PBPC Advent Devotional, Week 3 - Monday
Week Three – Joy
Joy is that overwhelming sense of delight and wholeness we feel when a promise is finally kept, when an expectation is met and exceeded, when we experience something more marvelous than we even knew was possible, when we find ourselves totally and completely loved.
Monday
Isaiah 9:5-7
6 For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (NRSV)
Every new baby is a source of joy. It has been eagerly anticipated for 9 months. Sometimes couples have difficulty conceiving and it has been anticipated for years. And then it arrives, a new life, a most perfect creation, a most amazing gift from God.
What was an experience of Joy you have had? What caused it? Hold it in your mind for some minutes. Recall and re-delight in the memory until it makes you smile.
Daily Practice
Go to a nativity scene you have displayed at home and hold its baby Jesus into your hand. (Alternatively, find a nativity scene on Google images and zoom in on baby Jesus). Reflect on how long people had waited for this baby to come. Let yourself feel the joy of a promise kept.
Joy, gift and gratitude all stem from the same root word in Greek. And don't we know how interrelated they are! Start a gratitude list. Today, list three experiences for which you are grateful. They are God's gift to you: thank him for them.
