This week, Terrence began our new series leading into Christmas called Great Joy. His message, drawn from Psalm 98, explores the nature of joy, emphasizing that great joy begins with gratitude to God. He reminds us that joy is not a denial of hardship, but a spiritual practice cultivated through worship, remembrance, daily gratitude, and hope.

To live in great joy means to live in constant awareness of God’s presence and promises. It’s not about pretending pain doesn’t exist, but about interpreting pain through the lens of God’s unchanging goodness. Gratitude transforms grief into growth, anxiety into adoration, and waiting into worship.

When gratitude anchors a believer’s heart, it reshapes perspective, strengthens faith, and reorients life toward God’s sovereignty. Ultimately, joy is not circumstantial—it’s covenantal. It flows from God’s eternal faithfulness and culminates in the promise of His righteous judgment and eternal reign.

Terrence invited us to a practical gratitude exercise, reflecting on God’s faithfulness in the past, His presence in the present, and His promises for the future, anchoring our joy in a God who is able and will not fail.