Sunday's Message - A Season of Joy

The Christmas Season is special regardless of your age. It's a time both to celebrate but also to meditate, a unique period when we're able to put aside some of our frustrations and disappointments and to enjoy all the sights and sounds that surround us for about a month and a half. Of course, for Christians, it's even more important, because we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And for that reason, we have good reason to experience some very special feelings during this time of year.

And so, with that in mind, for the next seven weeks, we'll look at some of the reasons the Christmas season is special. You see, during what the church calls the Season of Advent and the Season after Christmas, we'll define this time in the following ways:

• November 28 – A Season of Hope (Luke 21:25-36)
• December 5 – A Season of Peace (John 14:23-29)
• December 12 – A Season of Joy (Luke 1:39-55)
• December 19 – A Season of Generosity (Matthew 1:18-25)
• December 26 – A Season of Love (John 15:9-17)
• January 2 – A Season of Glory (John 1:1-10)

During this third sermon, we looked at Christmas as a Season of Joy.

Luke 1:39-55 [Contemporary English Version]

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

    and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him

    from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

    and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

    and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

    in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

A Season of Joy

A couple of days ago Debbie reminded me of something that, on one level, I already knew, but I’d been trying as hard as I could to forget. She said, “Do you realize that Christmas will be here in two weeks?” I’m telling you a chill went up my spine. And then she followed it up with a couple of questions that changed that chill into a cold sweat. She asked, “And what have you decided to get for your dad?” I didn’t know. “And what about Maggie, what are you giving her?” I didn’t know that either. Now I recognize that she could have asked the $64 question that would have moved me from sweat to panic, but she didn’t. Although she may have been showing me mercy, I’ve got a gut feeling that, considering my first two responses, she already knew the answer without even asking the question. And that was two days ago. We’re forty-eight hours closer right now than I was back then. Put another way, The Polar Express is almost here, and I feel like I’m tied to the tracks. How about you?

And you know, because I think y’all can sort of identify with what I’m saying, at least a little bit, I believe it’s a good thing we’ve been spending the last couple of weeks talking about how we might have a more positive view of the Christmas season. For example, a couple of weeks ago, we looked at how Christmas might be for us a season of hope, something that’s possible when we trust that Jesus will most certainly return and when we recognize that the world we now see is temporary and when we become the kind of men and women who offer hope to others. Now that was week one. And last we week, we considered how this time of year can also be for us a season of peace, especially when we accept peace as a gift from God and when we claim peace as a lifestyle and when we pass a little bit of that peace on to others. Now that’s what we’ve already covered.

And this morning, we’re going to look at something else we associate with the season of Christmas, and right now I’m talking about joy. And I’ll tell you, just like it was with hope and peace, I don’t think joy comes naturally to most of us, not even around Christmas. As a matter of fact, there’s only one person I know who is all fired-up about joy this time of year. I mean, she can’t get enough of all the ornaments and all the cards and all the sweatshirts that proudly and emphatically announce this as a season of joy. Of course, she has a reason that most of us lack. I mean, that’s her name, Joy. And so, while she’s decked out in joy, the rest of us, well, not so much so. 

Of course, I think one of reasons that’s the case is that we often confuse feeling happy with experiencing joy, and let’s face it, regardless of what we do, we just can’t seem to be, as that old camp song says, “inright, outright, upright, downright, happy all the time.” But you know, when you get right down to it, happiness and joy are actually quite different. For example, while one tends to be based on stuff that’s external, the other is more internal. And while one may be temporary, the other is more lasting. And while one leads to a momentary state of bliss, the other may actually demand a sacrifice. It’s like Jesus said to his disciples, “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” [Matthew 5:11-12, NRSV] Or, as James wrote in his letter, “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” [James 1:2-4, NRSV] In other words, unless we’re like Bill Murray in Little Shop of Horrors, even though persecution and trials don’t make us happy, when we’re in the middle of them, we can still experience joy, and that’s true even as we fight our way through the hustle and bustle of Christmas.

And that’s what we’re going to focus on this morning, how this Christmas might become a genuine season of joy. And as we did last week, we’ll take the passage we read and some other scripture to consider three things we might do in the next thirteen days and beyond to work a little more joy into our lives.

