Joy Abounds
The Mission That Multiplies: Discovering Joy Worth Sharing
Have you ever possessed something so valuable, so life-changing, that keeping it to yourself would be almost criminal? Imagine holding the cure for every ailment, the answer to humanity's deepest longings, yet never telling a soul. Unthinkable, right? Yet this is precisely what happens when we discover the joy of Jesus but fail to share it with a world desperately searching for meaning.
Joy wasn't designed to be hoarded. It was created to overflow, to spread like wildfire, to multiply exponentially as it touches life after life. The story of the Magi—those mysterious wise men who traveled from the East—illustrates this truth with remarkable clarity.
The Inconvenience of Discovery
Discovery rarely comes conveniently packaged. The Magi embarked on an 800-mile journey—not in climate-controlled vehicles on paved highways, but by camel, following trails through dangerous territory. No GPS. No hotels. No guarantee they'd find what they were seeking.
They were searching for a single infant in an entire nation. Think about the absurdity of that mission. Babies are born every day in every nation. What made this particular child worth such an extraordinary quest?
The answer lies centuries earlier with Daniel the prophet. Taken into Babylonian captivity, Daniel didn't just survive—he thrived, becoming ten times wiser than all the magicians and astrologers in the kingdom. As he rose to prominence, Daniel shared the Hebrew scriptures and prophetic promises with those around him, planting seeds about a coming Messiah.
Generations later, when certain stars aligned in the heavens, those ancient prophecies suddenly made sense. The descendants of those Daniel taught recognized the sign and set out on their inconvenient journey. The seed planted hundreds of years prior was finally bearing fruit.
This teaches us something profound: authentic joy rooted in an encounter with Jesus cannot be manufactured. It's discovered through seeking, through inconvenient journeys, through following the light even when the path isn't clear.
Joy in the Darkest Places
There's a remarkable story from World War I that illustrates joy's power to break through even the darkest circumstances. On Christmas Eve 1914, in the muddy trenches of Western Europe, German soldiers began singing "Stille Nacht"—Silent Night. Allied forces on the other side recognized the melody and joined in, singing in English.
Suddenly, guns were lowered. Soldiers climbed out of their trenches unarmed and met in no-man's land. They exchanged chocolate, cigarettes, and buttons as gifts. For one night, hardened warriors who had been trying to kill each other experienced peace on earth and goodwill toward men.
One British soldier wrote home: "I wouldn't have missed that unique and weird Christmas for anything. It's something we will never forget."
Even in the darkest places, when the reality of Jesus breaks through—even through a simple carol—the human heart cannot help but respond with joy.
This is what Jesus came to bring. As proclaimed in Luke 4:18, He came to preach good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, restore sight to the blind, and set free those who are oppressed. Freedom isn't something we work for—it's a gift He brings through His presence.
Worship and Generosity: The Natural Response
When the Magi finally found Jesus, they didn't hold back. Despite traveling 800 miles to meet what appeared to be an ordinary child in an ordinary house, they fell down and worshiped. Then they opened their treasures.
The gifts they brought weren't token gestures. Scholars estimate they brought several pounds to tens of pounds of gold—potentially the very gold stolen from the temple when Israel was captured, now returning to the true High Priest. In today's value, that's somewhere between $500,000 and several million dollars.
They also brought frankincense worth $50,000 to $150,000, and myrrh valued at $60,000 to $200,000. These weren't just expensive gifts—they were prophetic declarations.
Gold symbolized Jesus' kingship. Frankincense represented His divinity and priesthood. Myrrh, used in embalming, spoke of His coming death that would bring salvation. Together, these three gifts summarized Jesus' entire identity and mission: He was King, He was God with us, and He would die to save humanity.
True joy always leads to extravagant worship and generous giving—not necessarily of money, but of whatever we have to offer.
Consider Richard, a homeless man who stumbled drunk into an Oklahoma church in 2008 during a service for the homeless. When the offering plate passed, he felt embarrassed having nothing to give. Then inspiration struck. He pulled a harmonica from his pocket, walked forward, and played "Amazing Grace."
