Watch for Joy

for December 13, 2026

Opening Prayer

Note to leader: invite the congregation to settle their bodies and breathe deeply before beginning.

God of wonder and restoration,
we come to you from many places,
from hurried mornings and quiet preparations,
from worry and from hope.

Some of us arrive looking for signs,
hungry for proof that you are still at work.
Others come weary,
unsure what we might see or hear today.

You meet us here,
not in our certainty but in our waiting,
not in our answers but in our questions.
Open our eyes to what you are already doing—
the small mercies, the quiet healings,
the ordinary moments made holy.

Teach us to watch,
not only with our eyes but with our hearts,
that we might recognize joy
breaking through like light.

Through Jesus Christ, the one who opens blind eyes and sets captives free.
Amen.

Call to Worship

Based on Psalm 146
selected verses

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down.

The Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the stranger.

The Lord upholds the orphan and the widow.
But the way of the wicked the Lord brings to ruin.

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.

The Lord sets the prisoners free.
The Lord gives food to the hungry.

The Lord executes justice for the oppressed.
The Lord will reign forever, our God for all generations.

Come, let us worship the God who makes all things new.

Hymn of Praise

Rejoice! Rejoice, Believers, GTG #15

Grace Spoken

Hear the good news:
Christ stands among us,
restoring what we thought was lost,
healing what we thought was broken.

Before we speak our failures,
God names us beloved.
Before we confess our doubts,
Christ reaches out his hand.

Before we admit our blindness,
the Spirit opens our eyes.

Before we turn toward home,
God is already running to meet us.

Trusting in God’s grace and mercy, let us confess our sins and brokenness together.

Responding to God’s Grace

Unison Prayer of Confession

God of restoration and joy,
we confess we have grown too accustomed
to brokenness—
in our neighborhoods, in our church,
in ourselves.

We have mistaken cynicism for wisdom,
overlooked small signs of your healing,
dismissed hope as naïve.
We have demanded grand miracles
while you were quietly mending what we could not see.

We have hoarded joy as if it were scarce,
withheld celebration from those who need it most,
and failed to notice when the blind received their sight,
when captives found freedom,
when good news reached the poor.

Forgive us for lives lived with closed eyes.
Teach us to watch for joy—
not someday, but now,
in the very places we had given up for lost.

(A time of silent prayer)

Through Jesus Christ, who shows us what you are restoring.
Amen.

Sharing the Peace of Christ

An Embodied Sign of God’s Grace in Christ Jesus

Friends, we have been reminded that God’s grace extends to all. We have confessed our sins, knowing that we have been forgiven and that God is opening our eyes to see the joy of restoration.

In this spirit, let us share the peace of Christ.

The peace of Christ be with you.

And also with you.

(Share Christ’s peace in ways fitting to your community.)

The Written Word

A Reading from the Psalms

Psalm 146:1–50
1Hallelujah! Praise Yahweh, O my soul.
2I will praise Yahweh while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have being.
3Do not trust in princes,
in a human being who cannot save.
4His spirit departs, he returns to the earth;
in that very day, his plans perish.
5Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in Yahweh his God,
6who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
7who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
Yahweh frees the prisoners;
8Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind;
Yahweh lifts up those who are bowed down;
Yahweh loves the righteous;
9Yahweh watches over the strangers;
He upholds the orphan and widow,
but the way of the wicked He brings to ruin.
10Yahweh will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Hallelujah!
1Hallelujah! Praise Yahweh, O my soul.
2I will praise Yahweh while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have being.
3Do not trust in princes,
in a human being who cannot save.
4His spirit departs, he returns to the earth;
in that very day, his plans perish.
5Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in Yahweh his God,
6who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
7who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
Yahweh frees the prisoners;
8Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind;
Yahweh lifts up those who are bowed down;
Yahweh loves the righteous;
9Yahweh watches over the strangers;
He upholds the orphan and widow,
but the way of the wicked He brings to ruin.
10Yahweh will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Hallelujah!

Gospel Reading

Luke 7:18–23

Messengers from John the Baptist

18And the disciples of John reported to him about all these things. And calling two of his disciples,
19John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?”
20And coming to him, the men said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?’”
21In that hour he healed many from diseases and afflictions and evil spirits, and to many blind he granted sight.
22And answering, he said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them.
23And blessed is whoever is not offended by me.”

