The Joy of Advent: Empowered Life and Community

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Introduction

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Advent season reminds us that God created us for connection. The arrival of the infant Jesus transformed our understanding of the trinity—empowering us to interact with God using our senses and human characteristics. This new way of connecting with God functions as a bridge for grasping our connection with him spiritually. Though important for us to celebrate these events, the first coming of Jesus and the anticipation of his second coming, this podcast focuses on the day-to-day impact of Jesus—provided we pick up our cross each day.

Over the four weeks of advent and the celebration of Jesus’s arrival, we will cover how our connection with God:

• Provides hope that humanity’s broken heart, corrupted at the fall, will be reconnected with God.

• Enables peace as Jesus works to remove corruption and restore our wholeness.

• Empowers joy as we begin to experience life as individuals and in community according to God’s intended design.

• Envelops us in love as we surrender our lives to his plan for us and receive the full measure of his goodness.

• Actualizes our relationship with God, connection with ourselves and engagement with others through Jesus's arrival as a Damascus Man—fully God and fully human.So let's dive into this week's lesson.

This third week of Advent explores the promise of connection that produces joy. I express joy as a steadfast confidence in the soul's connection with the Trinity and with others in a safe community. Joy grows within individuals and communities infused with God's hope and peace, and brings healing to the brokenness of our soul. Unlike happiness—which broadcasts the stability of our nervous system—joy does not fade when circumstances of this world threaten safety because hope stabilizes our body and peace settles our minds.

Jesus's Joy: The Prize of Reconnection

Listen with me as I read from the book of Hebrews: "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" (12:1–2 NIV). To understand joy, we must discern what he focused on—what Jesus saw as his prize. For me, he looked forward to reconnection with his creation, his creatures, his children.

In our talk on peace last week, we read John 14 and we return to it now to see what it states about joy and see how these are intertwined (vv. 28–31):

You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad [full of joy] that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens [have hope], so that when it does happen you will believe [be at peace]. I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love [We talk about love next week] the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

For Jesus, the pain of the cross paralleled the pain of giving birth—intense pain followed by the joy of connection. The Trinity grieved disconnection from humanity and longed for its restoration. All through the Old Testament, God offered tools of connection (the Ten Commandments and the temple sacrifices as examples) but they were just bandages. Jesus understood that this mission, operated by him and the Spirit, restores that connection. Like the joy of a parent seeing their newborn, Jesus focused on reuniting in fellowship during his time on earth. His hope and peace perfected his faith and laid the foundation for our joy.

Perseverance Through Trials

The first verse we read today from Hebrews reminds us that, like Jesus, we too are called to persevere. But why?

Though painful, battles with the devil show the world the importance of our relationships and the strength of our foundation. In the same way that pain experienced in childbirth broadcasts a mom's willing sacrifice for the life of her child, joyful endurance of trials demonstrates honor, connection, and love for God. When empowered by the Spirit (with peace and hope) and support from believers, we can enter into momentary suffering, understanding the eternal impact and joy. God knows our limits—our maturity and community support—and promises to limit our trials to what we can safely endure when we hold fast to him.

Joy in Community

Though joy remains solid during trials, it explodes upon people during authentic community. Empowered joy unites people to God, themselves, and each other. We read in Colossians:

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude [joy] in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks [joy] to God the Father through him (3:15–17).

Immersive fellowship—connecting throughout the week via home groups or in group home settings, similar to Jesus's lifestyle with the disciples—creates soil rich for the harvest of joy as seen in these verses. But people struggle with broken pasts which bring hardship and drain emotional bandwidth—talk about a happiness killer. Facing the brokenness of people forces us to hold fast to Jesus to maintain joy. But empowered joy aligns us with the teaching of the beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12), specifically, "blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted." Spiritually, seeing the world honestly, we mourn, and God provides joy to bear it. Keeping a spiritual and eternal focus, remembering that our actions here impact eternity, and staying connected to the Spirit converts our happiness to joy, resulting in a steadfastness that endures all trials.

The Power of Confession

Practicing the disciplines of both the confession of sin and of faith ignites joy. I came across an image that helps me understand the concept of confession and the impact it has on our witness for Jesus. Imagine a glass bottle with a light inside. The corruption of the world, the lies of the devil, and the broken nervous system float around the glass like smoke and collect along its sides, blocking out the light. By confessing sin, the smoke clears from the air and the glass. By declaring our faith in Jesus (confession of faith), we stoke the flame. Jesus is the light of the world. Getting ourselves out of the way so Jesus shines through our eyes and maybe, like Moses, our entire face, happens when we practice confession.

Foundation for Authentic Community

Authentic community with people we trust and who protect our stories empowers joy and multiplies it exponentially. Christian fellowship gets messy, because it involves people. I'm sure you get messy. I know I get devastatingly messy when I do things my own way. Joy must draw its strength from hope and peace or community will turn into chaos and pain. Confession of sin keeps us humble, and the confession of faith keeps our eyes fixed above. These are the foundation of community, and these bring healing and restoration to our broken souls.

This Week's Challenge

When you think about joy this week, reach out to others and tell your story of Christ's redemption for your life and your connection with him. Hold fast to him so that you ground your attitude in joy, especially when the trials of the holidays threaten the wholeness of your soul. I love the imagery of Jesus with the disciples as portrayed in "The Chosen." Their immersive lifestyle transformed them. We connect with Jesus through redemption and with the Spirit at the same depth as the disciples—when we surrender and believe. Choose to hold fast to, and to think on Jesus and you will experience and offer joy to the world.

Have a great week!

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