An Advent Storybook and Study: Seeking Truth, Goodness, and Beauty
Copyright 2025 by Lūminé Press, Written by Elsie Lungren, Illustrated by Nicoleta Dabija
Day 22
“Today,” began Mormor, “we light all four candles on our Advent wreath. The first candle helped us to remember that because of Jesus, we have Hope. The second candle helped us to remember that because of Jesus, we have Peace. The third candle helped us remember that because of Jesus, we have Love. And today, as we light the fourth candle, we remember that because of Jesus, we have Joy.
“We have learned that happiness and joy are not the same thing. God created people in His own image, and that means people can experience many different emotions. When we read about the Israelites in the Old Testament, was God happy with them all the time?”
“No!” said Lukas. “The Israelites kept making bad choices, and they would complain a lot, and they often thought that they could handle life just fine without God in it.”
“Sounds like us sometimes, right?” chuckled Mormor. “When the Israelites were like that, it made God feel sometimes sad, sometimes angry, and sometimes frustrated. But, did His love for the people ever change?”
“No,” said Linnea. “God’s love never changes. It is all the time, no matter what.”
“And knowing that God’s love is unconditional,” said Mormor, “is why having joy in the Lord is always there, even on the days when we are feeling sad or angry or frustrated. Even in the moments when we are not making the best choice, or are complaining, or are thinking that we don’t need God. Even when bad things happen that seem so unfair.
“Even in those moments, we know deep down inside of us, that God is always with us, that He will never leave us, and that He loves us all the time no matter what. We know that God’s love is unconditional. We know that if we go to God and apologize from our heart, He will welcome us with open arms and forgive us. We know that if we talk to God, He is listening. We know He is our peace in the middle of a storm, the piece of driftwood we can hold onto when the wind and waves are tossing us around.
“This knowledge helps us get through our hardest days. This knowledge fills us with gratitude for the power, presence, protection, and promises of God that we can always count on. I love it when I can find a group of words that all begin with the same letter because it helps me to remember them! Joy in the Lord is knowing that we have a relationship with Jesus that we can always count on! This knowledge is so amazing that, if we stop and think about it, it fills us with an indescribable joy.
“Can anyone think of a verse in the Bible that talks about having joy in the Lord?”
Astrid said, “I know one! Nehemiah 8:10 says ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength!’”
“That’s right, Astrid,” said Mormor. “We talked about how this joy gives us strength even in hard times!”
“I think of Psalm 100,” said Linnea. “It only has five verses and I learned them as a song! It goes like this:
‘1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations’ (Psalm 100).”
“Those verses,” said Mormor, “remind us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and that His love endures forever, and that He is good. Those are great reasons for us to have joy in the Lord.”
“I love the verses,” said Annika, “that remind us of God’s power as Creator. For example, in Psalm 8, David says, ‘When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place… O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!’ (Psalm 8:3, 9 NIV).
“Also,” continued Annika, “I like Psalm 16: 8-11. These verses are repeated in Acts 2:25-28. In them, David is talking about Jesus. This is what he says:
‘8 I have set the LORD always before me.
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand’ (Psalm 16:8-11).
“That is Jesus speaking, and LORD refers to His Father God. I learned that the phrase ‘at my right hand’ means God is always present in the lives of people who have invited Him in. This verse is so encouraging to me because it means that with God always by my side. He is always there to guide and love and protect me.
“It reminds me of my favorite verse, Isaiah 41:13, that says:
‘13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you’ (Isaiah 41:13).”
Annika added, “Jesus says that He is filled with joy in the presence of His Father God. That is in Psalm 16:11.”
“Yes,” agreed Mormor. “When we know that Jesus is with us always, that God’s presence will never leave us, no matter what, that knowledge gives us indescribable joy. The first part of Psalm 139, in verses 1-12, is a beautiful description of how God is always with us. Let’s pick either the NIV translation or the The Living Bible and read it:
Psalm 139:1-12 (NIV)
‘1 You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.’
Psalm 139:1-12 (The Living Bible)
‘1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know my every thought. 3 You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. 4 You know what I am going to say before I even say it. 5 You both precede and follow me and place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! 7 I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. 9 If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me. 11 If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me. 12 For even darkness cannot hide from God; to you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you.’
“In verse 6, David said, ‘Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.’ It is indescribable to him. There is a song titled Indescribable that was written by Chris Tomlin in 2004. The verses remind me of the point that Annika was making. Does anyone know how the first verse and chorus go?”
Linnea said, “Yes, I learned it on the piano. It goes like this:
‘From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation’s revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming
[Chorus]
‘Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God.’ (Tomlin, 2004).”
“Thank you, Linnea,” said Mormor. Those words, like in the Psalms, remind us of how amazing God is, and having His presence with us all the time is like indescribable joy. Even when we get busy with the things we have to do each day, and the things we want to do, it’s so important for us to always remember how amazing God is. And if you’re never sure what words to say, the Psalms are a great place to look. Does anyone know the verse that the song, ‘This is the Day,’ comes from?”
“I do,” said Lukas. “It’s Psalm 118:22. ‘This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ It reminds me of the song ‘Rejoice in the Lord Always.’ That one is the verse, Philippians 4:4.”
“Wonderful, Lukas!” said Mormor. “Turning verses into songs is a great way to learn them. The Psalms were actually sung! In Psalm 28, David says:
‘6 Praise be to the Lord,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him’ (Psalm 28:6-7).
