Welcome to this weekend’s Sunday Online at Encounter Vineyard. If you are here for the first time, a very warm welcome to you, we are so pleased that you have wanted to join us. If you are a part of our regular extended family then welcome back!

Today is Advent Sunday, the beginning of a season that invites us to remember that joy isn’t the same as cheerfulness or denial—it’s deeper, steadier, and rooted in hope.

Joy comes not because everything is right with the world, but because Christ has come into the world. It’s the quiet confidence that light is breaking in, even in the dark.

As we light the first candle of Advent, we remember that joy doesn’t wait for perfect circumstances; it grows in the soil of trust, nourished by the promise that God is with us, and that His coming changes everything.

Today, Susie Wiltshire is beginning our new series ‘Advent Joy’ with a message that looks at how we can find joy, even in difficult circumstances, called Spreading Joy.

We hope that you enjoy worshipping and celebrating with us today and we pray that today would be a blessing for us all.