Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” —Luke 2:9-12

Introduction

The life of

begins and ends in joy. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Christianity begins with

. When Mary becomes pregnant, she

Reveal Answer

. (Luke 1:46-47)

At Christmas, we sing, “

to the world! The Lord is come: Let earth receive her king.”

At Easter, we sing, “Christ the Lord is risen today! Sons of men and angels say:
Raise

and triumph high; Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply.”

We are created for joy. We are born for joy. —Jürgen Moltmann

My Additional Notes:

Joy in the Old Testament

With God there is

of joy. (Psalm 16:11)

We

a God of joy. (Psalm 51:8, 11-12, Psalm 30:4-5, 11)

The prophets proclaim that the Lord will provide

joy. (Isaiah 35:10)

God himself is

. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Even the

rejoices in the presence of God. (Psalm 96:11-13)

When God comes to judge the earth, the whole of creation will rejoice. We should have this in mind when we speak of the final judgment. The final judgment is a day of rejoicing, not of terror. —Jürgen Moltmann

My Additional Notes:

Christian Joy

God has acted to put things right, to put a stop to evil, and to deliver his people from their enslaving enemy. —N.T. Wright

In the letters of Paul, joy takes second place only to

. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Joy is intimately connected to the resurrection of Jesus on the one hand and to his ascended lordship on the other. —N.T. Wright

Philippians is an expression of joy and an invitation to joy in the midst of

. (Philippians 1:3-7)

Paul’s letter is a celebration and a

declaration of joy in God despite adversity. (Philippians 4:4-7)

Joy is enduring and puts its mark on one’s attitude to living. Fun is short-term and serves amusement. True joy is only possible with one’s whole heart, whole soul, and all one’s energies. —Jürgen Moltmann

My Additional Notes:

Joy Today

Joy is a

.

If you set out and say, I want to be happy, clenching your teeth with determination, this is the quickest way of missing the bus. —Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The Eight Pillars of Joy

The eight pillars are made up of four qualities of the

and four qualities of the heart.

The first pillar of the mind is

.

Scientific research found that our ability to

our situation more positively increases joy.

A healthy perspective really is the foundation of joy and happiness, because the way we see the world is the way we experience the world. Changing the way we see the world in turn changes the way we feel and the way we act, which changes the world itself. —Douglas Abrams, The Book of Joy

We become open to joy when we recognize that our

perspective is not the truth.

Joy comes when we move beyond our own

from I and me to us and we.

People who more frequently use I and me have a higher risk of heart attack, and it being

.

My Additional Notes:

Action Step

Pray, “Please God, give each one of them what they need” the next time you are

.

My Additional Notes: