Joy In Chaos

Christmas season is under way! I know for some of you Christmas started on November 1st and for others like me Christmas doesn’t start until after thanksgiving. It’s always funny to see everyone’s inner Buddy the Elf come out during this time of year. People are full of excitement and gift anticipation. But as you get closer to Christmas we go from Buddy the elf to Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle all the way. We get stressed out about the gifts, parties, and other pressures we begin to feel. We begin to allow the chaos of the Christmas season to ensue. And we are just trying to manage our energy for all of the things we are apart of. It’s in that chaos that if we aren’t careful we can lose grip on peace and joy. I’ve seen this played out time and time again when I was in my early 20’s working as a waiter at Pappasitos in humble. One day I saw something that I couldn’t hardly believe. We had to park across the street from the restaurant. I was walking over to start my shift a few days before Christmas and when I walking across the road I saw a man get out of his vehicle and start beating on another vehicles driver window and cussing them out. IN that moment I thought “This dude is crazy.” Now I realize that in this moment the actions of the other driver were the straw that broke the camels back. He had allowed the chaos of the season to take his joy which ultimately led to his peace being taken as well. There were other pressures getting to Him and in that moment it was too much. This time of year should be encouraging and fulfilling. It should be fulll of selflessness and consideration for the people around us. This is the message we see from the angels when they encounter the shepherds, “Glory to God in the Highest, peace on earth and good will towards men.” This is the message we should be taking every where during this season.

Today is all about how we can keep our joy in the chaos of the season. With each season comes challenges but if we are prepped and ready to face the challenges then we can embrace the challenge without losing sight of what really matters. When we can find the peace that surpasses all understanding, we can stand firm and proclaim who he is.

So what matters? This season is here to remind us that Jesus birth fulfilled this simple but profound promise:

Isaiah 9:6
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon[d] his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Wonderful Counselor
Mighty God
Everlasting Father
Prince of Peace

This is what matters. Understanding that Jesus birth was the fulfillment of everything the Old Testament pointed to! This is exciting. We get to have relationship with THE wonderful counselor, THE Mighty God, THE everlasting Father, THE Prince of Peace. No matter the situation this is who we have on our side! The prince of peace is here. HE is with you! No matter what storm the enemy wants to throw at you he is there to say peace be still.

So when things get crazy, how do we keep focus our on God? How do we solidify who God says we are while the season around us is trying to create pressure? How can we silence the voice of the enemy that wants to continually accuse?

I think there is one fundamental truth we have to embrace, we must have the joy of the lord! We are able to tap into the joy of who He is. We are able to know that no matter the situation that we have the God of all the universe on our side! We get to embrace the wonders of this world in a different and more fulfilling way because we are in relationship with God. We can find joy in the smallest act of generosity or the biggest act of selflessness but either way we are an extension of God’s joy, peace and love.

So how can we make sure that we are finding Joy in the chaos of life?

1. Let peace reign
Joy is a direct result of your connection with peace.
We see this play out within the story of the birth of Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-21
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ[e] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed[f] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Before Joseph could reconcile Mary being pregnant he was going to divorce her in quiet not to put her to shame. It wasn’t until he received word from the angel of the Lord that he had peace. He realized he was part of God's plan.

Maybe the reason you aren’t finding peace is simply because you just need and encounter with Him. Experiencing His presence, His word, and the encouragement of others can do so much to bring the joy of the Lord out of you!

Often times we can’t find joy because we don’t have peace. We are tormented by past sins, hurts, and hang ups but allowing God's word to come in will separate the truth from the lies. It will gives peace and hope to know that we are apart of God's plan.

In Matthew Chapter 8, we see Jesus and the disciples on a boat. There is a storm raging about. The disciples are freaking out and Jesus is taking a nap. Hold up a second. He is just chillin and sleeping while the disciples are screaming and freaking out. I don’t know about y’all but I can’t sleep when my kids are running around yelling and having a meltdown. But that is what is happening. In that moment Jesus has something they don’t. Peace. There are experienced fishermen on this boat. And they were right there freaking out with them until finally one of the disciples woke Jesus up. Jesus woke up and did the most boss thing ever, spoke to the storm. He simply said, peace be still. Peace be still, thats it!

Why was He able to do this?

It’s simple, while disciples had heard of God’s peace, Jesus was living in it. Living in that peace gives you the confidence that no matter the situation, God's got this.

2. Honor the King
We see later on in the story Jesus’ birth, that there were 3 men that wanted to honor the next king of the Jews. What’s the old song?

