Advent Week 3: Joy That Breaks Chains

The angel’s announcement to the shepherds was clear: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10).

This wasn’t temporary happiness or fleeting relief. It was joy rooted in the arrival of Jesus. This is the only joy that breaks chains.

Because Jesus is still the source of joy. A joy that lifts weary hearts. A joy that defies circumstances. A joy that frees us from despair. When Jesus enters the story, joy is no longer optional. It erupts even in the darkest places!

One of our high schoolers captured this beautifully. After a conversation about hearing God’s voice, she shared that one of the loudest things she’s ever heard God tell her was this: she was to be the chain breaker in her family. And she said it is her joy in God that is sustaining her in that calling.

That’s what Advent joy looks like. Joy that is not built on easy circumstances, but joy anchored in Jesus that gives strength to resist despair and break generational cycles.

At BJM, we see this same defiant, unshakeable joy unfold in many ways: girls stepping onto the dance floor and discovering freedom, youth laughing until they cry after carrying heavy burdens, women rediscovering their voices and celebrating milestones they never thought possible. These aren’t just smiles or moments of fun. They are glimpses of God’s Kingdom, joy breaking chains.

This Advent, we remember: the joy Jesus brings is not fragile. It is fierce, liberating, and contagious. And it is still good news for all people.

Thoughts for this week: Where do you need the joy of Jesus to break chains in your life? Where have you seen joy as resistance against despair?