- The rock of our salvation. While a rock makes us think of God as immovable, it’s also a reminder of when the Israelites were in the wilderness and desperate for water. At God’s command, Moses struck a rock and life-giving water gushed out (Ex. 17:1-7). The rock is God Himself, and He has repeatedly proven that He will provide what we desperately need.
- The great God. He is almighty and all-knowing. Nothing is beyond His knowledge or power.
- A great King above all gods. No other “gods” come close to the One true sovereign Lord of the universe. Because our God reigns over these “gods,” they are proven to be frauds and no gods at all.
For a group of shepherds, a quiet evening watching out for the sheep was interrupted by the sudden appearance of an angel standing in front of them. They certainly would not have mistaken the angel for someone who just walked up, because “the glory of the Lord shone around them” (v. 9). The shepherds “were terrified”—as I’m sure we would be too.
- Accept. Christ came to forgive you, restore you, and give you hope and a future. If you have never trusted Christ for salvation, do so now. Talk to your group leader or read the inside cover of this book.
- Praise. Make praise a regular part of your prayer time. Don’t let your joy in Christ fade; instead, continually praise Him and remember all He has done.
- Share. The greatest gift you can give someone this Christmas is the good news of why Jesus came to earth. Tell someone else about the salvation and joy you experience because of Christ.
Embracing Joy
In “Surprised by Joy” C. S. Lewis describes
the moment his older brother “Warnie” brought into the nursery an old biscuit
tin which he had filled with moss and decorated with twigs and flowers. For
some reason, presented with this simple toy garden, the young Lewis found
himself overwhelmed for the very first time with a deep sense of longing for
something he could neither name nor trace; a feeling he would later describe as
a “stab of joy”. For Lewis, the search for the source of this longing
became a lifelong quest. He said himself that the central story of his life was
about nothing else.
He would later recognize these
sudden aches of longing: a deep spiritual hunger for God ─ not just for an
intellectual knowledge of God, but for a real relationship with Him. These deep
longings in Lewis’ life ─ these stabs of Joy ─ worked as flashing sign-markers
pointing him down the path toward Christ.
True Joy, as Lewis presents it to
us, is the ache for something beyond this world.
The Holy Spirit uses this restlessness to awaken our spiritual hunger. When
little moments of life ─ like the way the light falls on a summer evening ─
stir you with a deep longing that’s hard to define, don’t look to earthly
pursuits to fill the void. Instead, allow the ache to push you deeper into your
relationship with God. Pursue Him. Allow that longing for Him to become the
hottest fire in your heart.
Ok...
Stabs of Joy this Christmas?
Like Lewis, I have found my life
punctuated by these stabs of joy, the ebb and flow of longing shaping
the landscape of my story. Sometimes it comes like an old friend on a perfect
summer’s day, invited in by sunshine, friendship and the pink clouds of cherry
blossom. For just a moment the joy is bigger than I am and I know without doubt
that it comes from somewhere deeper than picnics and good conversation.
Sometimes it comes apparently out of nowhere, an unexpected gift on a grey Thursday in February when my head is bent and my heart is ready for anything but joy.
Sometimes it’s in the small things. Laughter that makes your eyes water and hangs in the air between good friends, even when the moment has passed. The silence that comes after snow. Watching the sunrise while the rest of the world sleeps. The moment you first read a poem or hear a piece of music that cuts through your defenses and leaves your soul bare. Waking up to the sound of the sea. Undeserved forgiveness.
Over the years the list has grown. The first time I held my baby daughters. The moment they took their first steps. The nights I have watched them reach for God through tears, finding Him more than worthy of their trust.
Most recently of all, and this one
is new for me, there are the stabs of joy that are found in the presence of
grief. The moment when all around is thick and dark and then, like a splash of
color on an empty canvas, comes the realization that this is not how it will
always be. That God is present in our pain and moved by our tears. That grief
is so deep because it is foreign to souls that were created for joy. Sometimes
just knowing this is enough to kindle fires of hope in the midst of darkness.
These, and many more, are the stabs of joy that keep me longing for a home I haven’t yet known. They are whispers in the language of my soul reminding me that what we see now is just a shadow of all that is to come.
The Christmas season can bring about
many joy-filled moments. Many of us relish our Christmas traditions because
they take us back to our childhood.
Our joy should not be tied so much to the
season of Christmas as it should be to the reason behind Christmas, a purpose
often lost in season’s display. We can embrace a joy year-round—even when life
is hard.
It’s a joy that
rises out of life in Christ.
The Point: We can
experience great joy because Jesus saves.
PRAY: asking God to help the group understand the importance of embracing the great joy Jesus gives through salvation. Thank Him for the joy He brings to the world and to us as individuals.
Psalm 95:1-3
Come, let us
sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let
us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the
Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.
What are some ways
salvation from God brings joy to your life?
When we reflect on the goodness and greatness of God, we’re compelled to thank Him and joyfully praise Him. Joyful praise is something believers should do in private as well as with others. Notice that the psalmist repeatedly called to the people: “Let us come before him with thanksgiving” and “Extol him with music and song” (v. 2). Joyful praise is contagious. We turn our attention to the events of Jesus’ birth to see the way He truly was “the Rock of our salvation.”
We can experience joy because God is our salvation. In the
next verses, we see that Jesus, the Son of God, was born to bring us salvation.
Luke 2:4-7
So Joseph
also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the
town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went
there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was
expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be
born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and
placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
What a Stab of Joy this
moment must have been for Mary and Joseph.
Why it was so
significant that Jesus be born in Bethlehem?
Jesus wasn’t born just
anywhere; He was born in “Bethlehem the town of David” (v. 4), a fact foretold
by the prophet Micah eight hundred years earlier. “But you, Bethlehem
Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come
for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from
ancient times” (Mic. 5:2).
Joseph traveled with
Mary 85-90 miles south of their hometown of Nazareth. Such a trip would take
anywhere from four to seven days of hard travel during that time, but God
orchestrated events through an empire-wide census that would require Joseph to
be in Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-3). This census affirms another important fact about
Jesus: He would be “of the house and family line of David.”
How do you keep the Christmas story fresh each year?
In his novel titled The Prince and the Pauper, Mark Twain told the story of a prince who met a poor boy his age who bore an uncanny resemblance to him. They decided to change places temporarily to see how the other half lives.
This made for an
interesting plot device in a novel, but Jesus didn’t come to earth out of curiosity,
to see how the other half lives. Jesus came to earth with a set purpose: to
bring us salvation.
In
the next verses, we see the birth of Jesus is cause for great joy.
Luke 2:8-14
And there
were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks
at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to
them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for
all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is
the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You
will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great
company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his
favor rests.”
For a group of
shepherds, a quiet evening watching out for the sheep was interrupted by the
sudden appearance of an angel standing in front of them. They certainly would
not have mistaken the angel for someone who just walked up, because “the glory
of the Lord shone around them” (v. 9). The shepherds “were terrified”—as I’m
sure we would be too.
How does Jesus’ birth mean joy to the world?
The JOY of SALVATION
Christmas is when we joyfully celebrate God’s gift of Christ Jesus to the world. READ
Thinks about this:
Good news of great joy – a message of hope that brings joy
For all people – for
every person on earth
Savior – the
exact need for sinful humanity
Messiah, the Lord – the
One sent from God to save humanity from sin
Close: Christmas is a time of great joy and celebration. But it’s important to remember the reason for our joy is one based not on a holiday season but on an eternal hope. Take joy in your relationship with Christ and share that joy with others!
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