In the third week of Advent, we turn toward joy, but not the surface-level version we’re often handed. Isaiah 61 and Jesus’ first public declaration in Nazareth reveal a different kind of joy: joy rooted in liberation, healing, and God’s restoring presence among those who carry the heaviest burdens.

Kristen explores:

• Isaiah’s vision of joy as God lifting what crushes the poor and the brokenhearted
• Why Jesus chose Isaiah 61 to declare His mission and why it nearly got Him thrown off a cliff
• How joy and justice are inseparable in Scripture
• The political implications of joy in a climate shaped by fear, exclusion, and power
• The witness of Hanukkah and what it teaches Christians about holding hope in the shadows of empire
• A real Advent practice: stand with someone pushed to the margins, especially when it stretches your comfort

Whether you’re carrying grief, exhaustion, shifting faith, or the weight of the world, this episode offers a grounded, honest invitation into the kind of joy Isaiah promised and Jesus embodied - joy strong enough for weary people in a weary world.

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1–3, Luke 4:16–21, Philippians 2

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Here’s to a faith that tells the truth, refuses silence in the face of harm, and follows Jesus all the way into healing and justice.

RESOURCES:

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