Advent Sermon Series (What Do You Want For Christmas?) – Shepherd’s Joy (Part III)

Sermon Title: What Do You Want For Christmas –Joy in the Shepherds

Good News Statement: Jesus gives us joy when no one else will

Summary: Let the joy of Advent move you toward forgiveness, acceptance, and receiving the gift of Christ in your life

Preached: Sunday, December 14^th, 2025 at Dogwood Prairie & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Luke 2:15-20 – Today’s Scripture reading comes from the New Testament. In today’s reading, we find ourselves experiencing joy as the shepherds, who were watching over their flock by night, were invited to see the Christ child laying in a manger in Bethlehem. May the hearing, reading, and understanding of scripture add a blessing to your life.

 

The Shepherds and the Angels 

⁸ Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, ¹⁹ and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

James W. Moore, What Do You Want For Christmas: An Advent Study for Adults, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2008.

 

 

Introduction:

In 2016, Forbes Magazine senior contributor Kathy Caprino, published an article striving to find an answer to the following question: “If you could say in one word what you want more of in life, what would that be?” As of 2016, 771 people responded to Caprino’s survey. Upon analyzing the results of her survey, Caprino shared, “What’s so intriguing about these responses is that it’s becoming more obvious with each passing year that the things we humans desperately long for today are not only universal and timeless, but also have become even more elusive and challenging to access and sustain, even as we “evolve” and develop in this tech-frenzied, time-crushing world.”[1]

Of all the things people indicated they want more of in life, the following were the eight mentioned most frequently, according to Caprino’s survey: happiness,[2] money,[3] freedom,[4] peace,[5] joy,[6] balance,[7] fulfillment,[8] and confidence.[9]  Doing a simple Google search on “What people want in their life” you will see that there are many lists that claim to provide what people want most in their life. Most of those links are valuable. However, most of those links are composed by people fulfilling out survey upon survey: they don’t necessarily describe what you want most in life. Happiness, money, freedom, peace, joy, balance, fulfillment, and confidence, are all great things, but are they what you really want in life?

During the Advent Season, our “wants” increase. We make lists. People ask us all the time what we want. Amazon and Wal-Mart both know our address by heart. As humans, our need to want more consumes us this holiday season. However, is what you want something that you need? When was the last time, especially during Christmas, you sat down and made a list not from your mind but from your heart? The birth of Christ, in Bethlehem, in a manger because there was no room in the Inn with two scared and uncertain parents, is what we need in our life. What is your heart seeking this Christmas Season?

To help us answer this question, for the next four weeks we will be using the words of James W. Moore (1938-2019), an author and preacher and pastor ordained in The United Methodist Church. In 2008, he published a book titled What Do You Want For Christmas: An Advent Study for Adults.

 

Body:

It happens every year. You count on it. It always repeats itself. Again and again and again in the days leading up to Christmas, we will hear people ask the big question “What do you want for Christmas this year?” Parents will ask their children; Husbands and wives and spouses will ask each other; girlfriends and boyfriends will ask each other; neighbors will visit each other and before they leave the will ask each other this time honored question. After the question is asked, those asking are hoping to hear these words: “All I want for Christmas is______________ (You fill in the blank).

As you think about what you might place in the blank, I want to share a simple story with you regarding someone unpopular but not unknown. This person was born on May 3^rd, 1931 and passed away on July 23^rd, 2016; and his name was Thomas Sutherland. Tom had been a prisoner. While serving as Dean of Agriculture at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, he was taken captive near his home on June 9, 1985, by members of a terrorist group and was held in captivity for 2,353 days, nearly six years, spending a significant amount of time in solitary confinement. He (and Terry Waite) was released on November 18, 1991.[10]

In one of his speeches talking about his experience, he said, “Do you know what it’s like to be in prison? To be held hostage? To be a captive? It’s very lonely, and you worry that people will forget you. I felt abandoned. I didn’t think anybody even knew I was in prison.”[11]

