The Ladder of Joy - 12/25/2023

Introduction

We are entering Advent, the time of year in which we celebrate the coming of the Messiah. The four themes of Advent are hope, peace, joy, and love. This year we will be focusing on the theme of joy with a series of messages from the book of Philippians, which could aptly be described as the New Testament epistle of joy.

Question to consider: How would you define joy?

God provides us with two narratives pertaining to the birth of Jesus in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, both of which are brimming with joy at the center of the story.

1.) Luke2:8-20.TheveryfirstannouncementofthebirthofJesustoanyonecamebywayofthe angel of the Lord, who declared “Good news of great joy, which shall be to all people.”

2.) Matthew 2:1-11. The magi were pagan astrologers who saw a star by which God communicated to them the birth of His Son as King of the Jews. When we see a bright star on a clear cool night, how would we describe it? We would say the star sparkles. It is as if the eye of God was sparkling over humanity, recognized first by a handful of wandering wise men, seeking a King to worship, who when they found Him responded to this joy by falling on their faces in worship before the young Child Jesus.