The Faith of a Centurion

1After he had completed all his words in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.
2Now a certain centurion had a slave who was ill and about to die, who was valuable to him.
3And hearing about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save his slave.
4And they came to Jesus and were earnestly urging him, saying, “He is worthy for you to grant this,
5for he loves our nation and he himself built the synagogue for us.”
6And Jesus was going with them. But when he was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.
7Therefore I did not consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.
8For I also am a man set under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
9And hearing these things, Jesus marveled at him, and turning to the crowd following him, said, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
10And returning to the house, those who had been sent found the slave in good health.

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

11And it happened soon afterward that he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd were going with him.
12And as he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.
13And seeing her, the Lord had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
14And coming near, he touched the bier, and those carrying it stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
15And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and he gave him to his mother.
16And fear seized all, and they were glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us,” and “God has visited his people.”
17And this word about him went out in the whole of Judea and all the surrounding region.

Messengers from John the Baptist

18And the disciples of John reported to him about all these things. And calling two of his disciples,
19John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?”
20And coming to him, the men said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?’”
21In that hour he healed many from diseases and afflictions and evil spirits, and to many blind he granted sight.
22And answering, he said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them.
23And blessed is whoever is not offended by me.”

Jesus’ Testimony Concerning John

24And when the messengers of John had gone, he began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
25But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold, those in splendid clothing and luxury are in royal palaces.
26But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.
27This is he of whom it is written,
‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
28I say to you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
29And all the people who heard, and the tax collectors, justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John;
30but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

This Generation Compared to Children

31“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?
32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, who say:
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a lament, and you did not weep.’
33For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’
34The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
35And wisdom is justified by all her children.”

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

36And one of the Pharisees was asking him to eat with him, and entering into the house of the Pharisee, he reclined at table.
37And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, learning that he was reclining in the house of the Pharisee, brought an alabaster jar of ointment,
38and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and was wiping them with the hair of her head and kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.
39Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said within himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”
40And answering, Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he said, “Teacher, say it.”
41“A certain creditor had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42When they were not able to repay, he freely forgave both. Which of them, therefore, will love him more?”
43Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one for whom he forgave more.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
44And turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45You gave me no kiss, but she, from the time I entered, has not ceased kissing my feet.
46You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
47Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
48And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49And those reclining with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Notes

v18–20John’s question reflects uncertainty without rejecting his prior witness.
v22Jesus answers with deeds rather than direct claim, echoing Isaiah.
v23“Not offended” suggests stumbling over Jesus’ unexpected form of ministry.

Notes

v02The slave is described as “valuable,” indicating relational regard beyond mere utility.
v04–05The elders appeal to the centurion’s worthiness, grounded in benefaction and loyalty.
v06–07The centurion rejects claims of worthiness, shifting the focus to Jesus’ authority.
v08Military command becomes the analogy for faith in Jesus’ word.
v09Jesus’ amazement marks the centurion’s faith as exceptional, especially as an outsider.
v11–13The widow’s situation (widow, only son) intensifies vulnerability and loss.
v13Compassion precedes request; the initiative is entirely Jesus’.
v14–15Touching the bier crosses impurity boundaries and interrupts death itself.
v16The crowd interprets the act prophetically, not yet fully messianically.
v18–20John’s question reflects uncertainty without rejecting his prior witness.
v22Jesus answers with deeds rather than direct claim, echoing Isaiah.
v23“Not offended” suggests stumbling over Jesus’ unexpected form of ministry.
v28John is affirmed as greatest within one order, yet surpassed within the kingdom.
v29–30Response to John reveals acceptance or rejection of God’s purpose.
v32The generation is portrayed as resistant to both austerity and celebration.
v33–34Opposite criticisms of John and Jesus expose inconsistency rather than discernment.
v35Wisdom is vindicated not by argument but by outcome.
v37–38The woman’s actions are excessive, embodied, and public.
v39The Pharisee’s objection assumes prophetic distance from impurity.
v41–43Debt imagery frames forgiveness in relational and affective terms.
v44–46Hospitality omissions contrast with the woman’s abundance of devotion.
v47Love is evidence of forgiveness, not its cause.
v48–50Authority to forgive sins is again central; faith is named as the means of salvation.

