REJOICE ALWAYS Sermon for 12-17-06
Scripture: Zephania 3:14-20, Phil. 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18
Rejoice! Sing songs! Celebrate for the Lord is in our midst! Sing praises, shout aloud! Both in Isaiah and Zephania the theme is the same: a resounding expression of the joy in these people’s hearts. And why is there so much joy? Because the Lord is in our midst says the prophet Zephania. In Zephania not only the people’s joy but God’s joy as well are described. God is singing! Have you ever thought about God singing you into being? Even Paul in his letter to the Philippians says to rejoice for the Lord is near. These scripture readings are all filled with promises of the Lord’s presence and the joy that presence can produce in our very being, in our hearts, minds, and souls.
Before I get deeper into this morning’s sermon on joy, it seems only right that I contribute to your happiness is by telling you a little story. Mrs. Brown takes her 14-year-old daughter, Sarah, to the doctor, and complains to him that her daughter keeps getting these cravings, plus she's putting on weight and is sick most mornings. The doctor gives the girl a good examination then turns to the mother and says, "Well, I don't know how to tell you this but your daughter is pregnant. About 4 months would be my guess." The mother says, "Pregnant?! She can't be, she has never even been left alone with a man! Have you Sarah?" Sarah says, "No mother! I've never even kissed a man!" The doctor walked over to the window and just stares out of it. About five minutes pass and finally the mother says, "Is there something wrong out there doctor?" The doctor replies, "No, not really, it's just that the last time anything like this happened, a star appeared in the east and three wise men came over the hill. I'll be darned if I'm going to miss it this time!"
One of the challenges I’ve given myself this morning—besides that making you laugh—is to distinguish between happiness and joy. Have you noticed that this time of year there is quite a diversity with peoples’ moods? There are those folks that Christmas makes deliriously happy, those that just love giving presents, going to parties, decorating their homes and so forth. At the other end of the spectrum are the bah humbug types, always complaining about the commercialization of Christmas, the waste of energy with all those ridiculous light displays, the tackiness of those fat balloon figures, and so forth. I have to admit to having some of both of these attitudes. Probably most of us do; however, my nature is much more on the bright side than the grumpy side. Now when we think about joy, it is not just a point on the line from grumpy to happy. Joy is a different kind of experience. Peter Sawtell, whom some of you may have seen as one of our keynote speakers at the annual meeting, says that joy is to happiness as abundant is to affluent—that joy has a moral quality which grounds us in a way of being. He goes on to say that “abundant life (which is what our faith promises us) is a life full of purpose and meaning, rich in relationships, and with sufficient material stuff to provide for our needs, whereas an affluent life has lots of the stuff, but may be utterly lacking in the meaning and relationships which make life worthwhile. Abundant life is filled with joy. An affluent life may deliver moments of happiness without ever comprehending joy.” Paul Tillich, a famous theologian with German roots, says that joy is more than pleasure and more than happiness. He says, “Joy is possible only when we are driven towards things and persons because of what and who they are and not because of what we can get from them.” Different from joy, happiness comes from a state of mind that is dependent on certain conditions, both internal and external. We could say the same for grumpiness! For Tillich the special ingredient in joy is blessedness; this blessedness makes it possible for joy to include sorrow and happiness. In a similar way, Jesus in the Beatitudes call folks blessed and goes on to say, “Rejoice and be glad, your reward is in heaven.”
Another German theologian, one of my favorites, Fred Buechner says that happiness is human made; however, human beings can never take full credit for joy. To quote him, “Joy is always all-encompassing; there is nothing of us left over to hate with or to be afraid with, to feel guilty with or to be selfish about.” Joy points us in one direction, that of sharing it with others. For Buechner, where we have known joy, we have known Christ. Maybe joy has to contain a piece of the divine.