During his time of imprisonment, Tom Sutherland could hear a radio that the guards had. It was tuned into the BBC channel—the British Broadcasting Corporation—and every day Tom would listen intently to the newscast, hoping and praying that he might hear his name, hoping and praying that the newscaster would talk about him on the air and tell the story of his imprisonment and his innocence. But his name was never mentioned, so he assumed that no one in the United States even knew that he was being held hostage.[12]

Finally, after more than six years of captivity, Tom was released. The United States government flew Tom’s wife, Jean, to his location so that the two could be reunited. They were so excited to see each other. A few days later, they flew home together to San Francisco. As they were getting off the plane back home in the United States, Tom was amazed to see that there were lights and television cameras, reporters and people holding signs, and a huge crowd at the airport. Tom turned to his wife and said, “Jean, look at all these people. There must be a celebrity on the plane with us! Look around and see if you can spot who it is.” And Jean said, “Honey, they are all here for you! It’s you! This is all for you!”[13]

When his wife told him that, Tom started crying, and he couldn’t stop. He sobbed like a little boy. He couldn’t believe it. He said, “I thought everybody had forgotten about me. I didn’t think anybody knew I was in captivity. I felt completely abandoned. I didn’t think anybody cared. Thank God I was wrong.”[14]

When Tom felt alone, he wasn’t. When Tom felt abandoned, he wasn’t. When Tom felt uncared for, he was cared for. When Tom lost all hope and living into the darkness of a captive life, there was still a chance to experience joy. When was the last time you allowed yourself to experience joy? When was the last time you really laughed? When was the last time your smile wasn’t fake but genuine? When was the last time your joy reminded you that you are not alone nor abandoned? When was the last time you realized that you have the joy of Christ down in your heart (where?…down in my heart)? Tom may have felt joyless, but he still had joy down in his heart. Tom wanted to be home so that he could feel joy again. Do you want joy in your life?

“What do you want for Christmas?” It’s an age old question, a Christmas classic if you will. Each week to help us ponder this question, we will look at a passage or passages from scripture focused on the birth of Jesus Christ, relate the scripture chosen to our own life, and then I will offer you what is on my Christmas list this year. To begin, my hope is that this year for Christmas you answer that age old question by saying, “All I want for Christmas is to be filled with joy.”

 

Movement One: Examination of Scripture…

Two weeks ago, we took time to consider what it means to place hope on our Christmas list. Hope is more than wishful thinking. Hope is more than dreaming. And hope is more than a single word. Hope is a prayer. Hope is what is needed to change our life. Hope begins our Advent Season because we expect to be filled with the hope of God as we anticipate to witness the salvation of Christ lying in a manger in the small town of Bethlehem surrounded by all people of all walks of life. Hope is what inspires us to echo the words of the Prophet Isaiah and Mary, the mother of Jesus, at a time when hope was lost: “Here am I.” Hope is what allows us to find ourselves at the manger scene and then at the cross and then leaving the empty tomb. Hope is realizing that you need God in your life. Hope is what allows you to hear God, to obey God, and to trust in God. Have you put hope on your Christmas list yet?

Last week, we returned to the words of James Moore, author of the book that I am using for this Advent Sermon Series, who used the Gospel of Matthew to show us that even in our impatience, the peace of Christ is with us. It’s through peace that we are set free from the things that keep us from getting to the manger scene. If we don’t allow ourselves to experience peace, then we will be asking the same question that the disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew because we have lost sight of who Jesus is: they asked, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (Matthew 11:3). The peace of Christmas is what helps us pause, breathe, sit, and enjoy the Christmas season for what it ought to be and not what we want it to be. We need peace in our life. We need the Prince of Peace to go with us. We need the peace of Christ to not only be given to us but to live within us. We need the peace that passes all understanding to grant us enough wisdom to realize that we need to slow down. The peace that is promised to all the earth, by the angels, is the very peace that changes our life. Have you put peace on your Christmas list?

