12/14/25 “Joyride”
“Joyride”
Luke 2:1-10
Yesterday was very special.
…braving frigid temperatures, a group of hearty Christmas carolers packed the church bus…
…And we had the opportunity to bring the joy of Christ’s birth to several retirement facilities and a few private homes in the Reedsburg area.
Songs like “O Come All Ye Faithful”, “Joy to the World”, and “Silent Night”….
They’re all wonderful reminders of why we celebrate the season of Advent…
…the season that focuses on the coming of the savior, Jesus Christ.
Today is the 3rd Sunday of Advent, which traditionally emphasizes the theme of joy.
Joy that results from the fact that Jesus not only came to earth as a baby…but how he left this world as the perfect, unblemished sacrifice for sin.
Joy that settles deep in the soul, regardless of life circumstances…
Joy that brings supernatural contentment and satisfaction…
Yesterday, we all experienced the joy of Advent together in community – singers and listeners - as we traveled from place to place…
In a way, I suppose you could call yesterday’s road trip...a ‘Joy-ride’
Usually, that word ‘Joyride’ is used in a negative way to describe a frivolous - or even unlawful - usage of a vehicle in a dangerous way…
Sometimes…in a vehicle that doesn’t even belong to the driver!
…Rumor has it… some of you here this morning have – at least at some point in your lives – participated in a ‘Joyride’ or two…
…A few of you have even told me about joyrides you’ve been on
…For instance, Marlene - she comes in every week and confesses to taking another joyride …usually with her partner in crime, Ruth.
So…I tell her to do 4 Hail Mary’s – 2 Our Father’s - and send her on her way…
Oh, wait…that’s not our brand of Christianity…
Marlene…your lucky I don’t wear a collar! 😊 (Candles)
Well…Our caroling ‘Joyride’ yesterday made me think of the numerous scriptural passages that reveal biblical Joy…
So…this morning…this Advent Sunday of joy…
We’re all gonna take a spiritual ‘Joyride’ through some of the most well-known..,and most dearly loved…passages of scripture that speak of Joy.
The first stop on our Biblical Joyride takes us to our passage for today in Luke chapter 2.
Luke chapter 2 – of course – is one of the most beloved and well-known passages in the Bible…
Every year, The first 20 verses are read at Christmas programs all around the world…
Little shepherds, Angels, and Wise Men reenact the night of the Savior’s birth in front of a typically well-attended congregation….
Many of you know that the Wise Men (Or, Magi as they were called) weren’t actually there the night of Jesus’ birth – they arrived at a later point in time – but most churches typically include them in the story of Jesus’ birth anyway…
…It makes for a convenient way to encapsulate the entire Christmas story when all of the events are depicted as happening over the course of a single evening.
Matthew 2:11 tells us that the Magi came to a house – not a cave or a stable – …and also that Jesus is described as a child – not an infant.
Verse 1 of Matthew chapter 2 confirms this when it begins by stating that the Magi didn’t begin their journey of following the star in the East until after Jesus had been born…
How long the interval was, we just don’t know.
Tradition held that it may have been as soon as 12 days after the birth of Jesus that the Wise Men visited…
In some Christian traditions, this date (January 6th)is known as Epiphany…you may have heard of that.
If you haven’t heard of Epiphany…you may have heard of a song called ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’…..?
This song is based upon the 12-day interval between December 25th and January 6th….
Some have even tried to tie Biblical significance to each of the lines of the song…
For instance:
12 drummers drumming is meant to represent the 12 tribes of Israel
11 Pipers piping are for the 11 faithful Apostles
10 Lords a leaping = the 10 commandments
9 Ladies dancing = Nine fruits of the Spirit
8 Maids a milking = the 8 beatitudes
7 Swans a swimming = 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit
6 Gees a Laying = 6 days of creation
5 Golden Rings = The Pentateuch (The first 5 books of the Bible)
4 Calling birds = the 4 Gospels
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope, and Love
2 Turtle Doves = Old & New Testaments
…And A Partridge in a Pear Tree = Is meant to represent Jesus
Why a partridge?....and a pear tree?