Paul is certainly a good example of joy. The passage we heard this morning from his letters to the Philippians was actually written from jail, where he is awaiting a trial that could result in his death. Yet he uses the word joy and rejoicing 14 times in this short letter, ending with the declaration, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice!” Both the Hebrew and Greek words for ‘joy” refer to a calm, inner delight of the soul—an inner peace which is not dependent upon circumstances but is something that comes from our relationship with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. Also the word peace in the Hebrew and Greek is very similar to joy—an inner tranquility of the heart that results from a confident, trusting awareness that our lives are in the hands of God. Besides rejoicing, Paul urges that these Christians show gentleness to everyone. The Greek word for gentleness is a very rich one, hard to convey by our English word; for example, it has been translated as moderation, forbearance, magnanimity, reasonableness. It denotes the ability to be steadfast in suffering, trusting in God in spite of it all. It’s a rare word, used only five times in the NT. He later includes this word as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
How do these joyful scriptures than relate to our Gospel reading in Luke? There John the Baptist calls the crowd a brood of vipers and cautions them that neither their lineage nor their baptism will substitute for repentance and ethical reform. He warns them to bear fruits worthy of repentance. If they have two coats, share with someone who has none and whoever has food must do likewise. I see these commands to repent and bear worthy fruit very much connected to joy. For me the lack of joy is very much a part of sin, of being separated from God that I talked about last week. When we repent—turn from the wrongdoing back to God’s redeeming love—the consequence is joy and peace in our hearts and souls. Abundance and joy connect us with a deep sense of how things should be and an awareness that we are participating in what is, ultimately, good and right as Peter Sawtell writes. “Our joy calls us to bring that right-ness even more fully into the world. Joy wants us to grow. Joy wants to transform what is not right, and it has the deep roots to flourish in the face of real problems. Joy does not evaporate in the face of poverty, suffering, exploitation and destruction.” Just think of our partners in Zimbabwe and how full of joy they are in spite of their great poverty and oppression. I can remember my visits to Kay Bliss, and right up to her dying how much joy she expressed. Those of you that knew her might remember her expression, “Not worthy, LORD!” Her feeling of joy and appreciation for our visits to her never left, even in the final stages of her life.
When Paul tells us to “rejoice always”, what does he mean? Could he mean even if things are not going well, rejoice; even if you or your loved ones have a serious illness, rejoice; even if your job has been eliminated, rejoice; even if your spouse has left you, rejoice; even if your car breaks down, rejoice? It’s not easy but for myself, I want to be joyful by being in right relationship with God and others, giving thanks and appreciation to God no matter what my circumstance.
I’m not suggesting that you be a Pollyanna or in denial. Remember that you are rejoicing in the Lord—not in your bank account, not in your accomplishments, not in your health, not even in your church and your pastor. Rejoice in the Lord, in God’s power, God’s love, God’s creation, God’s ability. When we know profound joy we will have a hint of what the Kingdom will be, what our world is meant to be. The next step is to pray always and do that specific thing that you are able to do to bring about the kingdom here today. I believe that rejoicing no matter what our circumstances will help bring us the joy, peace and faith that we desire and that God desires for us, not only at Christmas but all year long. Rejoice, give thanks and sing!
Rejoice! Sing songs! Celebrate for the Lord is in our midst! Sing praises, shout aloud! Both in Isaiah and Zephania the theme is the same: a resounding expression of the joy in these people’s hearts. And why is there so much joy? Because the Lord is in our midst says the prophet Zephania. In Zephania not only the people’s joy but God’s joy as well are described. God is singing! Have you ever thought about God singing you into being? Even Paul in his letter to the Philippians says to rejoice for the Lord is near. These scripture readings are all filled with promises of the Lord’s presence and the joy that presence can produce in our very being, in our hearts, minds, and souls.
Before I get deeper into this morning’s sermon on joy, it seems only right that I contribute to your happiness is by telling you a little story. Mrs. Brown takes her 14-year-old daughter, Sarah, to the doctor, and complains to him that her daughter keeps getting these cravings, plus she's putting on weight and is sick most mornings. The doctor gives the girl a good examination then turns to the mother and says, "Well, I don't know how to tell you this but your daughter is pregnant. About 4 months would be my guess." The mother says, "Pregnant?! She can't be, she has never even been left alone with a man! Have you Sarah?" Sarah says, "No mother! I've never even kissed a man!" The doctor walked over to the window and just stares out of it. About five minutes pass and finally the mother says, "Is there something wrong out there doctor?" The doctor replies, "No, not really, it's just that the last time anything like this happened, a star appeared in the east and three wise men came over the hill. I'll be darned if I'm going to miss it this time!"