The congregation wept. They took up an offering, sent Richard to rehab, and he later became a deacon in that church, using that same harmonica in prison ministry.
The Magi didn't come empty-handed to meet the King. Neither did Richard. When joy is real, worship and giving always follow.
Going Home Another Way
After their encounter with Jesus, the Magi were warned in a dream not to return to King Herod. So they went home another way—literally and symbolically.
They had come seeking a promise. They returned declaring a reality: "The King is born! The Messiah has come!"
These pagan astrologers became the first Gentile missionary evangelists. Their encounter with Jesus completely redirected their lives and changed their message. They went the inconvenient route, around Jerusalem, around Herod, proclaiming to anyone who would listen that everything their fathers and Daniel had prophesied was true.
This pattern has repeated throughout history. In 1732, two young Moravian men heard that slaves on St. Thomas Island in the Caribbean weren't allowed to hear the gospel. Their solution? They sold themselves into slavery to reach those people. Within years, hundreds of slaves came to Christ, and the Moravian missionary movement exploded.
True joy refuses to remain silent. The natural outflow of encountering Jesus is a life that leads others to that same joy.
The Invitation
This Christmas season, the world has actually set us up for success in sharing this message. The music plays everywhere. Hearts are already softened by the season's themes. The playing field is prepared.
Will you share Jesus? Will you let the joy that settles in your spirit flow out like rivers of living water?
It might be as simple as responding "Merry Christmas! God bless you!" when someone says "Happy holidays." It might be inviting a lonely neighbor to Christmas dinner. It might be finally having that conversation you've been avoiding with someone who needs to hear about the hope you've found.
Joy discovered must become joy declared. The mission multiplies when we freely give what we've freely received.
The Magi left everything comfortable to find Jesus. Once they found Him, they couldn't help but tell others. Two thousand years later, their spiritual descendants are still going by another way so that joy can reach the ends of the earth.
What about you? Have you discovered this joy? And if you have, who are you sharing it with?
Have you ever possessed something so valuable, so life-changing, that keeping it to yourself would be almost criminal? Imagine holding the cure for every ailment, the answer to humanity's deepest longings, yet never telling a soul. Unthinkable, right? Yet this is precisely what happens when we discover the joy of Jesus but fail to share it with a world desperately searching for meaning.
Joy wasn't designed to be hoarded. It was created to overflow, to spread like wildfire, to multiply exponentially as it touches life after life. The story of the Magi—those mysterious wise men who traveled from the East—illustrates this truth with remarkable clarity.
The Inconvenience of Discovery
Discovery rarely comes conveniently packaged. The Magi embarked on an 800-mile journey—not in climate-controlled vehicles on paved highways, but by camel, following trails through dangerous territory. No GPS. No hotels. No guarantee they'd find what they were seeking.
They were searching for a single infant in an entire nation. Think about the absurdity of that mission. Babies are born every day in every nation. What made this particular child worth such an extraordinary quest?
The answer lies centuries earlier with Daniel the prophet. Taken into Babylonian captivity, Daniel didn't just survive—he thrived, becoming ten times wiser than all the magicians and astrologers in the kingdom. As he rose to prominence, Daniel shared the Hebrew scriptures and prophetic promises with those around him, planting seeds about a coming Messiah.
Generations later, when certain stars aligned in the heavens, those ancient prophecies suddenly made sense. The descendants of those Daniel taught recognized the sign and set out on their inconvenient journey. The seed planted hundreds of years prior was finally bearing fruit.
This teaches us something profound: authentic joy rooted in an encounter with Jesus cannot be manufactured. It's discovered through seeking, through inconvenient journeys, through following the light even when the path isn't clear.
Joy in the Darkest Places
There's a remarkable story from World War I that illustrates joy's power to break through even the darkest circumstances. On Christmas Eve 1914, in the muddy trenches of Western Europe, German soldiers began singing "Stille Nacht"—Silent Night. Allied forces on the other side recognized the melody and joined in, singing in English.