……A partridge – apparently - is a bird that will fiercely protect its young – It will willingly die for its offspring
…And the pear tree is meant to symbolize the wooden cross on which Jesus gave His life for the sins of mankind.
So…there you have it – the next time you hear “The 12 Days of Christmas”, you’ll perhaps be reminded of some of the Bible’s contents….
….Hopefully, in the process, it will bring you Joy.
Speaking of Joy, our key verse from Luke chapter 2 is verse 10 (Luke 2:10) where an angel appears to the shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem and has this to say, “…Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
If you notice…the news is good – but the joy resulting from that good news…is great!
It’s fitting that we begin our joyride here with the Angelic proclamation of an event that would change the world forever…
An event that would begin with Mary, Joseph, and a few shepherds…but would go on to fill billions of hearts with – Joy.
Joy that is based in the hope of Jesus Christ – the Messiah - God in the flesh
Joy that is grounded in the good news that the sins of mankind – Jew or Gentile – can be removed from one’s account for good…
…Our slates can be washed clean by the blood of the one who sacrificed himself for us
Yes, the good news of Jesus Christ most definitely ought to bring us great joy.
The Apostle Peter had a name for this great joy.
We find it in 1 Peter 1:8-9…the second stop on our Joyride this morning.
This passage reads, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Peter says that the believer’s joy in the finished work of Christ is one that is…inexpressible.
It’s a word that carries with it the idea of something that is simply too intense for language to contain.
Have you ever been so surprised – or shocked – by something that it left you speechless?
Emotionally, you were feeling intense elation – or intense devastation - and you literally had no words available in your mind to pour forth from your lips…
This recently happened to me when our kids visited over Thanksgiving….
I believe it was the morning of Black Friday….everyone was out and about, leaving me all alone to take care of our 10-month-old granddaughter, Evelynn.
Well…Evelynn was on an antibiotic for an ear infection…and – apparently – this antibiotic was known for causing – let’s just say – diaper explosions.
So…Evelynn is playing with something on the floor…
…all is good for about half an hour…
But then - all of a sudden - I hear this…sound…coming from my granddaughter’s gut
And then for – like – 10 seconds straight…it was as if a mule and a wild hog were engaged in a tug of war in this tiny human’s belly…
When the commotion finally ended, Evelynn looked up at me with sheer panic in her eyes…to which I responded with sheer panic in my eyes…
So I launched off my chair…scooped Evelynn up and we RAN…we ran for the nearest bathtub…(Forrest Gump Style)
But….alas, it was too late.
Now…I don’t remember much about the next 30 minutes of my life after that…except to say that there was an explosion…
The floor, walls, ceiling…nothing went unblemished.
I remember we were both crying as the bathwater began to fill the tub…actually, now that I think of it…only one of us was crying…and I don’t think it was Evelynn…
But…again, my recollection is foggy.
It was intense trauma for both of us…
As a grandpa – 25 years removed from changing diapers – when you are called back into active duty in that way…and you see things that no human being should ever have to see…it changes you, man! 😊
Well…when the women got back and asked how things went…I had a complete inability to verbalize what Evelynn and I had just endured…
…there literally were no words available in my head to even begin describing what the two of us had been through…and Evelynn seemed to be stunned silent as well.
In that moment, my heightened emotions were….inexpressible through any kind of verbal communication.
Hopefully, you’ve had moments in your life that left you speechless in a GOOD way…like a wedding proposal…or holding your baby for the first time….
Moments of elation that leave us at a loss for words.
Well, Peter is telling his readers that the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ ought to emotionally move us to the point that – at times - it leaves us speechless.
We’re also called to tell others about Jesus – so we can’t be speechless all the time…
…But we should be moved to silent tears of Joy when we genuinely contemplate how he loves us so much that he sacrificed his own life for our sins…
…His laying down of His life for our iniquities.
…His opening the portal of hope to an eternal future with Him…
This should produce Joy,,,,Inexpressible!
Joy that cannot be conveyed through words alone…
When is the last time you were convicted in this way?