One of the challenges I’ve given myself this morning—besides that making you laugh—is to distinguish between happiness and joy. Have you noticed that this time of year there is quite a diversity with peoples’ moods? There are those folks that Christmas makes deliriously happy, those that just love giving presents, going to parties, decorating their homes and so forth. At the other end of the spectrum are the bah humbug types, always complaining about the commercialization of Christmas, the waste of energy with all those ridiculous light displays, the tackiness of those fat balloon figures, and so forth. I have to admit to having some of both of these attitudes. Probably most of us do; however, my nature is much more on the bright side than the grumpy side. Now when we think about joy, it is not just a point on the line from grumpy to happy. Joy is a different kind of experience. Peter Sawtell, whom some of you may have seen as one of our keynote speakers at the annual meeting, says that joy is to happiness as abundant is to affluent—that joy has a moral quality which grounds us in a way of being. He goes on to say that “abundant life (which is what our faith promises us) is a life full of purpose and meaning, rich in relationships, and with sufficient material stuff to provide for our needs, whereas an affluent life has lots of the stuff, but may be utterly lacking in the meaning and relationships which make life worthwhile. Abundant life is filled with joy. An affluent life may deliver moments of happiness without ever comprehending joy.” Paul Tillich, a famous theologian with German roots, says that joy is more than pleasure and more than happiness. He says, “Joy is possible only when we are driven towards things and persons because of what and who they are and not because of what we can get from them.” Different from joy, happiness comes from a state of mind that is dependent on certain conditions, both internal and external. We could say the same for grumpiness! For Tillich the special ingredient in joy is blessedness; this blessedness makes it possible for joy to include sorrow and happiness. In a similar way, Jesus in the Beatitudes call folks blessed and goes on to say, “Rejoice and be glad, your reward is in heaven.”
Another German theologian, one of my favorites, Fred Buechner says that happiness is human made; however, human beings can never take full credit for joy. To quote him, “Joy is always all-encompassing; there is nothing of us left over to hate with or to be afraid with, to feel guilty with or to be selfish about.” Joy points us in one direction, that of sharing it with others. For Buechner, where we have known joy, we have known Christ. Maybe joy has to contain a piece of the divine.
Paul is certainly a good example of joy. The passage we heard this morning from his letters to the Philippians was actually written from jail, where he is awaiting a trial that could result in his death. Yet he uses the word joy and rejoicing 14 times in this short letter, ending with the declaration, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice!” Both the Hebrew and Greek words for ‘joy” refer to a calm, inner delight of the soul—an inner peace which is not dependent upon circumstances but is something that comes from our relationship with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. Also the word peace in the Hebrew and Greek is very similar to joy—an inner tranquility of the heart that results from a confident, trusting awareness that our lives are in the hands of God. Besides rejoicing, Paul urges that these Christians show gentleness to everyone. The Greek word for gentleness is a very rich one, hard to convey by our English word; for example, it has been translated as moderation, forbearance, magnanimity, reasonableness. It denotes the ability to be steadfast in suffering, trusting in God in spite of it all. It’s a rare word, used only five times in the NT. He later includes this word as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
How do these joyful scriptures than relate to our Gospel reading in Luke? There John the Baptist calls the crowd a brood of vipers and cautions them that neither their lineage nor their baptism will substitute for repentance and ethical reform. He warns them to bear fruits worthy of repentance. If they have two coats, share with someone who has none and whoever has food must do likewise. I see these commands to repent and bear worthy fruit very much connected to joy. For me the lack of joy is very much a part of sin, of being separated from God that I talked about last week. When we repent—turn from the wrongdoing back to God’s redeeming love—the consequence is joy and peace in our hearts and souls. Abundance and joy connect us with a deep sense of how things should be and an awareness that we are participating in what is, ultimately, good and right as Peter Sawtell writes. “Our joy calls us to bring that right-ness even more fully into the world. Joy wants us to grow. Joy wants to transform what is not right, and it has the deep roots to flourish in the face of real problems. Joy does not evaporate in the face of poverty, suffering, exploitation and destruction.” Just think of our partners in Zimbabwe and how full of joy they are in spite of their great poverty and oppression. I can remember my visits to Kay Bliss, and right up to her dying how much joy she expressed. Those of you that knew her might remember her expression, “Not worthy, LORD!” Her feeling of joy and appreciation for our visits to her never left, even in the final stages of her life.
When Paul tells us to “rejoice always”, what does he mean? Could he mean even if things are not going well, rejoice; even if you or your loved ones have a serious illness, rejoice; even if your job has been eliminated, rejoice; even if your spouse has left you, rejoice; even if your car breaks down, rejoice? It’s not easy but for myself, I want to be joyful by being in right relationship with God and others, giving thanks and appreciation to God no matter what my circumstance.
I’m not suggesting that you be a Pollyanna or in denial. Remember that you are rejoicing in the Lord—not in your bank account, not in your accomplishments, not in your health, not even in your church and your pastor. Rejoice in the Lord, in God’s power, God’s love, God’s creation, God’s ability. When we know profound joy we will have a hint of what the Kingdom will be, what our world is meant to be. The next step is to pray always and do that specific thing that you are able to do to bring about the kingdom here today. I believe that rejoicing no matter what our circumstances will help bring us the joy, peace and faith that we desire and that God desires for us, not only at Christmas but all year long. Rejoice, give thanks and sing!
posted by Sermons given at Deering Community Church @ 12:50 PM
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