Epworth United Methodist Church

Epworth United Methodist Church
Rev. David Weekley, Pastor
December 13, 2009

Full Joy

Let’s start with a question this morning: what does joy look like?

If you had to come up with a picture of joy, or a universal symbol for joy, what would it look like?

Would it be the smile of a groom catching the first glimpse of his bride coming down the aisle on their wedding day?

Might it be a mother holding her newborn child?

Could it be the faces in a crowd of people when an end to war is announced?

Joy is an indescribable emotion much of the time, it is hard to explain and difficult to put into words, yet when you see it, it’s unmistakable, and when you experience it, it is unforgettable.

Hopefully, we’ve all seen it; and even more we’ve all felt it.

So , how might you describe this thing called joy?

Sometimes, especially around this time of year, there are some who believe coming up with a symbol for joy is not difficult at all, that we actually already have one- the dollar sign.

I guess they might be right.

I remember when I was a kid, and on my birthday I was always excited when one of the cards I opened from a grandparent contained a crisp dollar bill; if it were a five dollar bill, I was really happy!

I was talking to someone I know a few weeks ago who expressed real joy about a trip he had made to Las Vegas, where he had won several hundred dollars in a slot machine: he was really, really happy!

And at the close of this rough financial year you can safely bet that the dollar sign and the sound of cash registers ringing will bring sweeping smiles to the faces of retailers all around the state, nation, and planet.

Yes, from the excitement of your very first paycheck to that feeling when you discover a $10.00 bill stuffed into the pocket an old pair of jeans, it’s impossible to argue about the emotional influence money has on all of us.

At Christmastime, the season considered by many to be the most joyful time of all, this connection of joy with the dollar sign grows even stronger.

Our Christmas joy is often measured by our ability to purchase presents.

If you don’t agree, try telling your kids, spouse, or best friends that this year Santa is forgoing the gifts and instead is just giving out hugs.

At Christmas, joy is not found in a hug from someone in a red suit; it’s in unwrapping hoped-for presents, like the latest version of Halo for the Xbox 360.

But here’s the problem: the Bible paints a very different picture of joy, and offers a very different symbol for it as well.

This is not to say that presents, and gift-giving are bad.

Giving gifts is great, receiving them is lots of fun and money is- in God’s world- often a means for temporary peace and stability, just ask those who do not have it.

But this is not really joy; at least it is not biblical joy.

Zephaniah is one of the least read Old Testament prophets.

In this morning’s verses he starts out with a warning, a brutally honest reminder to the children of Israel of their need to turn away from the earthly ‘gods’ they have been going after, to say farewell to the other signs of status they’ve been striving for, and turn once more to the Holy One.

If they fail to do this, Zephaniah says that one day all the temporary joys they’ve been chasing will fade away, and it will be time for a necessary Day of Judgment, or serious re-evaluation of their values.

But then, in the closing words of this prophetic voice, Zephaniah offers an incredible picture of real, genuine, biblical-style joy.

He speak of a day when a new leader, a new King of the people will have entered into the midst of the people and by his life and example, take away false gods and temporary joy, and all fears.

There will come a day, there will be a time, Zephaniah says, when women and men will “sing aloud” and “shout”, when they will “be glad and rejoice” with all their hearts.

This true, authentic joy will well up not as the result of piling up enough money or achieving a certain level of temporal success.

No, this lasting joy will be found in the discovery that God finds joy in us, in you!

Biblical joy, real joy, comes from knowing without fear and without fail that, “The Lord your God is with you…and will rejoice over you with singing.” [Zephaniah 3:17]

The real reason joy is so essential to the celebration of Jesus’ birth we call Christmas is because in this birth, in the entrance of that baby born in a Bethlehem back alley, God tells us that Zephaniah’s prophecy has come true!

The truth is that so much of what we label as ‘life’s joys’ are really just temporary pleasures, stuff that will come and go and make us feel good only for a moment.

In The Story of Joy, Adam Potkay argues that most of us actually live rather joyless lives, and the reason is simple.

Rather than focusing on the real joy found in Jesus the Christ, which is a shared and a communal joy celebrated among a congregation of friends and family, we sell out for simple pleasures that are often both solitary and momentary.

Proclaiming Jesus’ birth to the poor shepherds standing in the field, the angel makes it clear there is only one symbol, one picture of real joy, as the angel says, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, Christ the Lord.” [Luke 2:10-12]

The beautiful thing is that, unlike everything else in this world, when your joy comes through Christ, it is a joy that can never be taken away from you.

Apart from God, all the joys of life will someday be stolen, destroyed, or simply end.

The money will run out, the kids will grow up and become busy with their own lives, and the illnesses can kill us, or return for another try.

And one day, life here will end.

But when we are connected to God through Christ, we understand that the life God gives us is forever, and the peace God gives us surpasses all of our human understanding.

Years ago during Advent season, the Baxter Theater in Cape Town, South Africa, used to present a pantomime- i.e. an interactive story in which the audience was invited to participate.

One hot summer afternoon [remember that Christmas in South Africa comes in the middle of their summer] the presentation of “Jack and the Beanstalk” was going really badly.

The audience was lethargic from the heat, and the play seemed really boring.

Eventually the lead actor playing the part of Jack waved his hands, stopped everything, and stepped to the front of the stage and asked, “What are we going to do?”

To his surprise a little girl sitting off to one side yelled out, “Let’s sing!”

Inviting the girl onto the stage the actor asked, “What shall we sing?”

Taking the microphone, the little girl began to sing, “If you want real joy, let Jesus come into your heart,’ a chorus she had learned in Sunday School.

When the girl finished there was silence, then the whole theater burst into applause.

That moment of child-like, simple joy breathed new life, energy, and a little magic into the afternoon performance.

Joy is found not so much in the material gifts we give and receive, but in the gifts we are ourselves to others, and the recognition that they are also precious gifts.

The joy in the gift of Jesus, the Christ child, is an invitation for us to be a source of joy in the giving of ourselves and in the receiving of each other through the love of God.

As someone one said long ago: Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” [unknown]

Amen.