The Mount Church The Mount Church

Joy in Christ

For many of us, the Christmas season is filled with both beauty and burden. While lights twinkle and music fills the air, your heart might feel heavy. Perhaps you’re carrying grief, disappointment, loneliness, or exhaustion as you try to keep up with the demands of the season. If so, you’re not alone. Finding and sustaining joy in the midst of life’s challenges is no small task. 

The angel’s announcement to the shepherds offers us something far greater than temporary cheer or fleeting happiness.  

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'" - Luke 2:10 

It proclaims a great joy that surpasses our circumstances—a joy rooted in Christ himself. The joy of Christ isn’t dependent on how festive or perfect your season feels. It’s the deep, abiding assurance that God is with you, that he loves you, and that his promises are true. Jesus didn’t come to bring fleeting happiness; he came to bring a joy that is eternal, unshakable, and deeply satisfying. 

This kind of joy doesn’t deny the difficulties we face—it meets us in the midst of them. It reminds us that Jesus entered a broken, weary world to bring hope to the hopeless and peace to the restless. His birth wasn’t just a historical moment; it was God’s answer to every longing of the human heart. 

If your joy feels distant this season, don’t lose heart.  

Joy in Christ isn’t something you manufacture; it’s a gift you receive by turning your heart toward him. Take a moment to pause and let the good news of great joy sink in: Christ has come for you. Christ purchased you from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and the presence of sin for all eternity. Let him fill the empty places, calm the anxious thoughts, and remind you that he is enough. 

What is stealing your joy this season?  

How can you surrender those struggles to Christ and let his joy sustain you? 

 

Written by: Andy Swart 

Andy Swart has been a member of The Mount since 2019. If he’s not working or spending time with his family, you can find him working on one of his passion projects: garage organization.   

 

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Peace

During this time of year, we consistently use phrases like “peace in Christ” and “peace be with you.” Some of these phrases have become so common and familiar to us that we may not think about their true meaning. Let’s spend some time clarifying what “Peace in Christ” means.  

There is some part of us that believes peace is inversely related to the amount of busyness, conflict, and trials we face. We think if we can just clear our schedule and/or get through the tough times that we’re currently experiencing, then we will get peace. This season, you might be dreading an inevitable family gathering full of conflict. You may be about to experience the first Christmas without a loved one, or concerned about the looming financial hardship this season can cause. You might even think you'll never experience peace again because the world is just “going downhill.” Nothing about this season feels peaceful; it can instead feel full of conflict and pain. 

Toward the end of John 16, Jesus is giving instruction to His disciples. Jesus knows He is about to be crucified, and He wants His followers to be prepared for what is to come. Near the end of His message, He states what has become one of our favorite verses:  

John 16:33 - “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

This teaching of Jesus was specifically directed at His followers who were likely to face persecution after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus was trying to be clear—He wasn’t going to make all their earthly troubles and conflicts go away. In fact, it appears that some of those troubles would result directly from following Him.  

But note the first sentence: “I have told you these things, so that you may have peace.” His instructions to His disciples were given in order so that they would have peace during the challenges they were about to experience. 

His peace doesn’t only exist in the absence of strife, challenges, and trouble, but in the midst of them. If the peace of God is a “peace that surpasses all understanding” (Phil 4:7), it wouldn’t truly be “surpassing understanding” if we only experienced peace when God made our lives easy or when we cleared our calendars.   

So, what can we do specifically to sow peace in our lives? 

  1. Pray first 
    Philippians 4:5-7 - Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

    Admittedly, we have a bad habit of doing everything in our own power to solve whatever problem is before us and only turning to prayer as a last resort. The passage above instructs us to go to the Lord first in prayer. Note again that verse 7 states that the peace of God “will guard your hearts and minds” with no reference to whether or not the prayer in verse 6 was answered.

  2. Note what is “ruling in your heart” 

Colossians 3:14-17 - And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 

Verse 15 implies that we have an active role in “letting the peace of Christ rule.” If it is a directive Paul gave the church at Colossae, then it doesn’t seem to be our default position. Instead, it is something that we need to take action toward.  

So, take inventory. What is ruling your heart? Is “the word of Christ dwelling in you richly”?  Or do we spend five hours on anxiety-inducing social media for every one hour we spend in the Word? Are our minds focused on political turmoil and cable news or are we worshipping “with thankfulness in our hearts to God”? 

