About this episode
This sermon explores the nature of joy as a surprising and divine presence in our lives, particularly in times of grief.
In this sermon, we explore the defiant nature of joy as an unbidden guest that arrives precisely when we expect it least. Drawing on the series Surprise Party: 50 Days of Enchantment, we examine how the Apostle Paul—writing from the claustrophobia of a prison cell—aligns himself with a "do-it-again" God whose very nature is delight. We are invited to stop resisting these fleeting moments of grace and instead receive them as a holy resistance against a disenchanted world. Ultimately, we discover that when joy finds us amidst our grief, it is not a betrayal of our pain but a profound encounter with the nearness of God.
Topics covered
- joy
- grief
- faith
- God
- spirituality
- resilience
Keywords
- joy
- Apostle Paul
- grief
- spirituality
- faith
- divine presence
- resilience
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Surprise Party: 50 Days of Enchantment
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- Sermon: Surprise Party | Week 4: When It’s Not What We’d Hoped For // Brent Levy · May 3, 2026 · 24 min
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