Christmas is fast approaching! I hope that you are taking time each and every day to focus your heart and mind on the Reason for the Season. If you do, I’m sure you will find it: Joy. That is the focus for this third week of Advent. The Christmas carols sing of it, the holiday cards mention it, and for too many of us, it completely eludes our lives.  It doesn’t have to! The secret is to make time for Christ, each and every day. One way to do that is to journal.  Journaling is a great pathway to greater awareness and a deepening relationship with Christ.  Here are some readings and prompts to ponder during the coming week.

Sunday:

If you are lighting candles on an Advent wreath this year, it’s time to light the third blue candle.  The candle might also be pink or rose colored.  This candle can symbolize Joy, the joy that is ours for the taking when we realize the depth and breadth of God’s love for us. Read Zephaniah 3:14-20.  What songs of joy are in your heart this holiday season? You can talk about the songs that truly speak to you, or you can make up a new hymn.

Monday:

Read Isaiah 12:2-6.  How can you “let this be known to all the world” this week?  What aspects of your life sing about your joy in Christ to everyone around you?  Or, what can you do differently that will sing about your joy so others can see?

Tuesday:

 Read Philippians 4:4-7.  Do you have the “peace of God, which transcends all understanding”? If not, why not?  If so, how does that impact your life?  How do you know?

Wednesday: 

Read Ephesians 2:12-22. Which outcome of Christ’s love and sacrifice brings the most joy to your heart right now?  Why?

Thursday: 

Read Luke 1: 39-56. This is the story of Mary’s visit to her kinswoman, Elizabeth. What sort of song, poem, or prose can you write that expresses your joy about the coming of Christ?

Friday:

Read Isaiah 9:6-7. In these verses, Isaiah gives several names for the Lord. Which name would you choose today and why? You can pick one from these verses, one from another passage you know, or one you would use from your own experiences.

Saturday:

Read Luke 3:7-18.  John exhorts the crowd to actions that are befitting of redeemed people. What changes will you make to your life and actions this coming week to show that you are a redeemed person?