Advent Week 3: The Gift of Full Joy

Advent, the season of expectation and preparation, turns our hearts toward the marvelous truth that Jesus came so that our joy may be complete. John 15:11 summarizes this profound promise when Jesus tells his disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” This isn’t a wishful thought; it’s the very purpose of his coming.

More Than a Feeling The joy Jesus speaks of is not the fleeting happiness of a holiday morning or a pleasant experience. It is a deep, abiding, and complete sense of well-being that flows directly from being connected to him. In the context of John 15, Jesus has just taught the disciples about abiding in him as the vine, and he in them as the branches. Joy is the fruit of that intimate, obedient relationship with Jesus. It is the assurance that the Father loves us, that we belong to the Son, and that the Spirit lives within us.

The Source of Complete Joy The birth of Christ—the moment celebrated in Advent—was the beginning of the plan, but the true completion of joy required the cross. How does the cross, an instrument of torture and execution, bring full joy? Because it addresses the single greatest barrier to true joy: sin and separation from God.

The full, complete joy Jesus promises is predicated on forgiveness and reconciliation. Without the Gospel message of the cross, we would be perpetually separated from the source of all joy.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The blood shed on the cross pays the penalty for our sin, making our reconciliation with God possible. His suffering secured our peace. His death secured our life. This is the bedrock of Christian joy—not that our circumstances are perfect, but that our standing with God is secure.

As we light the candles of Advent, let us remember that the baby in the manger grew up to be the sacrifice on the cross. He endured the ultimate pain “for the joy that was set before him” (Hebrews 12:2)—the joy of bringing us into full fellowship with God. This Advent, may your joy be complete in the knowledge of the Savior who gave everything to secure it for you.

Brittany Proffitt lives in North Texas and is a writer and content manager for So We Speak.