ADVENTure is a self-directed prayer walk pondering the true meaning of Christmas. You can read all about it here, as well as learn how you can do this as interactive prayer walk for your church or ministry.

This Sunday, December 13th is the third Sunday of Advent. As we consider the true meaning of CHRISTmas we light our third candle of the Advent Wreath; the Candle of JOY and we consider the joy Mary must have felt at knowing she would bear the only Son of God, the Messiah, the Chosen One sent to save the people of Israel!

Candle of Joy: Mary, the Mother of Jesus

 Read: Luke 1:26-38 & 46-55

Meditation:

Despite the news just given to her (and the shame and ridicule it would entail), Mary chooses to rejoice in God her Savior. The passage above is commonly referred to as the Magnificat or Mary’s Song, and is believed to be one of the first songs sung by the early church. It is a song of JOY and declaration. Read verses 46-55 again, but this time out loud, for the Mighty One has done great things for us—holy is his name!! 

Activity:

Take a moment to write your own song (or poem or verse) of praise, declaration, and JOY.

Prayer:

Lift that song, poem or verse up to the Lord as your prayer today as you worship him in this season of great joy! 

Holy is his name!

For your use:

Here is a .pdf file of this meditation for your use: ADVENT 3 Candle of Joy. Please see the ADVENTure Prayer Walk post for further resources and instructions. Should you have any questions, please comment below.

And may God bless you with JOY, Jody

P.S. Missed other ADVENTure Prayer Walk posts? See:

• 1st Sunday of Advent:  Candle of HOPE: the Wise Men
• 2nd Sunday of Advent:  Candle of PEACE: the Shepherds
• 3rd Sunday of Advent:  Candle of JOY: Mary
• 4th Sunday of Advent: Candle of LOVE: Joseph
• Christmas Eve or Day:  CHRIST Candle

______________________

What is Create-A-Day?  Just as One-A-Day® Vitamins help restore the nutrients we deplete in our bodies, so too do we need to refill, replenish and renew our creative souls. In 2015, watch for daily* posts to undergird your ministry; lead you to resources to nurture the creative spirit within; and draw you more deeply in worship of Jesus Christ. My goal is to provide you, the creative Christian, with over 250* resources to help you develop your ARTistry, CREATivity & capacity for BEaUty. Books, worship arts ministries, video series, websites, conferences—all geared towards artists, creatives, worshipers and people serving in worship and creative arts ministries.

Jody Thomae is the author of God’s Creative Gift—Unleashing the Artist in You and The Creator’s Healing Power–Restoring the Broken to Beautiful, both devotional books in the Bible Studies to Nurture the Creative Spirit Within series, designed to serve as resources for creative Christians, artists, musicians, worshippers and those that appreciate beauty. She has been involved in worship arts ministry since 1997, coordinating artistic involvement in church services and regional worship events through dance, drama, poetry and fine arts. She teaches and leads workshops in the area of creativity, spirituality and embodied prayer. She has also released a devotional CD, Song of the Beloved. Her passion is for the revelation of God to be made more real through the prophetic use of the arts in church and formational ministry. It is her desire to portray the message of Christ’s desperate and unfailing love for His people to help sustain the hearts of the broken and weary. Life scriptures include Psalm 27; Isaiah 50:4-7; and Zephaniah 3:14-17.