When you were so filled with joy over your salvation that you literally were speechless with gratitude…
This…this ought to be the heart position of every born-again believer.
Let’s keep our joyride going to another destination in scripture.
Our next stop is all the way back to the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament.
The theme of this book involves the rebuilding of the walls in Jerusalem in the 4th century BC.
The Babylonian exile was over and massive rebuilding was underway in the city of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah was commissioned to oversee the wall project….but he also was used by God to bring encouragement to the Israelites....
It was a time in Jewish history when the people recommitted themselves to the Lord and began to understand the need to live in obedience to Him…
So, in verse 10 of Chapter 8 (Nehemiah 8:10) Nehemiah said this to the people: “….Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the JOY of the Lord is your strength.”
This is an extremely important verse of scripture because it reminds us that Joy itself – like a mighty wall around a city - is a powerful defense against Satan’s forces of darkness and the broken world in which we live…
We see the evil effects of sin all around us – and no one is immune to the effects of a sin-stained world…
…the scary medical diagnosis…the strained relationships…the temptations of the flesh…
But there is an antidote to all of these things…
There is a supernatural power that allows us to experience a deep, settled contentment of the soul…even when we’re in the valleys of life…
That supernatural power is called JOY.
The person who does not know Jesus as their savior…the individual who does not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – they know nothing of this miraculous peace of mind….this consistent contentment of the soul…
Jesus says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
The world cannot experience the Joy that you possess…and you possess it because of your faith in Jesus Christ.
This Joy – as Nehemiah reminds us – is our strength in this world.
After discussing his ability to be content in any situation life throws at him, the apostle Paul goes on to say in Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
According to Nehemiah…this strength is rooted in Joy.
Our final stop on our Joyride this morning brings us to the address of John chapter 15, verse 11.
Jesus is speaking here, and the paragraph leading up to verse 11 teaches us that Jesus loves us…and that we must remain in obedience to Him in order to abide in His love.
Then, verse 11(John 15:11) reads, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
Jesus is no longer the baby in the manger here…
He’s all grown up and ministering to everyone he meets.
He’s also teaching God’s truth about how joy and obedience are related…
As a believer, to experience supernatural joy, one must live in consistent obedience to God.
A heart that still clings to sinful disobedience cannot experience the Joy of Christ.
Joy comes by way of living in accordance with God’s will - and in accordance with His Word.
As believers, sin drives a wedge between us and God…and it disrupts the flowing channel of joy into our lives.
Like me, many of you travel Hwy 33 between Reedsburg and Baraboo…right?
I travel it almost every day.
On that stretch of highway, there’s about a one mile long segment where my phone loses all connection…
…If I’m on a call, the call will drop.
…If I’m listening to a podcast, it’ll be interrupted for about 60 seconds.
When this happens, it causes me to lose a certain amount of happiness in my life…until…my reception is restored.
Then – all is good again.
How true this is of our relationship with Christ.
If we lose our connection of obedience to God…we will lose our joy in our day-to-day life.
Don’t be surprised to learn that joy will be difficult to find in life when you’ve made the decision to prioritize some kind of sin - over your relationship with the Lord.
We were made to worship God…both now – and throughout eternity.
…when we choose to worship something other than God…which is typically ourselves…and our fleshly desires…
Don’t be surprised to experience a loss of joy.
But the good news?
That tiny baby lying in a manger some 2,000 years ago has made it possible for us to reestablish that connection with God at any time…
You don’t have to wait until you’re a mile down the road for that to happen.
If this describes you this morning…
If you’ve been lacking the joy you once had…or maybe you’ve never had it before.
How about making today the day when your spiritual connection to God becomes crystal clear…
…When your life will be surrounded by supernatural walls of joyful protection against the forces of sadness, stress, and anxiety.
…When your heart will be so full of joy that you’ll be at a loss for words…
…When you – like a certain group of shepherds on a hill near Bethlehem – will stand in amazement when contemplating the gospel message of hope in Jesus Christ…….
Hope that is good news of Great Joy!.....
Let’s Pray.