisive certainty Being “so certain of our own rightness” fractures community. Confession is not self-condemnation; it’s a return to humility, where we can listen, learn, and be re-knit to one another. Joy grows in the soil of reconciliation and right relationship. [56:16]
5. Choose solidarity over spectatorship We prayed for neighbors in crisis and offered ourselves as God’s hands and feet. Solidarity moves us from awareness to accompaniment, from headlines to intercession to presence. Joy deepens when we share burdens and become part of someone else’s healing. [58:24]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[09:44] - Call to Worship: Rejoicing with Mary
[10:26] - Advent Prayer: Joy into Action
[10:48] - Candle Lighting and Children’s Time
[49:57] - Affirmation: Joy as Justice
[50:33] - Joy Within the Swirl of Grief
[51:17] - We Choose Justice, Love, Joy
[54:36] - Community Prayers and Intercessions
[55:09] - Seeking God’s Joy in Hard Places
[56:16] - Confession and Reconciliation
[58:24] - Prayers for Brown and Hong Kong
[59:03] - The Lord’s Prayer
[60:27] - Opportunities to Serve and Connect
[61:46] - Mission Focus: Hands of Hope Clinic
[63:52] - Passing the Peace and Birthdays

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Luke 1:46–55

Observation questions

Read Luke 1:46–55. What images and actions does Mary use to describe how God acts for the lowly and against the proud? What words stand out as expressions of justice and mercy?
The affirmation says, “Joy is the justice we give ourselves because God's joy dwells with the humble and is rooted in justice.” How does that line shed new light on Mary’s song? [49:57]
The worship prayer asked, “May our souls be refreshed. And may our bodies be spurned into action.” What concrete actions or behaviors flow naturally from the hope and images in Luke 1? [10:26]
The gathering named that true joy “lives within the swirl of our grief.” Where in Luke 1 (or in the Magnificat’s tone) is there room for lament alongside praise, and how is that expressed? [50:33]

Interpretation questions (third person)

If Mary’s song is a proclamation about God’s priorities, what does it reveal about the relationship between God’s mercy and systemic reversal (lifting the lowly, scattering the proud)?
If “joy is the justice we give ourselves,” what criteria would a community use to recognize actions that count as “joyful justice” rather than mere charity? [49:57]
If refreshed souls are meant to move bodies into practical service, what internal barriers (fear, busyness, judgment) most often prevent that movement, and how might those barriers be overcome? [10:26]
If confessing “so certain of our own rightness” fractures community, what concrete practices of repentance and reconciliation would restore right relationship? [56:16]

Application questions (personal, concrete)

Joy as justice: Name one decision you can make this week that would show “joy with skin on” — a visible act that honors someone’s dignity. What will you do and when? [49:57]
Bodies into action: Choose one specific way (time, money, presence, skill) you will commit to in the next seven days to embody Advent joy. How will you make that commitment real on your calendar or budget? [10:26]
Holding grief: What grief are you carrying that needs to be held rather than fixed? Who will you invite to sit with you in that grief, and when will you ask them? [50:33]
Repent of certainty: Identify one relationship where certainty or pride has created distance. What is the first small step you will take toward listening, apology, or repair within two weeks? [56:16]
Move from spectatorship to solidarity: Name a neighbor or community in crisis (near or far) you already pray for. What is one first step you can take this month to move from prayer to accompaniment — a phone call, a donation, volunteering, or learning about their needs? [58:24]
Choose the way: Among justice, love, each other, and joy, which is the hardest for you right now? What one simple habit will you try for 30 days to grow in that particular way? [51:17]

Sermon Clips

Holy God, as we come into your house today, fill us with the joy of Advent.May we know the love, the grace and the power of the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ.As we hear the story of Christ's birth through song today, may our spirits be renewed.May our souls be refreshed.And may our bodies be spurned into action.To serve you and to love one another here in this world.We pray all of this with great joy.Amen. [00:10:14] (32 seconds) #AdventJoyInAction

I'll read the parts in light and invite you to respond with the parts in bold.We believe joy is the justice we give ourselves because God's joy dwells with the humble and is rooted in justice.We find its warmth and light shine brightest through shared witness and sacred disruption.We believe joy grows through blessing others and fostering authentic relationships.We believe joy is more than a feeling or the things we possess.Yes, joy is our faith made visible in something we share by choosing connection. [00:49:52] (36 seconds) #JoyAsJustice

truth-telling.We believe joy is active resistance, spirit-filled solidarity, and the bringing of God's dream.We believe true joy is not the opposite of heartache, but lives within the swirl of our grief and hardest emotions.We celebrate the depths of God's joy and how it can hold our pain. [00:50:32] (20 seconds) #JoyIsResistance

When we are filled with this kind of joy, we celebrate what God is birthing now, even amid a world where so much appears to be ending.We believe joy is freedom and healing, redemption and return.We believe joy comes from knowing God is close, even when life is hard.God's joy shows us not just in breathtaking beauty, but in moments we hurt so much we can't breathe. [00:50:54] (32 seconds) #JoyAmidEndings

cantankerous.We can be divisive.We can be so certain of our own rightness that we create division.Lord, forgive us where we fall short.Pour out your spirit upon us and call us back to right relationship with you and with each other.Lord, we give you thanks because we know that this day and every day your grace is made available to us, that you are more willing to forgive than we are to receive your forgiveness. [00:56:24] (39 seconds) #GraceNotDivision

And so, Lord, we give you thanks today.We give you thanks for this church.We give you thanks for these people, this community that surrounds us.We give you thanks for the gift of musicand for the offering of your son, Jesus Christ.Lord, as we bow before you today, we know that you are with us.We know that you hear our prayers.And so, we boldly ask for your healingto be with Francis, to be with Emmett, to be with Priscilla,to be with all those names that we have before us. [00:57:05] (40 seconds) #CommunityGratitude

And Lord, where we might be your hands and your feet in this world, use us, send us, direct us, guide us, make us more like Christ this day and every day.And hear our prayer as we pray together.Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom come.Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread.And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us not in temptation, but deliver us from evil.Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. [00:58:50] (45 seconds) #BeGodsHands

Our Christmas Eve worship is this Christmas Eve, December 24th at 5.30, so make sure you have that on your calendar.And then our mission focus for the month of December is the Hands of Hope Medical Clinic, and you can read all about the work they do here in the county.They provide free medical services for adults here in the county who are uninsured, who might not otherwise be able to receive preventative medical care, especially that can keep them out of ERs and out of the hospital.So we're glad to support them, and you can read more about all that they do there in your bulletin. [01:01:37] (45 seconds) #SupportHandsOfHope

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

How is joy the justice we give ourselves?

Why is true joy not opposite of heartache?

What does Advent joy call us to do?

Advent Joy: Choosing Justice, Love, and Community

Devotional

Day 1: Joy that Lifts the Lowly and Vulnerable

Day 2: Joy That Lives Within Our Hardest Emotions

Day 3: Choosing Justice, Love, Each Other, and Joy

Day 4: Confession, Reconciliation, and Becoming Christ’s Hands

Day 5: Praying 'Your Kingdom Come' With Our Lives

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Advent Joy: Choosing Justice, Love, and Community

Share