This week, we turn our attention to the third Candle of Advent: the pink Candle of Joy. The other purple candles symbolize hope and peace and love, so the pink one is a joyful break from the perpetual purple, showing that Christmas is close. Tradition suggests that the third Sunday of Advent is known as “Gaudete Sunday,” which is Latin for “rejoice,” and symbolizes the joy that the shepherds felt when they heard about the birth of Jesus, which is why it is sometimes called the “Shepherd’s Candle.” From this candle, we are reminded of what it means to accept and live out the joy of the new born king.

Let’s turn our attention to the ones whom this week’s candle is named after: the shepherds out watching their flock by night. Imagine that you were the shepherds watching over your flocks in the fields that night, maybe seeking to get some rest after a busy day of leading and protecting the flock, and then all of a sudden the night sky illuminates and heavenly sounds are heard all around. Having just witnessed a display of heavenly glory by the angelic choir singing, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors” (Luke 2:14), and having been given the good news that our long-awaited Savior, prophesied by the prophet Isaiah, had been born in the small town of Bethlehem, which means “House of Bread,” what should we do? We could have said to one another, “Did you see that? What was that all about? I don’t know, but it was certainly incredible! Do you think anyone is going to believe us since we can’t prove what we have seen and heard is actually true? Who would believe us simple shepherds? People don’t give a rip about nobodies like us! They’d just laugh or accuse us of lying. We’d better keep quiet and forget about the whole thing.”

To this, Moore notes, “Society had cast [shepherds] out and pushed them down to one of the lowest rungs on the social ladder. They were considered unclean physically and spiritually, and they must have felt abandoned and forgotten. They must have felt as though no one really cared about them.”[15]
They were hostages in a world that kept them outside the city walls. But then they found out on that first Christmas night that, thank God, they were wrong. Somebody did care about them! They weren’t forgotten. They weren’t abandoned. Of all the people on the face of the earth, approximately 170-300 million people in 0-3 AD, according to several online resources, the angel of the Lord appeared to them.

The angle of the Lord appeared to those on the lowest rung of the social ladder. Why? Because that is who Jesus came to seek and save. He came to seek and save the lost, the last, and the least (Matthew 18:11). He came to care for the vulnerable, the marginalized, and those overlooked in society, those lying on mats, resting by wells of water, left along the road side. He came to make people feel loved and at home. Author and New Testament Professor Amy-Jill Levine shares in her book A Child is Born, “The biblical story is one of displacement, of refugees and migrants, people uprooted by famine, and people uprooted by empires. It is also a story of pilgrimage, of making connections with relatives who live in different locations, and of exploration. It is a story of people trying to find, and to make, a home.”[16] Most shepherds didn’t have a home since they were constantly traveling; but yet in Christ, they had the best home anyone could ever wish for. The angels called upon a group of people who no one else wanted: God wanted them, though, just like he wants you.

Like Mary, terrified and who hurried off to find Elizabeth, not to Joseph, when Gabriel gave her elderly relative’s pregnancy as a sign to validate his message (Luke 1:36-45), these men hastened to look for the sign so fittingly made for them—a manger with a newborn in it, wrapped in swaddling cloth (Luke 2:11-12, 15-16). How appropriate it was for the Davidic Messiah to be discovered by shepherds in the very city where King David himself grew up as a shepherd boy![17] These shepherds, lowly as they were, did know Christ. As simple as they were, they found Christ. As uneducated and poor as they may have been, they located the manger where Christ was. As unclean—physically and spiritually—as one could be, they were invited to stand in the presence of the “King of the Jews.” As imperfect as they were, they found a perfect home in Bethlehem.

When the shepherds found the holy family, they made known to Mary, Joseph, and those who were present all that was revealed to them (Luke 2:17-18). They became messengers of the good news themselves: lowly outcasts became the first ones to spread the good news. Kings, royalty, ambassadors, the wealthy, the priests in the temples, and those living within the city walls weren’t the first ones to spread the news of Jesus’ birth. Shepherds, watching their flock by night and making camp in the fields, were the first ones to “Go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.” The unexpected and the insignificant became the ones who would do extraordinary things.

