So many people are feeling under the weather, with lingering sickness and pain. Today, I want to pray over you.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your goodness. Thank you for the gift of good health. Thank you for the breath in our lungs. Thank you for physical strength. So many in our church family are sick, fighting all kinds of viruses, infections, and afflictions of all kinds. I bring them each to you in prayer right now. For those with a headache, ease that pain. For those with respiratory issues, clear their lungs. For those with fever, heal whatever their bodies are fighting. Lord, you know the extent of all the sicknesses represented among our congregation, so minister to each need. Give strength to those who are going to work still feeling poorly. Boost the immunity of those who are caring for, living with, or working around anyone who is sick. Place a hedge of protection around them to keep them healthy. You are Yahweh Raphe. You have made a covenant to be our healer. We look to you alone. While we thank you for the wisdom and skill that you have given to medical personnel, we give you the glory for healing us. We thank you for the relief that medicine provides, knowing that you make our bodies receptive to the medicine. Please provide good sleep, good rest, and quick recovery for each person reading this. Thank you in advance for healing and restoration. We trust you. In Jesus' precious Name we pray, Amen!

Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of every detail in our lives, the confidence that ultimately everything will be made right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things! We see this on display in the gospel of Luke, which tells the story of the shepherds and their experience with the newborn Messiah. Though the shepherds were not wealthy or influential, they were chosen to witness a miraculous event—Jesus’ birth. Because of this, they would soon become messengers of profound joy during the Advent season.

God’s choice of the shepherds reminds us that joy can come from the most unexpected places. The role of a shepherd was one of the lowest jobs in the 1st century. Their testimony was not considered acceptable in court, and they were prohibited from entering the Temple to worship. But the Bible redeems the role of the shepherd. They were the first ones the gospel of Luke credits with meeting Jesus after His birth! As people who were commonly known as lowly and overlooked, God’s message is clear: Joy is accessible to everyone and it starts with knowing Jesus.

When they saw the Messiah, they were filled with a deep, abiding joy that overshadowed their challenges and encouraged them to share their story with those around them. They did so by telling others their story and being messengers of love. With this approach, the Scriptures say that the people who heard the Good News shared by the shepherds were astonished at what they heard!

The shepherds’ joy was not dependent upon their circumstances. Our lives do not have to be perfect to experience joy. After encountering the Messiah, the shepherds returned to their flocks - their same situations, their circumstances. However, they returned differently than how they had left. Joy is not the absence of pain or struggle; it is the presence of God in our everyday lives. Joy is the hopeful confidence we have from knowing God and trusting God regardless of the circumstances. The shepherds experienced God so they were able to, in confidence, go back to their homes and share the Good News of Jesus.

In the shepherds’ story, we find a beautiful connection between the simple joy of their encounter with the newborn Savior and the deeper joy we seek during Advent. Their example teaches us that true joy is rooted not in our circumstances but in our relationship with Christ. As we prepare for His birth, may we, like the shepherds, be filled with the joy that only His presence can provide, and may we share that joy with a world in need of hope and love.

Application Questions

1. True joy is rooted not in our circumstances but in our relationship with Christ. How is joy different from happiness?
2. Why do you think God chose Shepherds, who were often overlooked, to witness the birth of Jesus? What does this teach us about who can share the Good News?
3. What are a few ways we can share joy with others this season?

Next Steps

• Baking Together: Bake cookies or treats together while discussing what joy means to each family member. Share the baked goods with neighbors to spread Joy.
• Dress up and reenact the Christmas Story together.
• Light an Advent candle and talk about Joy.