Hey Vineyard fam,

As we move toward the third Sunday of Advent, two candles are already burning, Hope and Peace, and now we prepare to light the candle of Joy. The problem I have with joy is that it is a little more slippery than the other two...

Hope can be defined... Peace we can feel in our bones. But joy? Joy often sneaks up on us.
Joy is what happens when Jesus gets close enough to change the story we’ve been living in.

Many of us carry an idea of joy that looks like cheerfulness, positivity, or holiday energy, but Advent joy is something different. Advent joy is what breaks through when grace becomes personal.

That’s what happened to Mary in the Gospel narratives. She didn’t sing because life got easy, she sang because God took notice of her. Her world got more complicated, not less, but joy arrived anyway.

It’s what happened to the woman at the well in John 4. She wasn’t looking for joy; she wasn’t even looking for Jesus. She was just trying to avoid being seen!  And then, in the heat of the day, Grace sat down next to her. 

Jesus revealed Himself to her in a way that rewrote the story shame had been telling her for years. And what happened next? She ran back to town, the same town that had wounded her, shouting with joy!

It’s the same with the shepherds in Luke 2. They weren’t searching for an encounter with God, they were pulling another night shift, doing hard, holy, ordinary work and heaven broke open above them. Joy ambushed them.

C. S. Lewis called it “surprised by joy.” That phrase may be more Advent than he even realized!

Joy is not the reward of a perfect season. Joy is the result of a real encounter. Joy doesn’t come when everything around you is bright. Joy comes when Jesus steps into your darkness and calls you by name.

This Week’s Devotional Practice: 

Choose one ordinary moment this week, driving, washing dishes, sitting in the pickup line, grabbing coffee and pause long enough to pray: “Jesus, where are You meeting me right now?”

Don’t force anything. Just notice. Joy often shows up in quiet places!

This Week’s Scriptures to Sit With

• Isaiah 35:10
• Nehemiah 8:10

A Prayer for the Week

“Lord Jesus, stir joy in me that doesn’t depend on how my week is going. Open my eyes to see where You are at work in my life. Let Your presence break through my worry, my routine, and my assumptions. Teach my heart to rejoice because You are near and let that joy spill into the way I speak, serve, and love this week.  Amen.”
Joy isn’t a mood we chase; it’s a Savior who comes close.
I can’t wait to celebrate with you this Sunday.

Grace and peace,
Adam Greenwell
Lead Pastor
Vineyard Church
www.billingsvineyard.org