What’s even more impressive is that Mary took their report to heart (Luke 2:19), as it confirmed what the angel Gabriel told her at their fateful encounter. She didn’t question them. She didn’t tell them to get away. She didn’t dismiss them. She believed them. Mary believed the news of strangers living in a foreign land. As for the shepherds themselves, they returned to the fields praising and glorifying God (Luke 2:20). Because they believed the angel, their life would never be the same again. Probably for the first time in their life, they experienced a joy that was more powerful than what others thought about them. This joy, changed their life. But how did it change their life?

 

Movement Two: A Joy Down in Your Heart…

First, the shepherds joy lead to their acceptance of the Angels news. In December of 1993, Terry Bowden, who during his first year of coaching at Auburn University, was presented with the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award. He took a struggling program that was on probation and had lead his team to an undefeated season. In his acceptance speech, he told a story of his parents taking him and his siblings to a church while on vacation. “Once while on vacation, we went to this church that was a little more emotional than we were used to. The minister was shouting and pounding the pulpit, and he began to look around the congregation for someone to single out, and he spotted my father. Mom and Dad marched us down to the front pew. Mom was on one end, Dad on the other end, with five kids squeezed in between to be sure we would behave in church. The preacher pointed dramatically to my dad and this conversation took place. “You there. Do you have faith?” “Yes, I have faith,” Dad answered.

The preacher said, “If I put a two-by-four board down there on the floor, do you have enough faith to walk across it?” “Yes, I could do that.” “But,” said the preacher, “what if I took that same two-by-four board and placed it across the top of the two tallest buildings in New York City. Would you have enough faith to walk across it then?” “No, I don’t have that much faith,” Dad answered.

“But what if somebody were standing on the other end,” said the preacher, “and dangling one of your children off the side. Would you cross the board then?” As this point Terry said, his dad turned and looked down the pew at his five children, and then asked the preacher, “Which one?” Although Terry was just kidding, there is a valuable lesson in his speech.[18]

God does not say, “Which one?” He doesn’t say, “Which one should I lay my life on the line for? Which one deserves to be forgiven? Which one will get an answer to their prayer? Which one is perfect and has never sinned? Which one deserves my never failing and unending love? God doesn’t ask those questions. As a matter of fact, God so loved the world—that’s you, that’s me, that’s our neighbors, that’s the people you are sitting by, that’s those who are not here this morning, and it includes the sinners, the saints, and those whom you don’t know—so that all may be brought into the circle of God. God comes with open arms of acceptance for all of us, even the shepherds amongst us. To each one of us, God says, “You are valued. You are included. You are wanted. You are precious. You matter.” God accepts all, but not all accept God.

On that first Christmas night, with the melody of the angels on repeat in their minds, the shepherds for the first time felt joy because they were accepted. Mary accepted them. Joseph accepted them. Those who believed in their words accepted them. And Jesus accepted them. If you want to experience joy this Advent Season and throughout your life, allow yourself to be accepted by Christ and in turn allow yourself to accept Christ. He can turn you from feeling like a nobody to feeling like a somebody. I invite you to say these words to yourself: “Lord, Jesus, come into my heart, come in to stay, come into my heart, Lord Jesus.” If you want joy in your life, accept Jesus into your heart. And remember he doesn’t ask “Which One” but says “I have a plan for you.”

Second, joy is found through the act of forgiveness. Steven Spielberg’s movie Schindler’s List, from 1993, is a graphic, shocking, unflinching depiction of the twentieth century’s most staggering horror: the methodical, brutal extermination of millions of human beings in the Nazi death camps of World War II. Oskar Schindler was a most unlikely hero, sort of like the shepherds, but through the efforts of this one man, nearly twelve hundred persons were saved from certain death. He put them to work in his factory, where he could protect them. One of the most powerful moments in the movie is when Oskar Schindler is in conversation with the commander of the labor camp. They are talking about power, and the commander brags about the authority he has over these people: often ordering people to be killed whenever and however. But Oskar says, in effect, “Oh no, Commander, you are wrong. That is not power. Anyone could do that. But to have a man come before you and to say, ‘I could take your life if I so choose, but no…instead I pardon you! I pardon you!’ That, Commander, is power!”[19] It is indeed the power of forgiveness that allows us to feel joy in our life.

