Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

http://bible.com/events/48999149

The Christmas Gifts: JOY

Joy is a promise of God. And He keeps His promises.

As we enter the Advent season for 2022, we will seek to grow deeper in our understanding of the free gifts available to us through Christ and his coming. Gifts we cannot earn and do not deserve.

Today we will unwrap the Christmas Gift of Joy.

Joy to the World then isn’t about Christmas Presents, it’s not just a nice song, it’s more. It’s a statement of fact for those who believe and receive the gift the father gave at Christmas.‭‭

Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭12

‬‬In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So, Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

The angel’s declaration is beautiful and also challenging: great joy!-Of all the wonderful benefits of the coming Messiah, and of all the things the angel could say, the angel declares joy. Not only that, but “great joy.”-The type of joy being described here is remarkable, amazing, above and beyond what we can comprehend.‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬‬Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22

‬‬But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

The bottom line:

Joy is a promise of God. And He keeps His promises.

Joy is one of the great gifts of Christmas.

The Joy of the Lord is the overcomer of your circumstances.

The Joy of the Lord cannot be dimmed by your imperfections.

The Joy of the Lord meets you on your knees

The Joy of the Lord is your strength

Come let us worship Christ the Newborn King!

Verses for further study/reflection:

Psalm 16:11

Romans 14:17

John 15:11

1 Peter 1:8-9

Nehemiah 8:10

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

The Christmas Gifts JOY

Christmas Gifts Part 3 “Joy”

As we enter the Advent season for 2022, we will seek to grow deeper in our understanding of the free gifts available to us through Christ and his coming. Gifts we cannot earn and do not deserve.

Today we will unwrap the Christmas Gift of Joy.

Joy to the World then isn’t about Christmas Presents, it’s not just a nice song, it’s more. It’s a statement of fact for those who believe and receive the gift the father gave at Christmas.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭7

‬‬In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

For all the challenges, all the things that didn’t go as well as Mary would have liked; the travel, the tax audit, the smell of animal manure- the gift of Joy is still present at his arrival.

Joy has come! Not because of their circumstances, but because of His presence.

And the same is true for you today.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭12

‬‬And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

From Abraham, Moses, through King David the promise of Messiah had been anticipated. All the offerings, all the sacrificed lambs pointed to this moment, to this babe in a manger.

That’s the gift of Christmas- good news that will cause great joy for all people.

The Christmas story, the story of Jesus, is our story. We are invited to take the journey with the shepherds to worship him, to know him as our Lord and savior. To receive Jesus and experience JOY like never before.

True Joy is a gift, a gift of the Holy Spirit and his presence within us. Joy is not something you invent, or work up. It’s not an emotion, swaying in the wind of your circumstances.

Joy comes from knowing that despite the challenges of our world, the heartbreak, the pain we experience, despite all those things, that we are in Christ- part of his eternal life plan. It’s present when we can see God working, and when we can’t.

The Christmas gift of Joy is yours in Christ, at Christmas, and beyond.

Joy is one of the great gifts of Christmas.

The Joy of the Lord is the overcomer of your circumstances.

The Joy of the Lord cannot be dimmed by your imperfections.

The Joy of the Lord meets you on your knees

The Joy of the Lord is your strength

Come let us worship Christ the Newborn King!

http://bible.com/events/48995673

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

The Christmas Gifts – Mercy

The manger is the perfect picture of mercy.

Throughout this Advent season for 2022, we will seek to grow deeper in our understanding of the free gifts available to us through Christ and His coming. These are gifts we cannot earn and do not deserve.

Christmas is a time to celebrate the presence that came at that first Christmas, and it’s an opportunity for all to receive the greatest gift in Christ. It is no accident that gift giving is a part of Christmas since Christmas itself is a great gift!

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭39‬-‭55‬‬

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

-There are a lot of words that we use to describe Christmas: joy, peace, wonder. But rarely do we talk about mercy. Of all the gifts we could talk about, mercy doesn’t seem very high on the list.

-But it was first on Mary’s list. In these moments of worship, she celebrates the gift of Jesus as a gift of mercy.

-In case we might miss the significance, Mary then concludes with another declaration of mercy: “[the Lord] remembering to be merciful” (verse 54).‭‭

Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14

‬‬For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

-Jesus’ life was a rescue mission, our rescue mission.

-We could not rescue ourselves from sin. And we deserved whatever we had coming to us. Instead, we received a Savior.

-The greatest act of mercy is a Father sending his own Son to show us the way back to the Father.

Bottom Line:

The manger is the perfect picture of mercy.

Verses for further study/reflection:

Luke 1:67-80

1 Peter 1:3

Psalm 145:9

James 2:13

Matthew 5:7

Hebrews 4:16

Ephesians 1:7

Acts 10:43

https://www.bible.com/events/48996040

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

The Christmas Gifts – Mercy

Peace on earth and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled:

Throughout this Advent season for 2022, we will seek to grow deeper in our understanding of the free gifts available to us through Christ and His coming. These are gifts we cannot earn and do not deserve.

Christmas is a time to celebrate the presence that came at that first Christmas, and it’s an opportunity for all to receive the greatest gift in Christ. It is no accident that gift giving is a part of Christmas since Christmas itself is a great gift!

MERCY:

compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm or execute justice against‭‭

Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭39‬-‭55

‬‬At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

Mary describes that God “has done great things” for her…And the first of those “great things” on her list is mercy.

She starts with the action of God’s mercy.‭‭

Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭67‬-‭80

‬‬His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Zechariah ascribes praise to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has personally come to help his people‭‭

Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬‬

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Bottom Line:

GOD’S GIFT OF MERCY WAS GIVEN IN A MANGER

Henry Smart

Sinners, wrung with true repentance, Doomed for guilt to endless pains, Justice now revokes the sentence, Mercy calls you; break your chains.”

Glory to the newborn King”

Verses for further study/reflection:

Luke 1:67-80

1 Peter 1:3

Psalm 145:9

James 2:13

Matthew 5:7

Hebrews 4:16

Ephesians 1:7

Acts 10:43