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Choosing Joy: The Advent of Something New
This month, we enter the sacred season of Advent, observed from Sunday, November 30 through Sunday, December 21, 2025. These four Sundays invite us on a holy journey of anticipation, reflection, and preparation for the coming of Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem and born again in us through faith. Advent is a time of waiting that is active, hopeful, and full of expectation for Christ’s presence in our world and in our lives.
We often hear the story of Jesus through the eyes of kings, shepherds, or wise men. Yet this season centers the quiet strength and radical joy at the heart of the story. Joy is not a reaction to comfort, but a deliberate act of faith that trusts God is still doing something new.
In the Gospel of Luke, Chapters 1 and 2, we meet Mary of Nazareth, a young woman whose courage helped change the world. She was not born into privilege. She lived on the margins, under empire and patriarchy, among a people discounted and dismissed. Still, when confronted with divine disruption, she chose joy. She said yes to the unknown. She opened herself to a promise that would bless generations yet unborn.
Mary’s “yes” was not naïve. It was an act of resistance. She chose joy when fear made more sense. She believed in her worth when society told her otherwise. She dared to see herself as part of God’s unfolding story of liberation and love.
This Advent, choosing joy calls us to do the same: to embrace divine purpose in the midst of struggle, to find beauty in burden, and to trust that something sacred can be born even in our hardest seasons.
Mary’s life teaches us that joy is not the absence of pain but the presence of purpose. Like her ancestor Miriam who sang on the shores of deliverance, Mary lifted her voice in a song that still echoes through the ages:
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
Luke 1:46–47
As we reflect on the Divine Disruptions (Luke 1:26–38), the Divine Connections (Luke 1:39–56), and the Divine Manifestations (Luke 2:1–12), may we, like Mary, choose joy instead of despair, faith instead of fear, and love instead of limitation.
When we choose joy, hope is born again in us and in the world.
“Faith has taught me to see the miraculous in everyday life: the miracle of ordinary black women resisting and rising about evil forces in society, where forces work to destroy and subvert the creative power and energy my mother and grandmother taught me God gave black women.”
― Delores Williams, the forerunner of Womanist theology
best known for her book Sisters in the Wilderness
Choosing Joy by Giving
This Advent season, let us choose joy by giving.
There are two ways:
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Meeting Needs: The City of Statesboro, in partnership with community organizations, including the Bulloch County NAACP, is hosting its annual Mayor’s Toy Drive to bless local children and families in need. Please bring new, unwrapped toys for children ages 1 to 16 to Statesboro City Hall, 50 East Main Street, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., now through Wednesday, December 17. The toy distribution will take place on Sunday, December 21, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at City Hall.
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Spreading Cheer: This year, we’re adding something special to our Christmas celebration — a new tradition of laughter, love, and giving! After the Christmas Service on December 21, 2025, join us in the Fellowship Hall for our Christmas Luncheon and Gift Exchange. Bring a small wrapped gift if you’d like to participate, and be ready for a joyful time of surprises, smiles, and stories. Whether you bring a gift or bring your presence, everyone is welcome at the table. The only rules: 1. Have fun. 2. Share the spirit of Christmas. 3. $25 or less. Click here to Sign Up for the Gift Exchange.
Let us share the joy of Christmas through generosity and love. Every gift reminds a child that they are seen and cherished. Magnolia, this is what choosing joy looks like in action.