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain
Moor and mountain
Following yonder star

We pick up there story in Matt chapter 2. They were men looking to honor the new King. So they went to the king to find the new king of the Jews. Herod then pulled scribes and chief priest together to find what the Scripture prophesied about regarding the Messiah. They found Bethlehem and Herod, in secret, told the wise men to diligently look for him so that he too could worship him.

The three wise men wanted honor the coming King. They brought gifts to honor the new King. There is collective thought out there that these men brought gifts from their home countries. But as I was studying I thought this was interesting.

Gold
This is a precious gift. Not only is it costly, but it also signifies royalty. This point out His Kingship of God.

Frankincense
Now when you think of it you probably think of someone with essential oils. But this was used as a fragrance within the temple for different types of sacrifices. It also was used during times of prayer for the priest. This could point to His role as a priest of God on the Earth, because He is the fulfillment of Priest and King.

Myrrh
Myrrh was typically used in the anointing of death. We see Mary anoint his feet with it as she washes them with her tears. This shows his role as our everlasting sacrifice so we can encounter the love of God.

3. Hold on to the Treasure
In Luke Chapter 3 we see the shepherds encounter the angels. In verses 8- 20 we get a glimpse into the story. V8 The Shepherds were in the field keeping watch of their flock. They were taking care of their purpose in that season. They were holding on to their treasure; the sheep. Because they were in their purpose, within the season they were supposed to be, and holding on to the gifts that God had given them they had a life changing encounter.

What if joy is alluding you in life because you are trying to find joy in the wrong purpose? Wrong place? Or your simply holding on to the wrong treasure?

V9-14 They were afraid. They didn’t know what to do. But the angel reassures them with a message of joy and they get a glimpse into praise.

The joy they experienced through the message they received granted them access to a deeper level of worship.

V15-20 They went and found the child. And when they did, they then spread the message the angels gave them. And it says that Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

I remember when I was about 6 years old there was a Christmas that was really tight for our family. And we hadn’t been acting in the best ways. So my dad made sure to tell us that we were only going to get a few presents from Santa. And on Christmas morning we came out and there were only a few presents each. And we unwrapped them and as we finished I remember feeling little disappointed. And at that moment my dad told my brother and I to go put an ornament that was gifted to my mom on the Christmas tree we had in our game room upstairs. We went up and as we made our way in we saw presents every where under that tree. And my parents always wrapped our presents in paper that was our favorite color. My mom still does this to this day. And the thing that was the most special in that moment was the fact that I saw presents for my sister. She had gotten in really big trouble at the end of the school semester. And in that moment my parents created an opportunity for grace and to show her what that looks like lived out. I haven’t forgotten that moment and I would even say it helped shape my understanding of God’s grace with me.

That’s a moment that I have treasured up. I have clung onto that moment through out my life and hope to create similar opportunities for my kids, so they can pass it to their kids, and so on.

This is what happens when we treasure up moments. We can use them as opportunities to not only shape our kids but they can be fuel to help break generational curses. So what are you treasuring up?

How much more joy would be in our life if we grabbed on to the treasure of What God says about us and began to speak that over ourselves each day with the power and authority of Jesus name, what change would we see? Would we find that the fear and lack of confidence is really just a lie planted by the enemy? Would we find that we are missing out on the joy and pleasure God wants us to get from life?

God’s best plan for you is to be present and faithful to those around you.

The Christmas season hasn’t always been the easiest for me. All I would focus on were the expectations that weren’t met or the people I was missing. I was so wrapped up in past hurts and pain that I couldn’t experience the current joy’s that were right in front of me. I would allow the enemy to come in and twist the past moments that I had treasured into to weapons of pain. I had allowed the enemy to win and I wasn’t present in the moment. I couldn’t find the joy and peace of God because I was wrapped up in the torment of the past.

Treasuring up the moments of now forces you to be present. It forces you to be faithful to the people in that moment.

So this year focus on the moment not capturing it. Take your pictures, make your posts, but don’t focus on that. Focus on how you can create internal moments of joy and peace that don’t just satisfy you but become foundational pieces for your kids to build off of.

Today you may have come into this place weary and beat up, you may have come into this place with the excitement of Buddy the elf, who knows? But one thing remains true, the only way we are going to get the most out of this Christmas is by finding joy through out all of the craziness that comes with it.

You might be at a place where you just need to let peace reign, or maybe you need to Honor the king more often, or maybe you need to be more focused on treasuring up moments. What ever the case maybe giving it to God is our best bet. SO we are going to create a space for you to encounter him right now.

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?

How does he want you to respond?