"Joy" | December 21, 2025 | Ps Joel Lowery

When angels appeared in the night sky above a field of shepherds, their first reaction wasn't celebration - it was fear. They were confused, perplexed by the supernatural breaking into their ordinary night. Yet those same shepherds would soon experience a joy so profound that they couldn't stop talking about it.

This contrast reveals something essential about the Christian life: joy isn't always our first response to God's work in our lives, but it's always available when we move toward Him.

Joy That Moves Mountains (and Shepherds)

The announcement the angels made was simple but earth-shattering: "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David" (Luke 2:10-11).

Notice the word "all." Not some people. Not the religious elite. Not just those who have their lives together. All people.

That includes you.

But here's what's fascinating: the shepherds didn't immediately experience joy. They experienced confusion. They had to move toward Bethlehem - toward the place where God was doing something - before joy could fill their hearts.

This teaches us something crucial: joy requires movement. It's the strength to step out when we don't feel like stepping out. It's the courage to move toward God when staying comfortable would be easier.

Three Journeys to Joy

The Christmas story records three distinct groups who moved toward Bethlehem, each teaching us something different about the nature of joy.

1. The Wise Men: When the Supernatural Breaks Through

The Magi were astrologers - the educated elite who studied the stars professionally. They knew the night sky like the back of their hands. Yet when they followed the star to Jesus, something supernatural happened. The star moved from east to west, then defied all natural laws by moving south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.

Matthew 2:10 tells us that "when they saw the star, they were filled with joy."

For those of us who rely on our intellect, who need everything to make sense, who struggle to believe unless we can reason it out - the Magi's story offers hope. Sometimes God needs to do something that breaks through our logic to fill us with joy. Sometimes He needs to move a star in an impossible direction to get our attention.

2. Mary and Joseph: Joy Through the Pain

Then there's Mary and Joseph, eight months pregnant, traveling four days on a donkey through the Middle Eastern heat. This wasn't the magical nativity scene we display on our mantles. This was gritty, uncomfortable, painful reality.

Imagine being Joseph, watching your pregnant wife suffer on that journey, wondering why God couldn't have made this easier. They had been obedient. They had said yes to God's impossible plan. So why the hardship?

Here's the profound truth: the thing you wish God would keep you from is often the very thing He's working through.

That donkey Mary hated was carrying her to her promise. The pain she endured was the labor process for the purpose God had for her. Nothing great just magically appears - great things go through a labor process.

Sometimes you have to ride the donkey for a while. You have to endure the uncomfortable stuff because what God is going to birth through you requires preparation. The joy that will come to so many people because of what He's doing in you means you've got to stay on that donkey a little longer.

3. The Shepherds: Joy in the Dirtiest Places

Finally, the shepherds - the hillbillies of Israel, working in fields covered with sheep and everything that comes with sheep. These weren't the people any earthly king would invite to a royal birth announcement. But God chose them specifically to teach us about His heart.

He found them in the darkness. He came to them in their mess. And after they encountered Jesus, they went right back to those dirty, nasty sheep - but everything had changed. They returned "glorifying and praising God" (Luke 2:20).

Your circumstances don't have to change for joy to transform your life. You might return to the same difficult job, the same challenging relationships, the same financial pressures - but if you've encountered Jesus, joy can be a light in any dark place.

The Anatomy of Joy

So what is this joy we're talking about? Is it just feeling happy when things go well?

No. Biblical joy is an inner strength that comes from being close to Jesus. It's not a dopamine hit that's here today and gone tomorrow. It's rooted in the One who never changes - the same yesterday, today, and forever.

This joy has three movements:

1. Journey Toward Jesus

Nothing brings joy like getting close to Jesus. Not a new job, not more money, not a different spouse, not a change of scenery. Those things might provide temporary excitement, but they can't provide lasting joy. Only Jesus can do that.

2. Share What You've Seen

Luke 2:17 says the shepherds "told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child." When you encounter Christ, it's never supposed to be private information.

You don't need a theology degree. You don't need to have your life perfectly together. You simply share what you've encountered. The shepherds didn't clean up their act before they started talking - they just shared what they saw and heard.

If shepherds covered in sheep dung were qualified to share about Jesus, surely you are too.

3. Rehearse Your Joy

The word "rejoice" literally means to rehearse your joy - to remember all that God has done and to speak about the things you're grateful for. This isn't fake positivity or toxic optimism. It's choosing to focus on God's faithfulness even when circumstances are difficult.

A Gloomy Christian Is a Contradiction

Here's an uncomfortable truth: you cannot have the Spirit of God in you and be perpetually gloomy at the same time. That doesn't mean you won't walk through valleys or experience grief. It doesn't mean you'll never struggle.

But it does mean that joy should be a mark of the Christian life. Christians should be the most joyous people around because we have encountered the living God.

Moving Toward Your Bethlehem

All of us have a spiritual Bethlehem - that place or moment where we encountered Jesus and He changed our lives. Sometimes we need to revisit that place, to recenter ourselves, to come back to where God did something we cannot shake.

Maybe you've wandered to Nazareth or gotten stuck in Jerusalem. Maybe you've been obedient but still feel spiritually off-center. God may be orchestrating circumstances right now - your own personal census - to get you back to Bethlehem.

The invitation today is simple: move toward Jesus. Journey back to that source of joy. Share what you've seen. And practice rejoicing - rehearsing all the good things God has done.

Because joy isn't just an emotion. It's a strength. It's a choice. And it's available to all people who encounter the baby born in Bethlehem.