Our peace this Christmas season is in knowing that God is with us. He sees us when we’re experiencing pain and conflict, and His Spirit reminds us that there is a day coming with no more tears and no more pain (Rev. 21). Currently, He isn’t begrudgingly putting up with us due to our sinfulness. No, He looks on us and sees the perfection of His son Jesus. In this season we celebrate Jesus coming as God in the flesh to conquer sin and death. When that is in the foreground of our hearts and minds, our worldly troubles fade away, and we can experience true peace.  

Brothers and Sisters, let us all take an intentional step towards Peace in Christ this Christmas season.  

Written by: Tom and Brittany Horn

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Hope in Christ

Have you ever walked through a season of darkness, feeling like there is no hope? I certainly have. On one particular anniversary of my mom’s passing away from cancer, I was struggling with hopelessness. In that same year, I had three young Christian friends also pass away from cancer. I knew that they were with Jesus, but I was still dealing with why God had not healed them on this side of heaven. They had young children and ministries that were honoring God.   

There can be many reasons we have seasons of dealing with hopelessness. Separation from loved ones due to death, divorce or conflict, a prolonged illness, overwhelming trials at work or home, hormones, lack of vitamin D and sunlight are just a few of the things that can plunge us into depression. Some of us are more wired to see the cup half-empty instead of half-full. How can we move forward in our lives with more hope and confidence? 

One psalm that has helped me is Psalm 42. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm 42: 5,11). It’s so encouraging to see that questions and honest prayers are important to God. The psalms of lament are full of questions to God. There are valid reasons for discouragement, but there are more reasons for hope. “The result is not deadening his sense of sorrow but rather setting it in right relationship to God” (Morgan). I may not feel like praising God, but I will choose to do it because He is worthy of my hope. The psalmist challenges his soul and brings His feelings to God. It may be easy to surrender to our feelings, but we are encouraged to preach the gospel of hope to our souls. What is this hope he is talking about?  The word for hope in Hebrew means to wait, hope expectantly, and be patient. It’s not a pie-in-the-sky dream but a confident expectation that something better is truly coming.  Hope in the Bible is not about circumstances getting better but trusting in the One who is better. The psalmist’s hope was in God who was his salvation. The word for salvation here is “presence” and means His face and countenance. “Note well that the main hope and chief desire of David rest in the smile of God. His face is what he seeks and hopes to see, and this will recover his low spirits” (Spurgeon). Our hope is looking up to the one who will save us, Jesus Christ, our living Hope.   

The New Testament is clear where we find our hope. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). As believers, we have a living hope who has defeated sin and death, and His name is Jesus! The word for hope in Greek also means a good, joyful, and confident expectation of eternal salvation. Saints in the Bible often didn’t see the promises of God fulfilled in their lifetimes but looked with eyes of faith to a future hope. Hope involves patience and trust in God’s promises and timing (Romans 8: 23-25). Hope is trusting God even when there seems to be no answer (Romans 4: 18-21). Faith and hope are tied tightly together (Hebrews 11: 1). Hope is an anchor (Hebrews 6: 18-20). Hope does not disappoint (Romans 5: 5). Hope comes from endurance and the scriptures (Romans 15:4, Psalm 119: 43). Hope is based on God’s faithfulness and unfailing love (Lamentations 3: 21-24). Our hope causes us to act boldly and confidently (1 Peter 3:15-16). What do you need to remember about hope to help you in a season of hopelessness? 

Remember this season that our hope is not in a president, a job, a ministry, our 401K, our health, a perfect Christmas celebration or for circumstances to get better. As you enter this Christmas season, worship the One who is our only Hope. Preach to your soul, “Hope in God”! Fill your heart and mind with truth about hope by reading scripture and putting on worship music. Pray for yourself and others to know the hope that only Jesus can bring to our lives. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15: 13).   

Written by: Laura Johnson 

Laura Johnson was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. She has been married to Robert Johnson for 46 years. They have three married daughters and seven grandchildren who all live in the area. She graduated from New Orleans Baptist Seminary with a Masters in Christian Education.  She and Robert have been members at The Mount for 10 years, and she has led the Women’s Ministry team for five years. She loves to Bible journal and teach and create things to reflect her faith.   

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