December 19
Isaiah 61:1-3
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
The Gift of Joy
by Kevin Sanders, D.M.A.
Isaiah 61:1-3 offers a profound message of hope and restoration: “to comfort all who mourn... to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”
These verses were spoken to a people in despair, as Isaiah brought Israel a promise: a Messiah would come to bring healing, freedom, and restoration to the broken and oppressed—a beacon of hope in their darkest times. In this context, Isaiah’s message reminds us of God’s unwavering faithfulness and His covenant to deliver us. It is a powerful assurance that God’s joy, peace, and hope are available to each of us. As His creations, we are invited not only to live in joy but also to spread that joy to those around us.
In my work in music, I see this as both a privilege and a responsibility. Music has an extraordinary power to touch hearts and lift spirits. When we attend a performance, we often carry with us the burdens of the day, the challenges of our lives, and the weight of the world around us. It is my hope that through the beauty of music, each audience member might find solace, renewal, and a reminder of the joy that God intends for us all. I am deeply grateful to work in a field that so visibly brings light to others. This is, in itself, a gift and a reflection of Isaiah’s message of joy in exchange for heaviness.
Every day, we have opportunities to share this joy and lift others up. Each of us possesses unique gifts and talents, and in our interactions—both personal and professional—we can share a bit of God’s joy and hope. By using our God-given talents to serve and uplift others, we contribute to a world that is more compassionate, more inspiring, and more grounded in faith.
As we journey through this season of Advent, let’s ask ourselves: How might we spread joy in our own circles? How can we use the gifts we’ve been given to serve and uplift others? May we each find ways to be vessels of God’s joy and light, reaching out to those who need it most and reflecting His promise of renewal and redemption.
About the Author
Kevin Sanders, D.M.A.
Kevin Sanders, D.M.A., serves as Dean of Baylor University’s School of Music, a position that he began in the summer of 2024. Prior to joining the Baylor community, Dean Sanders supported the University of Memphis as director of the Rudi E. Sheidt School of Music, a position he held since 2020. During his tenure, Sanders led the School through the planning, construction and grand opening of the Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, a $40 million, 82,000-square-foot facility featuring state-of-the-art recording studios, large rehearsal spaces and a 900-seat concert hall. Under his leadership, the School moved forward in several areas, including a substantial increase in the diversity of faculty, the founding of the School of Music alumni chapter, the launch of the School’s annual Blue Note magazine and a broad expansion of the School’s marketing and communications team. Sanders also served as the catalyst for new academic programs, including an undergraduate music therapy major, and focused the School on modernizing the undergraduate curriculum and leveraging campus and community partnerships to provide professional opportunities for students.
A classically trained musician and former tubist, Sanders’ scholarly musical interests concentrate on pedagogy. His work includes eight recordings and dozens of publications, commissions and presentations given around the globe. He has performed on five continents with some of the world’s finest orchestras, and he also has performed as a soloist with the United States Army Orchestra in Washington, D.C. During his two decades in higher education, Sanders has taught in Tennessee, New York and Arkansas, and his students have been highly successful in national and international auditions, competitions and summer festivals and hold teaching and performance positions across the U.S.