The transcript of the service and the Advent Candle of Joy prayer can be read below.
Luke 1:46-55
46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,48 for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His name.50 His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.51 He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost
thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.54 He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as He promised our ancestors.”
Luke
1:46-55 SERVING WITH JOY
Springford Baptist Church: Dec. 13,
2020.
JOY increases as we celebrate it with intention! JOY intensifies when we share our JOY by serving! It is meant to be expressed and delighted in!
There is something extreme and ecstatic about JOY. This JOY comes in life defining moments. An occasion that we consistently associate with JOY is the birth of a new baby.
As Mary, the mother of Jesus, anticipates the baby she will bring into the world she is filled with JOY and the baby hasn’t even been born yet.
Imagine the extent of JOY when this miraculous baby will arrive. Here we are in a time of waiting, anticipating again the celebration of the birth of God’s Son, Jesus.
We look toward the JOY and even taste some of it already, although the time of celebration is not quite here (like parents waiting for the birth of their child).
My youngest niece and her husband who live in British Columbia are expecting their first baby. There is happy anticipation in our family for the arrival of this newborn.
The birth of a baby is a tremendous miracle. It is a time when God hovers very near and the separation between heaven and earth narrows. The fragrance of the supernatural is in the air.
This is true when any baby is born. How much greater the miracle when at that point in history God decided it was the right time to send His only Son into our world. God orchestrated or arranged the events in surprising ways. A young woman named Mary would be the mother of this child, God’s Son.
The same angel Gabriel that had delivered the message to Zechariah that Zechariah and Elizabeth would have an unexpected baby in their old age is a messenger of JOY to Mary.
Sometimes when things happen in unexpected or surprising ways, we wonder like both Zechariah and then Mary. Initially the opportunity for JOY may escape us because we are looking for an explanation or we have some questions that we want answered…
This week, I’d like us to give careful thought to
JOY GIVERS & JOY TAKERS in our everyday lives and experiences. This can give us insight into the possibility of JOY, deep God-given JOY not just in the Christmas season but all the time!
JOY GIVERS:
- receiving reassurance and taking hold of it (hearing the words of the angel Gabriel, “Do not be afraid.” Luke 1:30)
- listening for answers to our questions and uncertainties… Mary says “How will this be?” (vs. 34) not “That could never happen.”
- believing, truly believing vs. 37 “For nothing is impossible with God!”
Here the gifts of hope and peace also come into focus.
Think of your own situations where you continue to pray and still can’t imagine how things will be resolved or worked out.
We don’t have to imagine it or figure out a solution because our God is a God who specializes in responding to what to us seems impossible! In waiting on God, we can anticipate not with fear and expecting the worst, but with hope, with peace and yes with JOY!
vs. 38 Mary demonstrates here a pattern of response that can lead to JOY! “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as You have said.”
The pattern is: Hear, Trust, Serve.
Are we willing to follow that same pattern to discover JOY?
Luke 1:39-45 Mary rushes off to share the news with her relative Elizabeth. Right away Mary is sharing the JOY, not keeping it to herself.
vs. 46 -praising God “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour”
vs. 47–humility (even recognizing weaknesses and limitations) “the humble state of his servant”
vs. 48–others seeing God at work in us –all generations will call me blessed
JOY TAKERS:
- fear which finds us focusing on everything that could possibly go wrong instead of everything that could possibly go right. Fear is guaranteed to take away the JOY that God is prepared to give us.
- not taking time to actively listen for God’s reassurance.
- not taking hold of the powerful truth that “Nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke1:37)
- rehearsing things from the past that were painful and disappointing instead of recalling the blessings of comfort and God’s Presence then and now.
- protesting that we can’t do something rather than asking God to show us how something can be and relying on God.
- keeping good things and blessings to ourselves which is selfish
Mary rejects all of these JOY TAKERS. Luke 1:51-55 is the part of Mary’s song that recounts God keeping his promises and bringing about justice and that is a rejecting of the JOY TAKERS.
In her humility, Mary wisely acknowledges that God has chosen her for a special and significant purpose. She is able to receive JOY because she is willing to serve and these events draw her closer to God. This really is the key!
JOY GIVERS allow us to encounter God in a life changing way. We taste a height of joy we didn’t know before because we didn’t know God so closely before. And certainly, when we are willing and take initiative to serve God and others, our JOY increases.
JOY TAKERS threaten this opportunity to encounter God in a life changing way. JOY TAKERS work against us coming closer with God and all that can mean for us in our every day lives. They ensure that life continues with the same old patterns and tasteless disappointing existence.
Now a baby represents new beginnings, new possibilities, new priorities and new insights (new ways of looking at things, new ways of doing things).
This is true whenever the miracle of birth occurs and we are considering here this miracle like no other-the miracle of the birth of God’s Son.
Grasping this takes our understanding of JOY to a whole new level!!
In this time of Advent waiting we can ask God to reveal to us the JOY GIVERS & the JOY TAKERS that are affecting our lives personally. Not even a pandemic with all its complications and frustrations can take away the JOY Jesus can give us!
This Christmas of 2020 can be an opportunity to encounter God in a fresh and breathtaking way. In the simplicity and diminished busyness this year, we can be closer to God than we have ever been before!! We can pray for this transforming JOY for ourselves and our family and friends. We will want to share generously the JOY that only JESUS can give!
JOY is to be celebrated!! JOY increases as we SERVE WITH JOY!
ADVENT CANDLE OF JOY – Dec. 13, 2020.
Lola: Today we are thanking God that Jesus has brought JOY into our world. JOY is one of the special gifts of Christmas that Jesus can give us. JOY is not pretending that we are always happy and that nothing bothers us. JOY comes when we realize how much we are loved by God and that Jesus has come to be with us always. Whatever is happening in our lives, we can discover JOY in the good news of Jesus our Saviour.
Everyone: The JOY that Jesus gives is worth discovering. We do not have to search for this JOY. Jesus is just waiting for us to turn to Him and to receive the JOY that He wants to give us. The closer we come to Jesus, the more JOY we can experience. This Christmas of 2020 when many things will be different, we can still experience the JOY of the Lord that is our strength.
Lola: Today we light this candle of JOY knowing and having experienced that Jesus brings JOY. We want to come closer with Jesus. We want to serve God with our JOY centered in Jesus. (Light the candle of JOY)
Everyone: We will pray together, “Thank you God that we can celebrate with JOY this Christmas because of Jesus and the JOY that He brings. Thank you that the JOY that Jesus gives is not just for Christmas, but for every day. Thank You that over and over You bring JOY to us and to our families. Even when we are going through things that are hard, your JOY does not disappear. We pray that we will serve You willingly and with JOY. All for Jesus. AMEN”