Themes
Joy • Trinity • Incarnation • Cross • Resurrection • Ascension • Reconciled • Forgiven • Adopted • Love • Happiness • Purpose • Will • Intelect • Emotions
He created us. He redeemed us. He reconciled us back to Himself. And He was not obligated to do any of these things. He has chosen to be for us out of His completely free, entirely joyful, and unconditionally loving nature.
Scripture reading
John 15:9–11 2 Corinthians 5:17–19 Hebrews 12:2 Romans 8:14–17 Galatians 5:22–23
This call to worship1 is about joy. Jesus desires for us to share in His joy. God joyfully acted to reconcile us to Himself through Christ. Christ endured the cross because of the joy of reconciling us to the Father. And because of all that, we have been adopted into God’s family. And so now we get to participate in the Son’s joyful relationship with the Father.
Jesus said these words: As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you keep My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. Paul, and the writer of the sermon known as the book of Hebrews, wrote these words: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs— heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Prayer
Father in heaven, how is it that we might not be joy-filled? Right now, in this very moment, regardless of our circumstances, we are full participants in Your own very life. We are participating in that perfect and joy-filled communion that exists —and has always existed— between You and the Son and the Spirit. It isn’t that there is this thing —this emotional state— called joy, and You happen to be experiencing it. It is that joy itself, the very existence of joy, all joy —any joy— exists at all —we only even know of joy— because it exists first within Your own life. Your own inner life is inherently filled with joy. And all other joy is a derivative of that joy. All joy originates within Your own triune life. You created us. You redeemed us. You reconciled us back to You. And You were not obligated to do any of these things. You have chosen to be for us out of Your completely free, entirely joyful, and unconditionally loving nature. Out of incomprehensible joy, Your Word became human flesh— You came to be with us in the incarnation. Out of the incomprehensible joy set before Christ, He endured the cross, and You raised Him from the dead. And out incomprehensible joy, He ascended back to heaven, sat down at Your right hand, poured into us His own Spirit, became our intercessor, and drew us into His very own joyful relationship with You. And, so, we now experience this same joy— the joy that exists, and has always existed, within Your very own relationship. We have been reconciled, forgiven, and adopted into Your family. And none of that is dependent on our performance. We are free to live in the assurance of Your love, in the assurance of Your joy, in the assurance of Your grace, in the assurance of Your purpose. We don’t need to find love, or to find happiness, or to find our purpose, because the Spirit of Christ that is in us has drawn us into Your love, has drawn us into Your joy, and has drawn us into His own purpose of ministry— the ministry of sharing in the work of reconciling the world to You— a work where we live out of Your joy and not out of our limited capabilities and our subjective feelings and our fleeting circumstances. Father, may Your joy transform us. May it transform our intellect as we learn more and more of Your truth— as we become more and more liberated from every legalistic view we hold of You. May it transform our will, as we respond more and more in faith and gratitude. May it transform our emotions, as we feel the delight and the thrill and the peace that characterizes Your own relationship. Help us experience the joy of being loved and accepted in Christ. Enable us to share in and experience the same delight that You have for Your Son. We are included in Christ’s relationship with You, so this delight is now our own. We are as loved as the Son is loved. In the name of Jesus Christ, who is loved by You, who loves us, who endured the cross, who has reconciled us to You, who gave us the ministry of reconciliation, who pioneered and perfected our faith, who gave us His spirit, whose joy is in us. Amen
1
This call to worship was given to the small assembly of Christians that gathered in Pathway Church, Beaverdam, Michigan, on December 15, 2024.