When it comes to forgiveness, the Bible isn’t shy about talking about something many of us struggle with in our life. The Psalmist wrote, “As far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). Micah notes, “[God] will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). Moving to the New Testament, Paul informed the people of Ephesus in his epistle, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). Matthew 6:14-15 asserts, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” John picks up on the idea of forgiveness when you wrote, “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Every Sunday, we pray together, “…forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” And we can’t forget what Jesus said, just minutes before taking his last breath from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness is part of God’s word, part of Christ’s mission, and should be part of our life.

Studies have suggested that holding onto forgiveness isn’t generally considered healthy. John Hopkins Medicine documents, “[Lack of forgiveness] is linked to increased stress, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, heart issues, and weakened immunity. On the other hand, forgiveness can improve mental and physical well-being by reducing these negative effects and it leads to a sense of happiness and joy.” Forgiveness is both physically and spiritually healthy. But how often do you exercise forgiveness in your life?

The shepherds weren’t necessarily seeking forgiveness when they found their way to the manger scene. But they were forgiven. The shepherds may have not realized all the wrong they have done throughout their lives, but at the manger scene that didn’t matter because they were forgiven. Whatever was weighing down upon them, continually reminding them that they will never amount to anything, was gone once they found themselves in the presence of Jesus Christ. We all need to seek the presence of Jesus Christ in our life because we all deserve to feel joy. But we need to extend forgiveness when forgiveness is due. We can’t fully experience the joy of Christ, the joy of Christmas, if we can’t practice forgiveness. When we accept forgiveness and offer forgiveness to others and live in the spirit of forgiveness, then we are doing a God-like thing.

Third, joy comes from the gift of Christ. I once received a Christmas card that shared a powerful message. It read, “Socrates taught for forty years, Plato for fifty, Aristotle for forty, and Jesus for only three. Yet the influence of Christ’s three-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching of these greatest philosophers of all antiquity. Jesus painted no pictures, yet the finest painting of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him. Jesus wrote no poetry, but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world’s greatest poets were inspired by Him. Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and oratories they composed in his praise. Every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by this humble carpenter of Nazareth.”[20]

Simply put, there is joy in Christ. Christ is our source of joy. It’s through him, that joy is inspired, encouraged, and lived out in all that we do. We see this joy in our loved ones, our family, our friends, our neighbors, and our church. Even in our darkest moments, there is still joy. The Psalmist wrote, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). When Mary receives news that threatens her life, changes her life, leaves her life in confusion and fear, and possibly leaves her feeling abandoned, she offers a song of praise to God: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior…” (Luke 1:46-55). After Hannah, who prayed and prayed to become pregnant and who dedicated her future child to God, sings a song of praise when Samuel is born: “My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your victory…” (1 Samuel 2:1-10). From chaos to order, God created this world from joy  when He repeatedly said, “It is good.”

Joy is all around us, but not everyone experiences joy in Christ. The shepherds, knowing that they were seen as outcasts, came to believe that they would not amount to much: they wouldn’t be seen as anything but unclean people, living off the land, camping in tents and caves, sleeping next to filthy animals, wearing the same clothes for days on end, and never being welcomed within the city walls. Society put them out there, but Jesus brought them here to the manger. The shepherds found joy on that first Christmas night. They wept, but Jesus wiped away their tears. They were seen as unclean, but Jesus made them clean. They were unwelcome, but Jesus welcomed them. They were in pain, but Jesus took away their pain. They were nameless by society, but Jesus knew their names. They were tired and worn, but Jesus revived them. They were abandoned, but Jesus loved them. They were lost, but Jesus found them. Their heart was lacking joy, but Jesus reminded them of the joy that is deep down in their heart.

