Advent Joy: Mary's Yes and the World’s Hope

These first two Sundays of Advent, the last two weeks, we have been looking at passages from the prophet Isaiah and how he had been receiving from the Lord words of hope and words of peace for the nation of Israel. And now, as we arrive at the angel coming to Mary, those promises, not just those two we've looked at, but the Old Testament prophets' visions of a future, of a future king, of a future kingdom, of a future peace, of a future ruler, of a future savior. All of those prophecies from hundreds of years earlier, those are beginning to now come to fruition. [00:49:44] (47 seconds)  #PromisesFulfilled

But my assumption is that Mary wasn't instantly filled with great joy when the angel left her. That her mind may have been going in lots of different directions, right? Like, did that just happen? A lot of confusion, some concern. You know, what is this going to mean for my engagement to Joseph? She wasn't in that place of joy, would be my guess, instantaneously. You know, this is exciting, whatever this is, this is exciting, but I don't know all of the ramifications. And so, we've got that first pinprick of joy, of God's promises being fulfilled, this pinprick of joy that Mary experiences. [00:52:37] (52 seconds)  #PinprickOfJoy

How tragic it must have seemed to Jesus' disciples and his many other followers when he was arrested, when he was sentenced to death, when he was tortured, when he was nailed to that cross, when he died on that cross, when the Roman soldier put the spear in his side to make sure he was dead, when they took down his lifeless body, when they buried him in the tomb, when they sealed it with the stone. No joy in any of that. And Sunday came. And the stone was rolled back. And the tomb was empty. And the risen Jesus began to appear to them. What joy! What overwhelming joy! [01:01:06] (51 seconds)  #JoyOfTheResurrection

For his disciples, for his followers, for many who saw him alive, who heard him, who ate with him, who touched him, who knew that all of the hope and all of the promises and all of the expectations that they had had for Jesus were not wiped away by his death, by his burial. And as he began to explain to them how all of this must happen in order that scripture must be fulfilled, again, the joy that must have flooded their hearts, flooded their minds, and the joy continued to spread. [01:01:58] (47 seconds)  #HopeRestored

And as he began to explain to them how all of this must happen in order that scripture must be fulfilled, again, the joy that must have flooded their hearts, flooded their minds, and the joy continued to spread. You've heard of Jesus? The miracle worker? They killed him, you know. And he's alive again. He's risen from the dead. Hallelujah! Praise God! Nothing can stop God's work of salvation. And they went and they shared this good news, and the joy continued to spread. [01:02:24] (50 seconds)  #GoodNewsSpreads

And people are still experiencing this joy for the first time in their lives. And those of us who have experienced it in our lives at some point, we're continuing to become more and more joy-filled as we grow closer and closer to him, as we continue to learn about his greatness and his love and his glory and his grace, as we experience it, and as we see his hand at work in our lives and in the lives of others. Our joy increases. [01:03:49] (33 seconds)  #JoyThatGrows

Do you know this joy? Do you live this joy of having a Savior who died for you, of having a Savior who forgives you of all your sins, of having a Savior who gives you eternal life and is preparing a place for you in all eternity? Do you know the joy of having the Holy Spirit living within you, sharing with you the will of God, the love of God, the peace of God, giving you opportunities to love and to serve and to bless others? Do you know this joy? If you don't, I'll pray for you. [01:04:35] (42 seconds)  #FindSalvationJoy

If you want to come to me so I know exactly who you are, I will pray with you. But even if you don't, I will be praying that those of you who don't yet know this joy, this divine joy, will experience, not it, but experience him. and in experiencing him, you will experience this joy. And that's why we should not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes. [01:05:19] (36 seconds)  #PowerOfTheGospel