Advent 2 - Joy
Welcome to week 2 of Advent! Are you feeling joyful?
I don’t mean happy, light, or bubbly—but joyful? Often we have a lot of trouble really pinpointing what makes the deep down feeling of “joy” different than mere happiness” so we’re going to take a deep look at joy and how it is rooted in God and His grace and isn’t rooted at all in the circumstances of our lives.
Blessed Virgin Mary - No Artist Name Given
There are a lot of painting of Mary and Jesus the newborn, but not nearly as many of her pregnant like the one above. How did Mary feel during her pregnancy? Joyful? What do her face, her hands, and the surrounding elements of this painting suggest about her posture before God?
Anchor Texts:
Zephaniah 3:14-20 ESVUK - Israel's Joy and Restoration
Hebrews 12:1-3 ESVUK - Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith
Questions to Ponder:
Is “Daughter Zion” (Jerusalem) a great example of God’s design for a perfect city and people? (Hint look at Zeph. 3:1).
Why would God remove the judgements against Jerusalem if they have disobeyed and are getting their just desserts?
In v. 16 and v. 20 Zephaniah talks about “on that day” and “at that time” - when do you think he means? Could it be Jesus’ birth or resurrectionor the Holy Spirit coming and beginning the church, or the future coming of Jesus or the moment of each of our personal salvation or something else?
What common themes do you see between the passages in Zephaniah and Hebrews for today?
What is the “joy” set before Jesus in Hebrews 12:2 - how does Zeph 3:15-18 help us understand God’s joy in removing the judgements against us?
The Theme in Song:
I think it is very important to make sure we don’t confuse joy with “false joy” - putting on an illusion of joy for other people to see. Joy doesn’t always look like a smiling face and laughter - sometimes the deep joy, “down in our hearts” like the children’s song says, is a joy that works in us even when it doesn’t bubble up to the surface in the usual displays of happiness.
I think the deep joy that the advent of Jesus brings is something we can experience even while the themes of a song like this surround us. Jesus has come to meet you, to bring joy and peace to you right where you are - be it in happiness or in addiction, grief, or war.
This great song was recently written by a small music project I happened upon, and I think they nailed it!