Holy Night - Week 3

Holy Night : The Chosen  Series - Week 3

Joy in a Joyless World — A Reflection on Chris Juen’s Sermon

By Travis Young

Advent Week 3 always presses on a question we don’t like to ask out loud: Can joy really exist when life feels heavy? Chris Juen, executive producer of The Chosen, answered that question with clarity and conviction in his sermon on joy—and not the shallow, seasonal kind.

Rooted in Luke 2:10–12, 14, Chris reminded us that the announcement of Jesus’ birth didn’t begin with changed circumstances, but with changed hearts: “Fear not… good news of great joy… for all people.” The shepherds were still poor. Rome was still oppressive. The night was still dark. And yet—joy arrived.

One line from the message has stayed with me: “When you step into obedience, clarity rarely comes first. Peace does.” That truth reframes how we often approach faith. We want explanations before obedience, answers before surrender. But Scripture—and lived experience—suggests peace is God’s first gift, not clarity. Joy follows not because life makes sense, but because Jesus is present.

Chris beautifully connected this to The Chosen episode “Holy Night,” highlighting the joy of the shepherds. These weren’t powerful or prepared people. They were ordinary, overlooked, and fearful. Still, heaven chose them as the first witnesses. Joy, it turns out, doesn’t discriminate.

The contrast with Exodus 14:11 was striking. Israel, freshly freed, looked backward in fear: “Were there no graves in Egypt?” It’s a reminder of how quickly fear can eclipse joy when we forget who goes before us. Joy isn’t the absence of trouble—it’s the presence of Jesus.

Chris didn’t offer sentimental optimism. He offered something sturdier: a Savior who steps into our darkness and calls us to “fear not.” Good news. Great joy. For all people.

In a joyless world, that message couldn’t be more timely.

With love and joy in Christ,
Pastor Travis Young
Frontier Church