“Do you see how he was full of joy, and he showed that joy by singing songs of praise to God? He talked about how God is his strength and his protection. Shield is an image of protection. God is always there to help him, to protect him, and to help him have strength in difficult times. When David’s heart leaps for joy, it’s like the joy was too much for him to contain, too indescribable. It just burst out of him!
“Theo, what are your thoughts on joy in the Lord?”
Theo said, “I am thinking about John chapter 15. This is when Jesus is talking to the disciples, and he compares living in the presence of God to being a branch on a vine. He says that He is the vine, and we are the branches. If we want to bear fruit, which is like growing in our relationship with God, then we need His presence in our lives. Without that, it’s like a branch that is cut off from the vine. It won’t bear fruit. In verse 8, Jesus says that bearing fruit brings glory to God. It reminds me of how using the talents that God has given us also brings glory to Him. Then, in verses 11-12, Jesus says, ‘I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.’ These verses give the same message that the other verses we’ve talked about give. Knowing that God is with us all the time is an incredible, indescribable joy. It’s like joy is defined as being in the presence of God. And since God never leaves us, we always have that joy. This is why joy is not the same thing as happiness. Joy comes from having a relationship with Jesus.
“In John 15, Jesus uses the metaphor of the vine and branches to illustrate the importance of remaining connected to Him. He emphasizes that just as branches draw life from the vine, His followers draw joy and strength from their relationship with Him. The verse states, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11, ESV). This statement comes after Jesus discusses love, obedience, and the necessity of abiding in Him.”
“I agree, Theo,” said Mormor. “Jesus is not talking about joy that comes and goes the way that happiness can come and go. The joy that comes from knowing Jesus and having Him in our lives is there even in difficult times. It doesn’t depend on the situation. We keep using the word indescribable with joy, and it is. David says that in Psalm 139 when he says ‘such knowledge is too wonderful for me’ (Psalm 139:6), and Paul says in Philippians 4:7 that the ‘peace of God transcends all understanding’ (Philippians 4:7).
“John 15 does a great job of explaining that to have this joy, we must remain in the presence of God. Some translations of the Bible say we must abide in Him. That means that this indescribable joy comes from having a relationship with Jesus, having His presence in our lives. That is when we, as branches, stay connected to Jesus, the vine. Jesus made this possible by giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts forever. That means Jesus gave us the gift of this indescribable joy, and that is what we are remembering today when we light this fourth candle.
“If we want our relationship with Jesus to grow, which Jesus calls bearing fruit in John 15, then we need to spend time with Him. We need to seek Him. We have talked about how God is perfect Truth, perfect Goodness, and perfect Beauty, and so seeking God is seeking those things. And one of the best places to seek Him is in the Bible because that is absolute Truth. In fact, we talked about how John 1:1 and 1:14 tell us that Jesus is the Word, and so what better place to seek Him than in God’s Word?!
“When reading in your Bible, try remembering the acronym J.O.Y. It stands for Jesus, Others, and You. And, it also helps us be seekers of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
“J stands for Jesus, and it lets us be seekers of Truth. Since God is Truth, when you ask yourself what God is telling you in the verses, you are seeking Truth. Since Jesus is Truth, when you ask yourself what the verses are telling you about Jesus, you are seeking Truth. If, before you read in the Bible, you pray and ask Jesus to tell you something in those verses, I think He will!
“O stands for Others, and it lets us be seekers of Goodness. Goodness is about things we can do or say. We know that what God does and says shows us that God is Love and God is Good. Jesus tells us over and over to love our neighbors and to love Him. In 1 John 4, it says we can love others because God first loved us. He is the one who showed us what love is. As seekers of Goodness, we can ask ourselves how does this passage apply to our life? What are things I can do that are loving and kind and helpful to others, or that make a positive contribution to this world? Maybe those things are using your talents, or discovering new talents, or developing talents.
“Y stands for You, and it lets you be a seeker of Beauty. Internal beauty is about what is in your heart that radiates outward for people to see. It is about your identity, who you are at the core. For those of us who have the Holy Spirit living in our heart, our identity is being a child of God. To be seekers of Beauty, we can ask ourselves what does this passage mean to me? How does it help me know who I am? How does it help me with my own identity? Who is Jesus and what does it mean to have him in my life, in my heart? How does this help me experience the indescribable joy of God’s presence?
“When we think about God’s unwavering presence and His unconditional love, there is joy in that knowledge. With that joy, the beauty of God’s presence radiates out from us. People will see something different about us. As that young woman once said to me, “What is it about you that lets you love your daughter like you do?” What is it about me? As the song says, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!”
“Does anyone remember how the second verse starts?”
Astrid raised her hand. “I know. It goes, ‘I have the love of Jesus, love of Jesus down in my heart!’”
“That’s right, Astrid!” said Mormor. “How about the third verse?”
Lukas said, “‘I have the peace that passes understanding down in my heart!’”
“Yes!” said Mormor. “This is what is in our heart when we invite Jesus in. We have joy, love, and peace. We have hope, too. These are the gifts that Jesus brings into our lives, and lighting our Advent candles reminds us of that!”
Hymn and Song options:
I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart written by George William Cooke in 1925.
Angels We Have Heard on High
James Chadwick, a Roman Catholic Bishop, wrote the English lyrics for “Angels We Have Heard on High” in 1862. He adapted them from a traditional 18th-century French carol called “Les Anges dans nos Campagnes.”
O Come, All Ye Faithful
The Latin version, Adeste Fideles, was written by John Francis Wade between 1740 and 1743. The English translation was completed by Frederick Oakeley in 1841.
