Joy to the world (Advent 3)

(12/15/25)


Begin With Silence

Take 30 seconds to just pause. Be still. Ask God to open your heart to hear His voice.


Psalm 46:10 (ESV) “Be still, and know that I am God...

1. Wow!


Spend time praising God for who He is... His power, love, creation, and character!


1 John 4:9 (NLT) God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

  • Love put on skin and walked among us.
  • You didn't just ell us You loved us - You came.
  • Your love is the language Heaven speaks fluently.
  • You loved first, deepest, longest.
  • Your love is our story's center.

2. I'm Sorry!


Be honest with God about your sins and shortcomings. Ask for forgiveness and strength to live a life that honors Him.


Psalm 51:12 (NASB95) Restore to me the joy of Your salvation...

  • Forgive me for letting sorrow steal my song.
  • I've let heaviness silence my hallelujah.
  • I've thought joy was for others, not me.
  • Restore the laughter of salvation in me.

3. Thank You!


Think about specific things that you are grateful for, big and small. This could include family, friends, your health, or even the air that you breathe.


Habakkuk 3:18 (GNB) I will still be joyful and glad, because the Lord God is my saviour.

  • Thank You for joy that blooms in barren fields.
  • You've taught me to sing in the dark.
  • Thank you that joy is proof of Your presence.
  • You turn mourning into melody.

4. Save Them!


Continually entrust the needs of others, and especially their need of salvation, to God. Wait with faith, not frustration, knowing He’s at work even when you can’t see it.


John 16:22 (ESV) So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

  • Give joy to the grieving and hope to the hopeless.
  • Turn despair into dancing.
  • Let laughter return to homes weighed down.
  • Make Your Church radiant with gladness again.
  • Fill empty hearts with the sound of joy.

5. Deliver Me!


Entrust your needs and pain to God. Ask Him to meet you in your weakness, and remind you that He is enough.


Nehemiah 8:10 (LSB) Do not be grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.”

  • Deliver me from waiting for perfect conditions.
  • Rescue me from cynicism that steals celebration.
  • Free me from gloom that grows out of control.
  • Teach me to rejoice on purpose.
  • Let joy become my strength and song.


Close With Silence


Use the final minute to be quiet, to listen and reflect on your prayer time and what God may be communicating to you. Then close with... 


The Lord’s Prayer

(Pray the words that Jesus taught us to pray)


Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name;

your kingdom come;

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.

Amen.