The Notes

This coming Wednesday night, December 17, 2025, we continue the Christmas message series "Finding" with this week's emphasis on "Finding Love."  It will be a very special message because it also incorporates a candle-lighting service.  You don't want to miss this message, which is also the last "in person" message of the year.  We hope to see you at 6:00 p.m. for some mid-week encouragement for the soul. 

If you can't join us in person, you can always participate through our Facebook page - we go "live" at 6:00 p.m., and you will have a front row seat.  If you can't join us live, there are 3 ways to watch the message later - on Facebook, on YouTube, or here on our website.  Messages are posted the following day and you can watch a replay of any message anytime!  

If you want to keep some notes from a message, you can download the notes for a specific message from the "Past and Future Messages" page of our website.  There are many ways to be spiritually fed and encouraged.

This past Wednesday night, December 10, 2025, we continued our Christmas message series called "Finding."  This week our topic was Finding Joy This Christmas. 

Many people struggle to have joy in their life because circumstances are tough.  It can be even worse during the holiday season.  But the Bible gives us a different idea of Joy.  In spiritual terms, joy is an inner state of contentment and happiness that is not dependent on our circumstances.  It exists through both good and bad times.  And importantly, the Bible tells us that joy should be a characteristic of every Christian.  Obviously, many Christians struggle in this area.  So this week, we shared 5 reasons to find joy this Christmas, and keep it forever.

Joy is part of the Christmas story.  That’s why we see it so much this time of year.

Look at Luke 2:8-20 – the part of the Christmas story that deals with the Shepherds & the Angels.   

Particularly in verse 10, "the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."  

There are 5 reasons we can have joy, which are evident from the Christmas story. 

1 - The Shepherds Learned That God's Word is True.  

In a world of half-truths, false information, and artificial intelligence, we certainly can appreciate truth.  It's so good to hear and see something and know it is true.  The shepherds were given a message from angels about the birth of the Savior that very night.  They were told were to go and what they would find.  And it happened just as they were told.  Verse 20 says - "the shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them." 

So the first reason for joy is because of truth.

Jesus’ birth happened in Bethlehem just as it was prophesied. 

Micah 5:2 – “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.” 

Jesus was, indeed, born in the city of David - Bethlehem - from King David’s lineage.

Because God’s word is true, we can count on Him.  That's why truth matters.

We’ll have people disappoint us, but not God.  You can trust Him.  You can depend on Him.  His words are true.  His prophecies and His promises are true.

2 - The Savior has been born!  

The second reason for joy is that the long-awaited Messiah is here!  The one who paid for our sins on the cross has arrived.  He loved us so much He was willing to leave the comforts of heaven to experience the agony of the cross.

Now that is a reason to celebrate!!

The Bible tells us that "Although he was in the form of God and equal with God, he did not take advantage of this equality.  Instead, he emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, by becoming like other humans, by having a human appearance." - Phil. 2:6-7. 

We can live with joy knowing the Savior has already come; we are not still awaiting Him and wondering if God's promise would ever happen.  It has.  And we are blessed to live in this time.   In Matthew 13:16-17, Jesus said: “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.  For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

We aren’t still waiting for Jesus to come, but we are waiting for His second coming.  That’s the point of the song, Joy to the World.  It's not about the birth of Jesus as you would expect from a Christmas Carol.  But as we await that coming, we can live with joy.

3 - The Angels were Sent to Shepherds . . . to the outcasts.

Understand the importance of that visit - angels, voices from heaven bringing God’s message, were sent to Shepherds.  Because shepherds were considered unclean, untrustworthy, and were outcasts, this part of the story shows us they matter.  It shows us we all matter.  

Jesus entered this world with a humble birth.  Poor even.  Born to parents of limited means.  And because there was no inn, Jesus was born in a barn and placed in a manger - that is, a feeding trough for animals.  The impact of this event is that it confirms - Jesus came for all people.  That's why the angels announce it is joy for all the people.  Whether poor or rich, whether educated or illiterate.  The Gospel is for the thief, the liar, the cheater, the insignificant, the outcast.  It's for all of us.

4 - Shepherds were given a sign to recognize the Messiah.  The angels said (in verse 12) -  "And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”   Or in the more familiar King James Version, “this shall be a sign unto you…”   The angels give the shepherds a sign that they will know and truly understand, better than anyone.  The location of this event is Bethlehem.  That village is 5 miles from Jerusalem and the perfect place for shepherds to tend the flock of sheep who raised lambs for temple sacrifice.  Only male lambs born perfect, with no blemish or defect could be used for such a holy sacrifice.  When such a lamb was born, it was wrapped in strips of cloth - swaddling cloth - to protect the lamb and to signify it's special characteristics.  So to tell the shepherds they will find the baby wrapped in swaddling cloth is incredibly significant!  Better than anyone, these shepherds would know that this is the Perfect Lamb, the Messiah, the Savior of the World.  The Shepherds knew, and they had great joy!  This was a God-wink.  God knew they would understand.

5 - God gives us Joy . . . we don’t have to look for it.

Joy is a gift from God.  Romans 15:13 – “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Joy comes to us through our belief in Jesus, and we are filled with joy by the Holy Spirit.

That’s why all Christians should live lives highlighted with Joy.  Look also at Galatians 5:22-23 – “the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  The Holy Spirit will eliminate our negativity if we open ourselves up to His refining process.  We can live with joy.  It is expected to be a characteristic of our lives if we are born-again believers who give free reign to the Spirit of God to refine us in His image and likeness.  Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.  Living a life that displays show is an outward sign that the Spirit of God lives inside us.

This Christmas, please be mindful that it isn’t about what we have to give, but what we’re given.  And we've been given love, peace, and joy from God.  Accept the gift of joy and don't let circumstances  of life steal your joy.  Live in joy.   Show joy.    And share your joy.  Before the Shepherds returned to the field, they told everyone what happened to them.   They shared the source of their joy.  Share what you know; share joy!

Merry Christmas everyone, with Joy!