Advent Joy for Homemakers
- Allison Weeks
- 13 minutes ago
- 6 min read
A companion blog for The Art of Home's Monday Motivation #42, Season 26, Ep15
Finding Joy in Jesus at the Table
by Karen Sheppard, Homemaker
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…Galatians 5:22,23 (ESV)
Has the stress of the season worn you down?
Could you use an extra measure of joy right about now?
In Philippians 4:4, Paul reminds us, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (NIV)
Note that Paul does not say “rejoice for everything." There’s no pleasure in sickness, job loss, family tension, or the death of a loved one.
Paul faced extremely tough situations, including imprisonments, beatings, and a shipwreck. It’s not the outward circumstances that determine this rejoicing, but rather, our inner relationship with the Lord. We rejoice “in Him”.
It is relationship with Jesus that gives us pleasure and strength even in the most difficult of circumstances. Joy is a deep sense of personal satisfaction that all is well because God is in control.
In Romans 15:32, Paul expressed to the church his desire to “come to you with joy … and be refreshed in your company”. (ESV) I can just picture Paul’s homecoming after long and difficult days of ministry—reclining around the table for hours, enjoying a meal, handing out "attaboys" and receiving pats on the back.
Paul never lost his deep joy in Jesus, but like Paul, our bodies and minds need rest and renewal. The day in and day out ministry to our families can leave us feeling drained and drowning in a mile-long list of “to-do’s!” Our joy wanes as we crave longed-for rest. We all need time to stop and refuel.
Where better to de-stress and shake off the day’s burdens than the meal table, a place in our homes at which we regularly take in sustenance to fuel our bodies?
There’s something special and inviting about a table, particularly when it’s spread with warm and tasty comfort food.
A table is a gathering place where we do life together with family, friends, and neighbors. It’s a place where we can find respite from the world’s chaos and stress, gathering strength to return to it. We lend encouragement to those who are struggling. And we remind each other of our common Hope. Reconciliation, peace, and joy are found at the table.
As we step away from the frenzy of the season, here are a few suggestions to make the table a place for spiritual connection and joy, especially as we prepare our hearts and homes to commemorate the birth of our Lord and Savior:
Devotionals
Choose a devotional book (or Advent book during the Christmas season), suitable for all ages, to read after the meal.
Read a short passage from the Bible each day and talk about it.
Music and Worship
Playing uplifting and worshipful music during meals can set a positive and joyful tone.
Create music playlists with specific themes (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter), allowing each family member to participate in the selection of songs. While recently having coffee at a table in a coffee shop, two of my teen granddaughters and I created a thankfulness playlist for background music during our Thanksgiving festivities.
Another idea is to sing a hymn or Christmas carol together and discuss the message of the lyrics or the history of why the composer wrote the song.
Special Dinners
Consider a candlelit dinner to create a peaceful atmosphere. Use this time for reflection, sharing, and connecting on a deeper level.
Family Traditions
Establish a specific meal on certain days or rituals meaningful to your family.
Acts of Service
Encourage each person to reach out to others within the family. This could involve helping each other with the meal-time chores of preparing, serving, or cleaning up, reinforcing the value of selflessness and love.
Create a calendar and brainstorm together about acts of service you could do to spread joy in your neighborhood.
Prayer and Gratitude
Begin every meal with a prayer of thanksgiving. Encourage each family member to express gratitude for something specific.
Keep a family gratitude journal on the table and write things you’re thankful for each day. Recognizing and being grateful for God’s graciousness is the bedrock of joy.
Hospitality
Invite other friends or families to join you for meals. This not only extends the joy of the Lord but also fosters a sense of community.
In her book, Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition, theologian Christine Pohl has observed, “A shared meal is the activity most closely tied to the reality of God’s kingdom, just as it is the most basic expression of hospitality”.
Milestones
Use mealtimes to celebrate achievements and special occasions. This creates a positive atmosphere and reinforces the joy of the Lord.
Jesus often joined people from all walks of life at a table. A line in the song, “Come to the Table” by Sidewalk Prophets says it well: “Come meet this motley crew of misfits.” That aptly describes Jesus’ crew, doesn’t it? Aren’t there some at our table who at times feel like fish out of water?
Just as Jesus did, we can ask questions, tell stories, and wash feet. Let’s make our table a joyful place of refuge, a place where no one is excluded, and where there is a feeling of connection and welcome.
A place where we come along side each other for support and encouragement. A place where we model the joy of Jesus to our children.
So, toss some meat and potatoes (nothing elaborate) in the Instant Pot®, kick off your shoes, and enjoy a time of rest, refreshment, and spiritual renewal with friends and family around the table during this advent season.
Prayer:
Dear Father, we are grateful for your blessing of joy that sustains through all seasons of life. Let us always be a joyful people, making time in this busy season for sharing the joy of Jesus to not only those around our table but to all who You place in our path.
Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart
by Allison Weeks, Homemaker
What brings you joy in your homemaking?
Here are some things I have found homemaking joy in over the years, maybe you can relate.
Preparing nourishing meals for my family
Creating a cozy and pleasing environment with decor.
Finding creative ways to save money and practice economic home-keeping.
Setting up and maintaining systems of organization that make daily life run more smoothly for my household.
Opening my home to friends, family and neighbors.
These are all legitimate ways to enjoy the art of making a home. Joy in homemaking can be found in the daily duties as well as the big events, in the mundane and the momentous. But it cannot be found apart from the Source of Joy.
In our simple Advent guide during the third week of Advent, we are looking at characteristics of the joy of the Lord. We meditate on the eternal, unshakable and complete nature of the Joy of the Lord. His, is a joy that cannot be taken from us.
We look at how we experience His joy on the mountaintop and in the valley. His joy does not depend on our circumstances. His unchanging nature is the bedrock on which our joy is found. That is the key difference between happiness and joy.
Happiness depends on what happens, joy depends on the only unchanging One who is, Immanuel, God with us.
God is with us as we face yet another sink full of dirty dishes.
God is with us as we put away the last of 10 loads of laundry only to notice the dirty pile beginning to grow again.
God is with us when we have the satisfaction of watching hungry mouths devour the food we prepared.
He can impart joy when we feel overworked and under-appreciated and He can draw our attention to the many reasons we have for rejoicing every day.
So, rejoice as you do your work, homemaker. His joy is your strength.
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11
I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
John 15:11
And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10
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