DEC 21 ADVENT @ BC 2022!
This page contains one of the devotionals in our Advent 2022 mini-devo series, devotions created by members and partners of our church community. For more information on Advent @ BC 2022, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, December 21st Advent Mini-Devo - By Payne Ford.
I’m a big fan of Christmas music. I always have been. That being said, whenever I hear the classic “Joy to the World” my mind always wanders to the more amped-up Three Dog Night song that shares its name. You know, the one with Jeremiah the bullfrog and all the fishies in the deep blue sea. I love the idea that we are called to bring Joy to the entire world (and all the boys and girls), and today’s scripture has some great practical advice on how to do that.
As a Sunday School teacher, I’ve come to expect that regardless of the question I ask, the answer coming back to me will be one of three things: “God/Jesus”, “Prayer”, or “The Bible”, generally without any additional context. So, if I were to ask a group of middle schoolers what are some ways that we can spread Joy across the entire world, I’m sure I would get some very insightful one-word answers that boil down to spreading the Gospel.
But John gives us some big advice here. In three small but mighty words he sums up one of the biggest points of the entire Gospel:
God. Is. Love.
That’s it, friends. There’s our cheat code. If we want to become more Godly, the answer will always be to act more loving. If we want to spread Joy, the type of Joy that can only come from a life filled and marked by the Grace of God, then we need to start by loving. And if we want that Joy to spread around the entire world, we can leave no one neglected – in our neighborhood or in another country, in our church family or of a different faith, easy to love or hard to even be around. This is the beauty of God’s Grace acting in our lives; the fruits of His Spirit remake us in this love as we draw closer to Him.
My prayer for our church this Advent season is that we can spread the Joy of God’s Love descending in human form to dwell with us near and far by living lives marked by the Spirit of that Love.
This page contains one of the devotionals in our Advent 2022 mini-devo series, devotions created by members and partners of our church community. For more information on Advent @ BC 2022, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, December 21st Advent Mini-Devo - By Payne Ford.
I’m a big fan of Christmas music. I always have been. That being said, whenever I hear the classic “Joy to the World” my mind always wanders to the more amped-up Three Dog Night song that shares its name. You know, the one with Jeremiah the bullfrog and all the fishies in the deep blue sea. I love the idea that we are called to bring Joy to the entire world (and all the boys and girls), and today’s scripture has some great practical advice on how to do that.
As a Sunday School teacher, I’ve come to expect that regardless of the question I ask, the answer coming back to me will be one of three things: “God/Jesus”, “Prayer”, or “The Bible”, generally without any additional context. So, if I were to ask a group of middle schoolers what are some ways that we can spread Joy across the entire world, I’m sure I would get some very insightful one-word answers that boil down to spreading the Gospel.
But John gives us some big advice here. In three small but mighty words he sums up one of the biggest points of the entire Gospel:
God. Is. Love.
That’s it, friends. There’s our cheat code. If we want to become more Godly, the answer will always be to act more loving. If we want to spread Joy, the type of Joy that can only come from a life filled and marked by the Grace of God, then we need to start by loving. And if we want that Joy to spread around the entire world, we can leave no one neglected – in our neighborhood or in another country, in our church family or of a different faith, easy to love or hard to even be around. This is the beauty of God’s Grace acting in our lives; the fruits of His Spirit remake us in this love as we draw closer to Him.
My prayer for our church this Advent season is that we can spread the Joy of God’s Love descending in human form to dwell with us near and far by living lives marked by the Spirit of that Love.