Advent, Session 3: The Joy of Advent

Advent

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Nehemiah 8:10

Joy

  1. We will discuss the particular joy of Advent later, for now, how would you define Christian joy? How does this differ from other forms of joy?
    • Why does it matter that joy is a fruit of the Spirit? (Gal 5:22)
      • Why is ‘the joy of the Lord our strength’? (Consider the wider context: Neh 8:9-12)
      • What things tend to limit your joy?
      • Are there things we can do to cultivate joy in our lives? Do you consciously practice these?
      • In particular consider John 15:9-11. What role does obedience play in the level of our joy, or lack of it?
  2. Read Jeremiah 31:10-15. Jeremiah addresses this to Israel in captivity/exile. Considering v10-11, what is the promise?
    • Look at v12: what will be the outcome of this redemption?
    • Look at v13: what transformation does God say he’s going to bring about and what picture is used for this?
      • How does this compare to a legalistic view of religion?
    • Look at v14: What will be at the root of their joy?
  3. Look at Jeremiah 31:15. This describes the anguish that will come with the destruction of invasion and exile and seems discordant to the theme of joy that has preceded it. How is this picked up in the account of Christ’s birth? (See Matt 2:16-18)
    • What does this link back to Israel’s experience tell us about the coming of Christ into our world?

Joy at the First Advent

  1. Consider the following individuals involved in the birth of Christ. Why are they experiencing (or proclaiming) joy?
    • Mary: Luke 1:46-50
    • The angel: Luke 2:9-12
    • The shepherds: Luke 2:20 (while this does not mention joy, it’s fair to surmise it was present!)
    • The magi: Matthew 2:10-11
  2. How might Advent be a source of joy for us?
    • What do we need to do in this season to experience this joy?
  3. Now compare the above responses with that of Herod: Matthew 2:1-4
    • Why is Herod not experiencing joy? What’s troubling him?
      • How does Herod’s response foreshadow our expressive individualist age?
      • How might this explain (in part) why our current culture does not take joy in the birth of Christ but rather looks to other things in the ‘holiday season’ to give happiness?

Joy at the Second Advent

  1. Read Revelation 19:6-9. This describes the joy of believers at Christ’s second coming – his second advent. What is the source of that joy?
    • Revelation is written to help believers endure suffering now. How might the prospect of future eternal joy help us persevere and stay faithful to Jesus when life is hard, or when others find no joy in him?

Download the complete study: Advent Bible studies (PDF), also available in French (PDF)

Scroll to Top