You see, first, I think we can experience more joy during the Christmas season when we decide to accept the gift, and of, course, here I’m talking about Jesus Christ, the one who’s really the reason for the season. It’s just like the angel said to those terrified shepherds: “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” [Luke 2:10b-12, NRSV] I also think is was something that Elizabeth experienced in the passage we just read: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” [Luke 1:42b-45, NRSV] You see, Jesus is the ultimate Christmas gift, and this is a gift that we can accept. 

But I’ll tell you, the power of this gift rests not just on who he was but also in what he came to do, something that Mary expressed very clearly when she said this: 

...for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

    and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him

    from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

    and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

    and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

    in remembrance of his mercy, [Luke 1:49-54, NRSV]

You see, when that baby was born, the old order, you know, the way things had always been, man, it started to die. And in it’s place came something new and radically different from the past. And even though it may still be hard to see, this radical reversal, I’m telling you, as sure as a tiny mustard seed grows into the biggest of all shrubs, it’s coming. The past is history. In Christ, all things are new. This is the gift we can accept, and when we do, I think we’re going to experience joy. That’s one.

And second, we can also intentionally thank the giver. In other words, if we want to be more joyful, we can decide to thank the Father for the gift of his Son. Of course, this connection between offering thanks and experiencing joy, that’s all over the place in the Old Testament. For example, when he was describing God’s people returning to their own land, the Prophet Isaiah wrote: 

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,

    and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;

    they shall obtain joy and gladness,

    and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

[Isaiah 35:10, NRSV]

Or, as the Psalmist wrote:

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

    for his wonderful works to humankind.

And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices,

    and tell of his deeds with songs of joy. 

[Psalm 107:21-22, NRSV]

And so joy and thanks just seem to go together. 

And I’ll tell you, that just makes sense, especially when you’re talking about Jesus Christ. You see, when we are willing to thank God for the one who blesses the poor in spirit and those who mourn, the meek and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful and the pure in heart, and of course, the peacemaker and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, you see, when this is our focus, then we won’t be fixated on stuff that’s external or that’s temporary or that leads to some kind of momentary bliss. Instead, our minds will become opened and our vision broadened so that we can take in a reality that’s more internal and lasting and even sacrificial. You see, it’s like the Christian writer, David Steindl-Rast said, “It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” And outside of Christianity, Buddha taught, “You have no cause for anything but gratitude and joy.” You see, when we choose to thank God for the gift that he gave over two thousand years ago, we’re going to feel joy. And that’s two. 

And third, if we want to be more joy-filled during this Christmas season, we can not only accept the gift and thank the giver, we can also share the glory, and I’m talking about the glory of both the gift and the giver. And I’ll tell you, I think that this sharing really needs to go in two directions. I mean, on one hand, I think it’s important to share the reality of God within the community, and I’m talking about the church, you know, with one another. As a matter of fact, that’s really what the church is all about, a place where we can share with one another the support and strength we receive from God. Just listen to the last instructions Paul offered to the Thessalonians: 

And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. [1 Thessalonians 4:14-22, NRSV]

You see, on one hand, we can and should share God’s glory with those who are on the inside. 

On the other hand, though, we can also share it with a world that’s on the outside, and I’m talking about on other side of these walls. And that’s particularly important right now, as we celebrated the coming of the world’s savior. In other words, through our words and through our actions, we can let those around us heart see the meaning and importance of Christmas. And you know, when you think about it, isn’t that exactly what those shepherds did after they’d heard the angel? According to Luke, this is what happened:

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. [Luke 2:15-18, 20, NRSV]

You see, if we’re interested in feeling more joy, I think we can share the glory of Christmas, both the gift and the giver. 

And that’s three.

Now, in less than two weeks, Christmas is going to be here whether we’re ready for it or not. And you know, when it comes, based on the year we’ve had, some of us will be happy but some of us will not. But you know, even if we’re happy now, well, I think we all know, somewhere down the line, that’s probably going to change, depending on what’s happening around us. Now that’s just the way it is. But even though that’s probably something we need to accept, we can claim something that’s more internal and lasting and even sacrificial. And I believe we can do that by accepting the gift and by thanking the giver and by sharing the glory. You see, we can make this a real season of joy, and believe me, we don’t need to be named Joy to do it.