Vocabulary

v22εὐαγγελίζω (euangelizō)
v23σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō)

Vocabulary

v02ἔντιμος (entimos)
v07λόγος (logos)
v08ἐξουσία (exousia)
v09πίστις (pistis)
v13σπλαγχνίζομαι (splagchnizomai)
v14ἅπτομαι (haptomai)
v16ἐπισκέπτομαι (episkeptomai)
v22εὐαγγελίζω (euangelizō)
v23σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō)
v27ἄγγελος (angelos)
v28βασιλεία (basileia)
v30βουλή (boulē)
v33δαιμόνιον (daimonion)
v34φίλος (philos)
v41δανειστής (daneistēs)
v42χαρίζομαι (charizomai)
v44ὕδωρ (hydōr)
v47ἀφίημι (aphiēmi)
v50σῴζω (sōzō)
v50εἰρήνη (eirēnē)

Watch for Joy

1. John sends his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one?” When have you needed to ask that question — out loud or in your own heart?

2. Jesus answers by pointing to what is already happening: the blind see, the lame walk, the dead are raised. Where have you seen something being restored this week — in your body, your neighborhood, or your relationships?

3. John is in prison when he asks his question. What makes it harder to see joy when you are stuck, waiting, or uncertain?

4. Jesus says, “Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” What about Jesus — his teachings, his priorities, his way — do you find most difficult to accept right now?

5. Psalm 146 says God “executes justice for the oppressed” and “gives food to the hungry.” Where in your community is someone working for that kind of restoration? Do you know their name?

6. This week, notice one thing being restored — something small, something overlooked. Write it down. Bring it back next Sunday and be ready to name it.

Hymn of Reflection

My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout, GTG #100

Affirmation of Faith

Spoken together.

We believe in God,
who makes all things new,
who restores what has been broken,
who gives sight to those who cannot see.

We believe in Jesus Christ,
who reveals God’s reign not in power but in healing,
who answers our doubts with signs of hope,
who meets us in our questions and does not turn away.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who opens our eyes to see joy already arriving,
who moves in places we thought were finished,
who teaches us to watch for what God is doing now.

We believe that joy is not something we conjure
but something we recognize—
that God is restoring the world even when we cannot see it,
and our calling is to watch, to witness, to wonder.

We trust that the good news is for the poor,
the imprisoned, the blind, the oppressed—
and that when we see their liberation,
we are seeing the face of God.

Amen.

Prayers of the People

Holy God, who has shown us what you are doing in the world,
teach us to watch for the signs of your joy breaking through.

We pray for the world you are restoring—
for places where hunger is being fed and prisoners set free,
for communities learning to see differently,
for those working to heal what is broken.
Open our eyes to where joy is stirring.

We watch for your joy, O God.
(pause)

We pray for places of conflict and fear—
where violence has dulled the senses,
where despair has clouded vision,
where people can no longer imagine peace.
Send messengers of hope to tell what they have seen.

We watch for your joy, O God.
(pause)

We pray for leaders and teachers—
for those who shape how we see the world,
for those who interpret what is happening,
for those who help us recognize your work.
Give them clarity and courage to name what you are doing.

We watch for your joy, O God.
(pause)

We pray for our own lives—
for the moments we have stopped looking,
for the times we have missed what you were restoring,
for the ways we have forgotten to ask, “Is this the one?”
Teach us to watch with expectation.

We watch for your joy, O God.
(pause)

We pray for those who suffer—
the blind who long to see,
the lame who want to walk,
the sick who wait for healing,
the ones who have heard no good news.
Meet them in their need and make them whole.

We watch for your joy, O God.
(pause)

We pray for those who are unseen—
the ones we have overlooked,
the ones whose restoration we have not noticed,
the ones whose joy we have not celebrated.
Help us see what you see.

We watch for your joy, O God.
(pause)

We pray for this community—
for eyes to recognize your work among us,
for ears to hear the good news we are living,
for hearts ready to rejoice in what you are doing.
Make us witnesses to the joy that is already here.

We watch for your joy, O God.
(pause)

(A time of silent prayer)

God of restoration and joy,
gather these prayers into your work of making all things new.
Where we cannot yet see, give us patience.
Where we have seen, give us voices to proclaim.
Where joy is stirring, help us join the dance.
Through Christ, who showed us what you are doing.
Amen.

We pray together, saying:
(The Lord’s Prayer is prayed in the words familiar to the community.)

Hymn of Sending

On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry, GTG #96

Sending

Go now as people who watch for joy—
not the joy that shouts from stages,
but the joy that heals and frees,
the joy that restores what the world has broken.

Look for where God is already at work:
the sick who rise,
the prisoners who are released,
the poor who receive good news.

