Joy to the World - Sunday Worship Experience December 21, 2025

Devotional

Day 1: Joy Rises When Jesus Is Present

Joy is not the same as happiness; it is deeper, steadier, and not fragile. When Jesus draws near, joy awakens even before a single word is spoken or a circumstance changes. Like Mary carrying the Savior into Elizabeth’s home, you carry Christ into rooms that feel uncertain, heavy, or quiet. His presence produces a holy stirring that lifts hearts, interrupts despair, and points to promises still unfolding. Today, invite Jesus to enter the places that feel cold or complicated, and watch joy rise before the answer arrives [30:55].

Luke 1:39–45 — Mary hurried to the hill country and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice, the baby moved with a joyful leap inside her, and the Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth. She cried out, “You are favored, and so is the child you carry! And you are blessed because you trusted that the Lord would do what He promised.”

Reflection: Where do you need to simply “show up” with Jesus this week so that joy can rise even before anything changes?

Day 2: Joy Grows Stronger in Faithful Community

Isolation weakens joy, but connection strengthens it. Mary didn’t try to process the miracle alone; she sought out someone who understood what it meant to carry a promise. In trusted community, doubt loses volume, fear gets confronted, and faith is reinforced. Choose voices that speak life over your season and remind you that God is still working. Make room for the encouragement that comes when believers gather and bless what God is doing in one another [27:33].

Luke 1:42–45 — Elizabeth affirmed Mary with a loud blessing: “You are favored, and the child you carry is favored. And blessed is the one who believed the Lord would fulfill what He said.” Her words confirmed God’s activity and strengthened Mary’s faith.

Reflection: Who in your circle consistently speaks faith over you, and how will you invite their voice into one specific situation this week?

Day 3: Choosing Praise That Multiplies Joy

Joy is both a choice and a response. Mary chose to magnify the Lord before she saw how everything would work out, and her praise became the doorway into joy. What you magnify will determine what multiplies—fear or faith, pressure or praise. Open your mouth, lift your eyes, and let worship realign your focus to the God who holds your future. Choose to bless His name today, and let joy overflow in the waiting [34:14].

Luke 1:46–49 — Mary said, “My soul makes much of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. He looked on my humble condition and did great things for me—holy is His name.” Her praise rose before the promise was fulfilled.

Reflection: What fear has been taking up the most mental space, and how will you practically “magnify the Lord” over it today—words you’ll say, a song you’ll sing, or a scripture you’ll pray?

Day 4: His Joy in You: Full, Complete, Overflowing

Jesus does not offer a temporary joy that shifts with circumstances; He places His own joy within you. As you abide in His love and keep His words close, your joy becomes steady, complete, and overflowing. This is Advent joy—rooted in Presence, not perfection. Make room for Jesus in your routines, your conversations, and your decisions, and watch His joy steady your heart. Let His promises carry you where your strength cannot [37:40].

John 15:9–11 — “As the Father has loved me, I have loved you; remain in my love. When you walk in my ways, you remain in that love. I’ve told you this so that my joy will live in you and your joy will be brought to fullness.”

Reflection: What simple practice—reading, praying, or obeying a clear nudge—will help you abide in Jesus’ words today so you can carry His joy into a difficult conversation or task?

Day 5: Everlasting Love That Proves We Are His

All of Advent’s promises—hope, peace, joy, and love—flow from the heart of God who came near. Love is the witness to the world that we belong to Jesus, not by arguing or focusing on negativity, but by serving and honoring one another. God’s love is everlasting like a circle—no beginning, no ending—and it keeps joy from being stolen. Even when weeping lasts for a night, love holds us until joy comes in the morning. Choose to love your neighbor better than yourself, and let that love make room for unshakable joy [44:39].

John 13:34–35 — “I give you a new command: love one another as I have loved you. When you love each other this way, everyone will recognize that you are my disciples.”

Reflection: Whom will you intentionally love better than yourself this week, and what concrete act—an apology, a meal, a ride, a note—will make that love visible?

Sermon Summary

We gathered in this Advent season to lift up Jesus, our Promised King, and to remember that with His birth came real promises: hope, peace, joy, and love. Today I led us to focus on joy—joy that can’t be stolen. I drew a contrast between happiness, which rises and falls with circumstances, and joy, which is anchored in the presence of Jesus. In Luke 1, Mary simply walked into Elizabeth’s house carrying Jesus and the baby leaped for joy. No sermon, no song—just His presence. That’s the kind of joy we’re talking about: not fragile, not dependent on outcomes, but rooted in the nearness of our Savior.

We also saw how joy grows in community. Mary didn’t isolate; she went to Elizabeth, someone who understood the weight and wonder of carrying a promise. In that shared space of faith, joy multiplied and doubt lost its voice. Isolation weakens joy; connection strengthens it. Sometimes the voice of a faith-filled friend is what reminds you that God is still working.

