A Joy Overflowing
Table Talk
Setting the Table
A Joy Overflowing
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a few moments and allow yourself to just be. Take a couple deep breaths, grab yourself a cup of coffee, light a candle, do something that brings you comfort. Allow yourself to be present in this moment.
Joy often returns not when life feels easy, but when love moves us to show up—for others and for ourselves.
“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”
— Henri J.M. Nouwen
Psalm 98:4
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Luke 2:10
But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.'
Food for Thought
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” The Christmas season is in full swing, and we’re less than two weeks away from the big day… and I feel completely unprepared.
To be honest, I haven’t felt ready for the holidays at all this year. Maybe you’ve felt that way too? I’m not typically an avoidant person. Those who know me well know I’m someone who believes confrontation gets a bad rap. I think good things can happen when we have honest conversations, and that facing hard moments opens the door to growth. But this year, as the holidays approached, I found myself singing a very different tune. I’ve done an about-face—as though ignoring the calendar might somehow slow time or stop Christmas from coming altogether. (Just call me the Grinch.)
This is our first holiday season without my granddaddy, and the sting of that loss is still so fresh. So many of my childhood—and adult—memories center on Christmas at my grandparents’ house: seeing him at the dining table, waiting to ask me, “What’s new?” Hearing him remind the grandkids, “Love one another,” and “If you see a need, fill it.” Listening to him share the meaning of Christmas at our Christmas Eve’s Eve celebration. Seeing his face light up as he takes in our very big, lively family saying, “My, my, my.”
The love I received from him is the very reason this loss hurts—and because of that, joy has felt a little out of reach this season. And yet, ironically, I’ve been asked to sing “Joy to the World” and “Joyful, Joyful” more times this year than ever, almost as if the divine was inviting me to sing joy into existence from wherever I might find it.
Back in August, I was invited to join a Christmas tour with an organization called Higher Love. We’d spend a week in December visiting six prisons across Florida, offering a Christmas concert to remind those inside of four truths: You are loved. You have great worth. God is with you. You are not forgotten. I said “yes” immediately—as I was excited to be a part of sharing music in this new and unique way. Still, I carried a little apprehension. I had never been behind prison gates before, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. But as I walked in on that first day, I sensed that something sacred was ahead.
Our opening song was, of course, “Joy to the World.” And from the very first note, that’s exactly what filled the room. Joy. To see inmates and wardens singing and dancing side by side… to watch them comfort one another as tears fell… to hear voices lifted in worship and hands clapping with abandon… it was something I will never forget.
We also had the privilege of visiting the Amplify dorm (also sponsored by Higher Love), where inmates shared their artwork and vision boards, explaining the meaning behind each piece. Later that evening, we listened as several of them told their stories—stories of forgiveness, for themselves and for others; stories of redemption slowly unfolding.
With every story, I was reminded of the forgiveness and redemption born into the world for all of us through the arrival of Jesus. This Jesus whose very life embodied God’s unconditional love—a love that does not abandon but walks with us. A love that holds us in heartache and hardship. A love that offers a seat at the table just as we are and gives us a safe place to land when we feel lost. A love that renews us when we are weary and sustains us with hope.
This is the good news the angel proclaimed to bring “great joy for all people,” the joy we celebrate and sing about in this Advent season.
As our tour came to a close, I could almost hear my granddaddy’s voice again: “If you see a need, fill it.” I went expecting to offer something to others, but found myself being filled as well. My heart broke open, and the joy that once felt unreachable, overflowed from my heart and my eyes. The love of God was alive in those sacred spaces—present, tangible, unmistakable. And for that, we can rejoice.
At some point this week, choose one person—friend, coworker, neighbor, or even a stranger—and write them a note of blessing. Maybe you can write this reminder “You are loved. You have great worth. God is with you. You are not forgotten.” Or craft your own version. Handwrite it, make it simple, and let it be sincere. Invite them to pass it on.
The holidays are upon us and maybe you are finding yourself slightly nervous. It can be hard to know how to navigate or approach all that might divide us if brought up in conversation. To help our readers navigate this season, our team created a short resource to provide you with Five Things to Remember When Setting a Welcome Table for the Holidays! We hope it will help you set a welcoming space before your guests even arrive!
For a printable version of today's reflection Click Here!
Blessing
God of Joy,
Open our eyes to the needs around us. Make our hands ready to serve with compassion, and help us to carry your joy into the lives of those I meet. May our actions reflect your love, bringing comfort to the weary and hope to the forgotten. Remind us that your presence is always with us, and fill our hearts with a joy overflowing.
Amen.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Where do you notice joy appearing even in the midst of grief or difficulty, and how can we cultivate it intentionally?
How can acts of service or reaching out to others transform our own hearts, especially during the holidays?
What does it mean to “fill a need” in your community or relationships this season, and how might that be a reflection of the love and joy of Jesus.
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Ask the kiddos to think about a time they felt happy or saw someone else happy, even when things were hard. How did that make them feel?
Invite the kids to share a time they helped someone or someone helped them. Ask them to paint or draw a picture of how that made their heart feel.
Encourage the children to write down ways they can do something kind for someone else this week. How might that act of kindness bring joy to both them and the other person?
Meet This WEek’s Writer...
Kendall Grubb is the CEO and one of the Co-Founders of The Welcome Table. She, her husband, and their daughter are a military family who calls Nashville, TN home. Earning degrees in music and business administration from Belmont University, she jumps at any opportunity she gets to create something new and help bring it to life. From writing and performing music to leading TWT, she loves the power that song and story have to connect people from all walks of life!
To hear more from Kendall throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!