Simply put, the shepherds, much like us, found joy in the best gift of Christmas, Jesus Christ. And they couldn’t contain that joy, so they shared it. They not only became the first evangelists—sharing the good news—but they became the first persons to show how the joy of Christmas can change someone’s life. Having joy means that you have received the gift of Christ in your life. Are you joyful about that?

 

Movement Three: A Moment of Joy can Change Everything…

As I was thinking about joy this past week, I found myself thinking about how God has blessed me with so many moments of joy. But I also found myself reflecting on a commercial that aired in 2014 to commemorate the 100^th Anniversary of World War I. The commercial was an advertisement for Sainsbury, the largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. It focused on the Christmas Truce of 1914. This Truce was a series of unofficial ceasefires which took place along the Western Front of the First World War; it started on Christmas Eve, and among signed armistices, gifts, and songs, 48 hours went by, and very few bullets were fired. The Christmas Truce came five months after hostilities had started, with already one million soldiers in the death toll worldwide. And just as everybody was receiving gifts from their beloved ones, the guns went almost silent on Christmas Eve, and the soldiers began celebrating Christmas in the trenches. The soldiers began to sing Silent Night. As the day broke, German soldiers were “bobbing up and down” from the trenches, but the British were not firing. One of the Germans gathered up the courage to climb out  allowing soldiers to exchange greetings and gifts on Christmas.[21]

Amongst the fighting, the shooting, the shouting, the killing, and the defeating, for 48 hours, joy, between enemies, was both heard and seen. Joy has a way of bringing people together. Joy has a way of removing differences. Joy has a way to help us focus on the good in people. Joy has a way to help us forget about the worries of the day and help us focus on the present moment. Joy has a way to change our lives because the joy we experience is a joy that God created just for us. Just imagine what God’s creation would be like today, if we spent more time fighting for joy rather than for power and prestige.

For Christmas, I am putting joy on my Christmas list, along with hope and peace. The joy I am wishing for is not just some happy-go-lucky-kind of joy that makes me feel all warm-and-fuzzy inside. The joy I am seeking is the joy that can only be found in the manger scene: a joy that changes everything, a joy that reminds me that life is too short not to laugh and smile every day, a joy that sees me for who I am, a joy that brings life to my tired bones, a joy that breathes life back into my lungs, a joy that rests within my heart, a joy that assures a moment of peace, a joy that gives me hope, and a joy that can bring people together. What sort of joy do you long to experience this Christmas season? Where will you find this joy in your life?

 

Conclusion:

Remember at the start of this message, I shared a story about a man named Tom Sutherland who thought he had been forgotten and that no one cared? Remember how, when his plane landed in San Francisco, he saw all of the people and the lights and the cameras, and he thought there was a celebrity on board the plane, and his wife said to him, “It’s you! This is all for you?” Well, that’s what I want to say to you about Christmas: It’s all for you! The joy of Christmas is found in your willingness to accept Christ into your life. The joy of Christmas is found in your willingness to both give forgiveness and seek forgiveness. And the joy of Christmas is found in knowing that Christ is the best gift of Christmas.

Christmas is a joyful time of year for many but not for all. However, God, through Jesus Christ, is never going to remove from your life a sense of joy that changes your life. What brings you joy this time of year? Is it your family, is it your friends, is it the ability to gather with others, is it the act of giving, is it seeing the Christmas decorations and seeing the Christmas lights, is it putting up the Christmas tree, is it sending and receiving Christmas cards, is it listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies on Hallmark, is it seeing the joy and smiles of children as they tell you what they want for Christmas. What brings you joy this time of year? And whatever brings you joy, why does it bring you joy?

This Christmas remind yourself of the shepherds who were watching over their flocks by night and how in a single night their life was changed and filled with so much joy that they couldn’t contain it. Why? Because what God did for the shepherds, He is willing and wanting to do for you. He wants you to have joy.

Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for the gift of Christ and for the joy your gift brings to us and to others. Help us share Jesus with those who need to know the real joy and meaning of Christmas. In your holy name we pray, Amen.

 

Benediction:

Church, how will you share the joy of Christmas this week? I encourage you to share a smile with someone, let your laughter be heard, and remind yourself that you have the joy of Christ down in your heart. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, go forth living out the joy of Christmas. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

[1] Kathy Caprino, Forbes Magazine, “The Top 8 Things People Desperately Desire But Can’t Seem To Attain.” May 24, 2016. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2016/05/24/the-top-8-things-people-desperately-desire-but-cant-seem-to-attain/

[2] People said they find happiness in a job, a spouse, in their family, a title or position, a paycheck, or in fancy house.

[3] Money allows us to do wonderful things: buy our favorite brand of clothing, purchase the newest tool on the market, go on vacations, go out to eat, go shopping, and it allows us to support those in need. To this finding, Caprino asked, “How much money do you really need to bring about the life experiences that will truly fulfill you?”

[4] We all want it, and, to some extent, we all have it. Freedom requires making yourself right, following your own authentic beliefs and values, and building strong boundaries to protect yourself. It also requires, notes Caprino, “boldness and courage to make yourself your own.”^[4] We all want freedom, but how do we pursue freedom through our faith.

[5] We long for peace, desperately. Peace from noise, chatter, pressure, responsibilities. We also want peace from the painful thumping inside our own heads—the conflicts and strain we inflict on ourselves every minute to be better, stronger, smarter, you fill in the blank… I appreciate what Caprino states, “You don’t have to know your purpose to be at peace—you just have to commit to being at peace…”

[6] Simply put, joy comes from the process of becoming more of who you already are from those in your life, from your blessings, and from finding the good even in the bad.

[7] Balance takes understanding of our non-negotiables—what we won’t compromise on and what we will say “yes” to all while making the right decisions that align with our life’s priorities.

[8] Fulfillment can be defined as this: “Satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing one’s abilities or character.”^[8] Fulfillment is possible when you are filling up your cup (maybe to the point of having it run over), honoring and respecting yourself, and doing what brings you joy.

[9] Confidence comes from acknowledging our own magnificence, not shying away from it. When we’re in situations that are hurtful, demeaning, challenging and worse, we lose confidence. We get rocked and we stay rocked. We forget who we are, and what we are capable of.

[10] James W. Moore, What Do You Want For Christmas: An Advent Study for Adults, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2008. pg. 25.

[11] James W. Moore, What Do You Want For Christmas: An Advent Study for Adults, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2008. pg. 25-26.

[12] James W. Moore, What Do You Want For Christmas: An Advent Study for Adults, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2008. pg. 26.

[13] James W. Moore, What Do You Want For Christmas: An Advent Study for Adults, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2008. pg. 26.

[14] James W. Moore, What Do You Want For Christmas: An Advent Study for Adults, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2008. pg. 26.

[15] James W. Moore, What Do You Want For Christmas: An Advent Study for Adults, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2008. pg. 27.

[16] Amy-Jill Levine, A Child Is Born: A Beginner’s Guide to Nativity Stories, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2025. pg. 5.

[17] Furthermore, their finding Jesus in a manger was a symbolic reversal of God’s indictment of Israel’s rebelliousness at the time of Isaiah: “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib (manger), but Israel does not know; my people do not understand” (Isaiah 1:3).

[18] James W. Moore, What Do You Want For Christmas: An Advent Study for Adults, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2008. pg. 28-29.

[19] James W. Moore, What Do You Want For Christmas: An Advent Study for Adults, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2008. pg. 30-31.

[20] James W. Moore, What Do You Want For Christmas: An Advent Study for Adults, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2008. pg. 32-33.

[21] https://creativepool.com/magazine/inspiration/ads-that-made-history-the-christmas-truce-of-sainsburys.26122