Then we talked about choosing joy. Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,” before the promise was fulfilled. She chose to magnify God over fear. What we magnify will determine what multiplies. Praise is a doorway into joy; it reorders our focus and restores our strength. Jesus promised that His own joy would be in us—full, complete, and overflowing (John 15:11). That’s not seasonal; that’s sustaining.

We closed by applying Advent joy to our everyday life: surround yourself with faith-filled community, praise your way into joy when you don’t feel it, and make room for Jesus—because where He is welcomed, joy rises. We lit the Advent candle to remember that joy is a promise, not a mood, and we looked ahead to love, the mark by which the world will know we belong to Him. This is the year of present help—God with us. If Jesus is with you, your joy is not fragile, not over, and not dependent on what you can see. Joy is here because He is here.

Key Takeaways

1. Joy rises when Jesus is present Joy is not the child of perfect conditions; it’s the fruit of God’s nearness. Like John leaping in Elizabeth’s womb, joy can surge before a single circumstance changes. Make room for Jesus, and you’ll find that joy grows even in the waiting. Presence, not proof, ignites praise. [30:55]
2. Joy is strengthened in community Mary ran to Elizabeth, and in that shared space faith amplified and fear quieted. Isolation distorts reality, but godly relationships restore perspective and courage. Let trusted voices speak into your season so joy can take root and endure. [27:33]
3. Joy is a deliberate, praising choice Mary magnified the Lord before the outcome was visible. Praise shrinks fear by enlarging God in our view, and it opens the heart to receive His strength. Jesus offers His own joy—full and overflowing—not a temporary lift but a sustaining well. [34:14]
4. Presence, not outcomes, sustains joy If joy rests on results, it will collapse under delay; if it rests on God’s presence, it endures every season. Advent joy steadies the heart in uncertainty because Emmanuel stays. This is the year of present help, and present help fuels persistent joy. [37:40]
5. Advent joy moves us toward love Real joy doesn’t turn inward; it spills into how we treat one another. Love is the public face of private joy and the evidence that we belong to Jesus. In a divided world, joy-filled love becomes a compelling witness. [44:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:45] - Praise the Living Word
[05:10] - Advent promises framed
[12:52] - Kids program introduction
[20:00] - Kids celebrate Jesus
[27:33] - Prayer and Scriptures for joy
[30:55] - Joy rises when Jesus is present
[31:45] - Joy strengthened in community
[34:14] - Choosing praise; what multiplies
[37:40] - Year of present help
[44:39] - Joy candle and love call
[46:08] - Worship and altar response
[48:47] - Online sendoff and invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Luke 1:39–56
- John 15:11
- John 13:35

Observation questions

In Luke 1:39–56, what happens in order when Mary greets Elizabeth, and what is named as the reason the baby leaped—words, worship, or presence?
What contrast was made between happiness and joy, and what moment from Luke 1 was used to picture that difference? [30:55]
According to John 15:11, whose joy is given, and to what measure is it meant to fill a disciple?
In Luke 1, how does Elizabeth speak over Mary, and what effect does that have on Mary’s faith and joy? [27:33]

Interpretation questions

If joy rises when Jesus is present, how does that reframe a person’s waiting when outcomes are still unclear or delayed? [37:40]
What does Mary’s “My soul magnifies the Lord” show about directing the soul before the promise is visible, and how does praise form joy? [34:14]
Why does joy tend to grow in community rather than isolation, based on Mary and Elizabeth’s encounter? What spiritual dynamics are at work there? [27:33]
If love is the public evidence of belonging to Jesus (John 13:35), in what ways does deep joy fuel that kind of love in everyday relationships? [44:39]

Application questions

Where is joy right now tied to an outcome for you (a bill, a diagnosis, a deadline)? What will it look like to welcome Jesus into that exact place in the next 24 hours? Be specific. [37:40]
Who is an “Elizabeth” for you—someone faith-filled who can speak life into your season? When will you reach out this week, and what will you share so joy can be strengthened? [27:33]
Practice magnifying: choose one moment each day to say out loud three things about God’s character before you check any outcomes. What time will you do it, and what Scripture or song will you use? [34:14]
Make room for presence: what clutter (noise, hurry, scrolling) crowds out awareness of Jesus? What one boundary will you set this week to create space for His presence? [30:55]
Joy that moves toward love: who needs to experience joy-shaped love from you—an apology, patience, a text, a meal? Name the person and your next step with a time frame. [44:39]
When joy feels distant, which doorway will you step through first—praise, community, or quiet with Jesus? What is your plan for the next hard day? [34:14]
Advent is expectation. What promise from God are you carrying right now, and how can this group stand with you so doubt loses its voice and faith is reinforced? [27:33]

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