Suddenly, guns were lowered. Soldiers climbed out of their trenches unarmed and met in no-man's land. They exchanged chocolate, cigarettes, and buttons as gifts. For one night, hardened warriors who had been trying to kill each other experienced peace on earth and goodwill toward men.
One British soldier wrote home: "I wouldn't have missed that unique and weird Christmas for anything. It's something we will never forget."
Even in the darkest places, when the reality of Jesus breaks through—even through a simple carol—the human heart cannot help but respond with joy.
This is what Jesus came to bring. As proclaimed in Luke 4:18, He came to preach good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, restore sight to the blind, and set free those who are oppressed. Freedom isn't something we work for—it's a gift He brings through His presence.
Worship and Generosity: The Natural Response
When the Magi finally found Jesus, they didn't hold back. Despite traveling 800 miles to meet what appeared to be an ordinary child in an ordinary house, they fell down and worshiped. Then they opened their treasures.
The gifts they brought weren't token gestures. Scholars estimate they brought several pounds to tens of pounds of gold—potentially the very gold stolen from the temple when Israel was captured, now returning to the true High Priest. In today's value, that's somewhere between $500,000 and several million dollars.
They also brought frankincense worth $50,000 to $150,000, and myrrh valued at $60,000 to $200,000. These weren't just expensive gifts—they were prophetic declarations.
Gold symbolized Jesus' kingship. Frankincense represented His divinity and priesthood. Myrrh, used in embalming, spoke of His coming death that would bring salvation. Together, these three gifts summarized Jesus' entire identity and mission: He was King, He was God with us, and He would die to save humanity.
True joy always leads to extravagant worship and generous giving—not necessarily of money, but of whatever we have to offer.
Consider Richard, a homeless man who stumbled drunk into an Oklahoma church in 2008 during a service for the homeless. When the offering plate passed, he felt embarrassed having nothing to give. Then inspiration struck. He pulled a harmonica from his pocket, walked forward, and played "Amazing Grace."
The congregation wept. They took up an offering, sent Richard to rehab, and he later became a deacon in that church, using that same harmonica in prison ministry.
The Magi didn't come empty-handed to meet the King. Neither did Richard. When joy is real, worship and giving always follow.
Going Home Another Way
After their encounter with Jesus, the Magi were warned in a dream not to return to King Herod. So they went home another way—literally and symbolically.
They had come seeking a promise. They returned declaring a reality: "The King is born! The Messiah has come!"
These pagan astrologers became the first Gentile missionary evangelists. Their encounter with Jesus completely redirected their lives and changed their message. They went the inconvenient route, around Jerusalem, around Herod, proclaiming to anyone who would listen that everything their fathers and Daniel had prophesied was true.
This pattern has repeated throughout history. In 1732, two young Moravian men heard that slaves on St. Thomas Island in the Caribbean weren't allowed to hear the gospel. Their solution? They sold themselves into slavery to reach those people. Within years, hundreds of slaves came to Christ, and the Moravian missionary movement exploded.
True joy refuses to remain silent. The natural outflow of encountering Jesus is a life that leads others to that same joy.
The Invitation
This Christmas season, the world has actually set us up for success in sharing this message. The music plays everywhere. Hearts are already softened by the season's themes. The playing field is prepared.
Will you share Jesus? Will you let the joy that settles in your spirit flow out like rivers of living water?
It might be as simple as responding "Merry Christmas! God bless you!" when someone says "Happy holidays." It might be inviting a lonely neighbor to Christmas dinner. It might be finally having that conversation you've been avoiding with someone who needs to hear about the hope you've found.
Joy discovered must become joy declared. The mission multiplies when we freely give what we've freely received.
The Magi left everything comfortable to find Jesus. Once they found Him, they couldn't help but tell others. Two thousand years later, their spiritual descendants are still going by another way so that joy can reach the ends of the earth.
What about you? Have you discovered this joy? And if you have, who are you sharing it with?
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