The Shepherd's call to Joy
Welcome to Grace Baptist Church in Iron River, WI. Today is Sunday, December 14, 2025
We are so very grateful for your interest in our Church. We are friendly people who focus on practically applying God’s truth; we are not perfect. We could talk about who we are and how grateful we are; however, to experience God working in Grace Baptist Church, we would love it if you visited us at 10:00 am on Sunday to enjoy our worship service. We hope to see you soon! Read on.
Today, we turn our eyes to the joy that came wrapped not in glitter, but in swaddling cloths. The joy of heaven was announced with trumpet-level excitement to a bunch of shepherds who weren’t expecting anything good to happen that night. The joy that isn’t manufactured, borrowed, or seasonal, because it’s a Person.
Advent joy isn’t something we stir up; it’s Someone who shows up.
This morning, we lean in and listen again to the God who still whispers into weary hearts: “Fear not… I bring you good tidings of great joy.” And if God says He brings joy, then even in the Northwoods, in the cold of December, in the middle of real-life burdens, joy is absolutely possible.
Let’s open our hearts to the One who came to turn weary people into rejoicing people.
Resource Material for Bible study includes:
The New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide. New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version (ASV) of the Bible, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament
Bible study websites: app.logos.com; Faithlife.com; Precpetaustin.org; enduringwordmedia.com; intothyword.org; Christianity.com; blueletterbible.com; biblehub.com; biblegateway.com; Byzantinetext.com, https://www.openbible.info/labs, versebyversecommentary.com, Christian Apologetics, Resource Ministry CARM.org, Wayne Grudem Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem https://archive.org/details/WayneGrudemSystematicTheology,Hebrew to Greek Dictionary of Septuagint Words https://www.bible-discovery.com/dictionary-license..., Open Net Bible https://netbible.org, The Bible.org https://bible.org//
Updated: December 12, 2025