Do not wait for perfect faith
to join what God is doing.
Doubt and trust can live together
when your feet still move toward the Kingdom.

Speak of what you see:
tell of resurrection in small places,
of mercy that refuses to give up,
of light breaking into darkness.

And may the God who opens the eyes of the blind,
the Christ who comes to make all things new,
and the Spirit who moves in unexpected places
go with you now and always.

Amen.

Reflections for Later

Sharing God’s Word Together

For Newcomers

If you’re here today wondering whether any of this is real—whether God is real, whether joy is possible in a world like ours—you’re in good company. John the Baptist, sitting in Herod’s prison, sent his followers to ask Jesus the same question: “Are you the one, or should we keep looking?” Even the great prophet had his doubts. Even he needed reassurance that what he’d hoped for was actually happening.

Jesus didn’t scold John for asking. He simply pointed to what was already taking place: the blind were seeing, the lame were walking, the poor were hearing good news. In other words, look at what’s being restored. Look at where healing is breaking through. That’s where you’ll find me. Joy doesn’t begin with feeling certain or having all the answers. It begins when we learn to notice what God is quietly making new—in the world around us, in the lives of others, maybe even in our own.

You don’t have to be sure about everything to be here. You don’t have to fix yourself before you’re welcome. The invitation is simply this: keep watching. Keep wondering. Keep showing up. God is already at work, already restoring what’s been broken, already making room for joy you didn’t think was possible. And that work includes you.

For Those Rooted in This Community

You know this story. John’s disciples come with their question, Jesus points to what’s already happening, and we nod along because we’ve heard it a hundred times. But when was the last time you actually looked for what God is restoring—not in scripture, not in memory, but in the life unfolding around you this week?

The danger of knowing the faith well is that we can recite the promises without watching for them. We can affirm that God makes all things new while remaining unmoved by what’s actually being made new. John sent his disciples to ask because he couldn’t see from prison what God was doing. What’s your prison? What habit of seeing, what groove of expectation, keeps you from noticing the blind receiving sight, the captives going free, the good news proclaimed to people you didn’t think were listening?

Joy, this Advent text insists, begins not when we feel happy but when we learn to see what God is restoring. And here’s the question for those of us who’ve been around long enough to think we know where to look: What if the restoration is happening in places we stopped watching because we decided they were too far gone, too resistant, too unlikely? What if the joy we’re missing isn’t absent—just unnoticed?

Where have you stopped expecting God to act?

For Churches Without a Pastor

Joy begins when we learn to see what God is restoring — and sometimes what God is restoring is your own capacity to lead one another. When John sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one?” Jesus didn’t give a lecture. He pointed to what was already happening: the blind see, the lame walk, the dead are raised, the poor hear good news. He trusted them to see the evidence. In a season without a settled pastor, you are learning to see what the Spirit is already doing among you — in the deacon who prays with clarity, in the elder who asks the right question, in the member who notices who’s missing and makes the call.

You have what you need. You have the Word, read and proclaimed. You have the table, set and shared. You have one another — the whole people of God, each carrying some piece of the ministry that no single pastor could carry alone. This is not a deficit to be managed. It is an invitation to discover what has always been true: that Christ’s body has many members, and the Spirit distributes gifts as the Spirit chooses. Your congregation is not on hold until someone arrives. You are the church, now, together.

The work is real. It asks more of you than you expected. But watch for the joy that comes when you see it: someone steps forward who didn’t know they could. A conversation goes deeper than it would have in the narthex small talk. The scripture speaks with new urgency because you need it to. You are not waiting for restoration. You are watching it happen, in you, through you, among you. The one who is coming is already here.

Need Help?

Follow the link for tips and pointers to help you lead and design worship using this resource.

Tips for Leading Worship

Rights and Use

© Church Commons. 2026

Written by Rev. Matthew J. Skolnik unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

These materials may be used and adapted for worship and educational purposes within Christian communities. They may not be sold or redistributed for commercial purposes without permission.

Resource Details

Date: December 13, 2026

Scripture: Luke 7:18-23

Theme: Watch for Joy (Psalm 146, Luke 7:18-23)

Lectionary: RCL Year A

Scripture on this page is from The Shared Word Translation (SWT), an ongoing translation project within ChurchCommons.org.

Scripture on this page is from The Shared Word Translation (SWT), an ongoing translation project within ChurchCommons.org.

Leave a Comment