Where do you find peace when life feels unsettled?
In this message, we come to the close of Advent by holding together two words we often separate – joy and love. As Christmas arrives, we are reminded that joy is not something we have to manufacture or sustain through sheer effort. Instead, joy grows out of love that has already moved toward us. But what does that really look like when life is still unresolved, when waiting has been long, or when circumstances have not caught up to our hopes?
This message reflects on how Advent joy is deeper than emotion and stronger than circumstance, and how love is the source that gives joy its staying power. Drawing together the themes of hope, peace, and joy, we see how each one prepares our hearts for Christmas and how love is the reason God gives us all three. Christmas is not about striving to feel the right things. It is about receiving what God has already given.
As Advent comes to an end, this message invites us to slow down, make space, and pay attention to where God is already near. Whether this season feels full or heavy, joyful or complicated, the invitation remains the same – to receive love, and to allow that love to shape how we live, wait, and hope.
If you missed the live service or want to reflect further, you can watch the full message above anytime after. We’ve also included discussion questions to dig deeper into the message. Whether you watch this on your own or share it with your small group, we hope this message encourages you.
Discussion Questions
- Where have you felt the tension this season between celebration and waiting, and how have you noticed God meeting you in that space?
- When life feels unfinished or uncertain, what do you tend to rely on for stability, and how does that compare to the kind of joy described in the message?
- How would your experience of this season change if joy were something you received rather than something you tried to produce?
- In what ways does love feel like the source of hope, peace, and joy in your own life right now?
- Where do you sense God inviting you to slow down or stop striving as Christmas approaches?
- What does it look like for you to receive love in practical, everyday ways rather than just believing it as an idea?
- How do waiting and unresolved circumstances affect your ability to trust that God is near and at work?
- When joy becomes strength instead of emotion, how does that reshape the way you handle exhaustion, disappointment, or grief?
- What practices or habits help you stay open to receiving what God has already given instead of trying to control outcomes?
- As you move into Christmas, where might God be asking you to rest in love rather than push for resolution or clarity?
