Celebrate the third week of Advent with us as we light the Candle of Joy. This service will be filled with uplifting music and messages that remind us of the deep and abiding joy found in the coming of Christ. Let’s rejoice together in the Good News of His birth!

Me

[1] I’ve been to 5 Hmong New Years in the last month: two big ones—Madison, WI, and St. Paul—and three small ones this weekend—Prairie Seeds Academy, South Washington County School District, and Brooklyn Park/Brooklyn Center. At each one, I’ve displayed my Hmong LEGO sets, sold minifigs, and chatted with hundreds of people, from kids to grandparents.

And I discovered something unexpected—I loved it. Even after 12 hours on my feet, I still enjoy it. I love sharing my LEGO creations, seeing the joy on people’s faces, and answering all kinds of questions.

What makes this surprising is that I’m an introvert. I’ve never thought of myself as a people person. But give me 12 hours of talking with people about LEGOs and Hmong culture, and I love it. I’ve found joy in the most unexpected place.

You

I think we’re all chasing joy, especially this time of year. Christmas often promises joy— through family gatherings, festive decorations, or gift exchanges. But sometimes, instead of joy, we feel stressed, disappointed, or even lonely.

Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you try, joy seems just out of reach? We think we know where to find joy. Here’s ChatGPT’s list of the top 10 places people try to find joy. See if any of these apply to you.

Relationships

Career Success

Material Possessions

Experiences

Health and Fitness

Entertainment

Social Media Validation

Personal Achievements

Comfort in Routine

Acts of Service

Do you try to find joy in any of these? I’m guessing yes. (Me - Entertainment, comfort in routine, acts of service.)

What if we’re looking in the wrong places? What if joy doesn’t depend on something you create, experience, buy, eat, or watch?

What if real joy is available to all of us but just not where we expect it to be?

God

Thankfully, the Christmas story is full of joy in the most unexpected places. In fact, the story of the shepherds in Luke 2 shows us three unexpected places to find joy, three places we don’t typically look.

Here’s a Christmas truth for you: God brings joy in unexpected places, to unexpected people, and in unexpected ways. Isn’t it time you learn some new sources of joy?

Joy in the Ordinary (2:8)

First, there’s joy in the ordinary. The most extraordinary night began in the most ordinary way, probably like hundreds of other nights.

[2] 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 

[3] The shepherds were just ordinary workers. If you’ve ever heard that shepherds were looked down upon, that’s probably not true. The Jews didn’t look down on shepherds like other cultures like the Egyptians. After all, David was a shepherd.

But they were rural laborers, and they were just doing their everyday work—sitting around, looking at stars, and trying not to fall asleep because they kept counting sheep. This was a cold, smelly, third-shift job. They weren’t exactly the type of people you’d expect to receive the first announcement of the Messiah’s birth.

God often meets us in the ordinary moments of our lives. Do you believe that? Or are you constantly looking for the next spiritually big moment? That tear-filled worship set? That sermon that changes your life? That big spiritual experience?

Author Tish Harrison Warren, in her wonderful book Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life, quotes another author Kathleen Norris, who wrote, “It is a quotidian (or everyday) mystery that dailiness can lead to such despair and yet also be at the core of our salvation… We want life to have meaning; we want fulfillment, healing, and even ecstasy, but the human paradox is that we find these things by starting where we are… We must look for blessings to come from unlikely, everyday places.”

How much attention do you pay to God in your boring, everyday life? Are you looking for God’s joy in your ordinary routines? Don’t overlook the joy that might be right in front of you because you’re waiting for something “bigger.”

Joy in the Good News (2:9-11)

In the next verse, the shepherds’ ordinary night bursts into the extraordinary. Here we find joy in the Good News.

[4] “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Let me tell you 3 things about this passage.

[5] Luke uses the phrase “good news” extensively in both this gospel and Acts. It describes both Jesus’ own words and also words about Jesus. It’s the same Greek word that gives us the English word gospel, and it always points to Jesus.

[6] The Greek literally says, “It’ll cause great joy for all Laos.” So, Hmong people, you’re in the Christmas story. Ok, that’s not exactly true. The Greek word λαός refers to people, in general, and the Israelite people specifically. This is good news to the Israelites, who have been waiting for a promised Messiah for 600 years.

[7] Verse 11 contains a powerful collection of three titles: Savior, Messiah, and Lord. This one sentence says that this baby Jesus is:

The bringer of salvation—a key term in Luke’s gospel.

The fulfillment of God’s Old Testament promises to his people.

God himself. (The only time Lord is used is to refer to God.)

[8] This powerful, world-changing message wasn’t given to kings or priests but to ordinary shepherds. And ordinary people like you and me. The same good news is for you today. Jesus came as Savior to save you, as Messiah to rescue you, and as Lord to direct you.

What would you look like to root your joy in this good news that has been around for 2,000 years instead of fleeting, temporary things like success, possessions, or recognition?

Ask yourself, “What really is the source of my joy? Is it something temporary, or is it the eternal truth of Jesus?”

Joy in Worship (2:12-14)

So, you can find joy in the ordinary. You can find joy in the good news of Jesus. This passage gives you one more place where you can find joy—in worship.

[9] One angel turns into hundreds: 13 Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Quite literally, an army of angels appears and starts worshiping, praising God for two things—his greatness on the highest and the peace he gives to us in the lowest. When we experience God’s joy, our heart naturally overflows with thanking, praising, and glorifying God.

[10] And then, a few verses later, after the shepherds found the baby Jesus in a manger, it says, 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

[11] True joy comes from worship and leads to more worship, and worship reminds us of God’s greatness and draws us into His peace.

That’s why we sing songs in service. We sing about God and to God. These songs are carefully selected to help you set your hearts on God’s character and actions and hopefully move you into a more thankful, praiseful posture.

So, in a few minutes, when we sing a couple more songs, really lean into it. Sing those words from a deeper place, with more of your heart and soul, and you might just discover a little Christmas joy this morning.

Application

God brings you joy in unexpected places and in unexpected ways. The story of the shepherds gives us three places you can look for joy—in the ordinary, in Jesus himself, and in worship of Jesus.

So, I want to challenge all of you this week.

First, name a few things that you typically turn to for joy. These could be your go-to activities, your compulsions, your additions. Be honest with yourself that you look for joy in them, and they probably don’t measure me.

Second, this week, try looking somewhere new for joy. Here are three suggestions from the shepherds.

Turn to the ordinary. Be mindful of God’s presence in the ordinary rhythm of your day. Know that the even the simplest actions, done with love and for God's glory, are sacred and meaningful.

Turn to Jesus. Strip away the extras and focus on Jesus. Read one of the gospels for the person of Jesus. Watch The Chosen. Pray directly to Jesus, not just to God.

Turn to worship. Lose yourself in songs of God. Allow yourself to feel the joy, sorrow, and wonder of praising God.

Will you try looking for someplace new for joy? In doing so, your silent night might just get transformed.