I
had one of the best evenings I have had for ages last Saturday. I went to see a black American gospel singer
called Jessy Dixon. He brought the
house down with old gospel favourites-everybody was singing, clapping, and
cheering innermost and British way.
What I loved about him was his exuberance-he strutted and smiled in a
way that most British people could never get away with. And he had the most amazing backing
singer-she had colourful clothes, big hair and used her whole body to
sing. I came away thinking, “When was
the last time I felt this good? When
was the last time that I felt just so much pure joy at being alive and being
loved by God? I remembered seeing my
kids rolling down a grassy slope on holiday, laughing with friends until I
cried in an evening. It's at these
times when you feel pure joy that something clicks about why you are alive, why
God made you.
We
all sang it at school in my day, "Give me joy in my heart, keep me praising." And yet, often it seems that the only people
who know the secret of being joyful are children, and by the time we reach
adulthood we can forget what joy really is.
Does it get squeezed out by our busy lives or by the burdens of modern
living? Does it get pushed away by the
knowledge of all the terrible things we see?
I get a magazine called “The Week” which summarises the news of the
week. In one tiny corner it has a
section headed "it wasn't all bad".
Often, in the public arena, the only thing we seem good at rejoicing at
is other people's misfortune. This is
surely bad news-it's not the way things are meant to be, especially for us who
claim to know God. Perhaps you would
agree with the writer Henri Nouwen when he says, "Many people hardly believe
any more in the possibility of a truly joy-filled life. They have more or less accepted life as a
prison and are grateful for every occasion that creates the illusion of the
opposite; a cruise, a suspense novel, a sexual experience, or a few hours in a
heightened state of consciousness,"
But
in a world thirsty for joy, I'm not sure if they have found it among those of
us who call ourselves Christians. A
certain judge in America once explained his choice of a career by saying:
"I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not
looked and acted so much like undertakers." Oh, boy. Wouldn't it be
great if churches could be known above all for their joy- I’m not talking about
superficial joy, but real joy. Wouldn’t
it be wonderful if people in your town knew that the real party could be found
in the life of the people of faith.
Song: Oh, happy day – Jesse Dixon
These
next two readings of the clues as to where true joy can be found.
Psalm
84:1-5;10-12
John
16:19-24
"I
bring you good news of great joy for all people," said the angel. “My joy will be in you,” said Jesus. It’s mentioned 326 times in the new
Testament, it's a fruit of the spirit of God in our lives, one writer said that
joy is the signal that we are spiritually alive and active. But what is it? What is joy? It can be expressed and felt in many ways. It can be loud, frolicy and exuberant, like
in the Psalms, it can be happy and content, it can be a feeling of well-being
that is generated by confidence in the blessing of God, to a deep quiet settled
joy that is more akin to peace than it is to happiness.
But
you know as well as I do that although joy can be brought on by seeing good
things happening, it goes deeper than that.
When Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always,” he was sitting in a damp,
stinking cell with chains around his ankles.
The circumstances weren’t great.
But he knew joy. The disciples
weren’t too happy about Jesus leaving them, but Jesus told them that their joy
would rest on something deeper. Jesus
promised to give joy which no one, not even any circumstance, could take away.
Joy
is an attitude towards life that comes from knowing a thing or two about the
way life really is. It’s a confidence
about your life, no matter what happens, that rests its feet on the love of
God. I don’t know how you are feeling
this morning, or whether you carry deep pain with you. I’m not saying you should ignore the reality
of your pain. But whatever our
circumstances, the Bible assures us of these facts, these reasons to be
joyful: God loves us, he forgives us,
he acts to save us, he has defeated our greatest enemy, death, and one day he
will wipe away all tears. The Spirit of
Jesus is with us, and will never leave us.
God is the air we breathe, the country we live in, our environment, our
good, and our true reality. With this
knowledge we are called to see beyond any particular event, judged good or bad,
to God who stands above all events and ultimately has control over all
events. That’s the root of our
joy.
The
Westminster catechism tells us that our chief end is to worship God and enjoy
him forever. Joy is one of the fruits
of the spirit, it is the motor which drives the engine. Can we step outside of ourselves, can we
focus on the reality of Jesus with us, can we be people of joy? Can our hearts sing for joy to God, can we
find our strength in him?
As a
third-century man was anticipating death, he penned these last words to a
friend: "It's a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered
in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret.
They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our
sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are
masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the
Christians--and I am one of them."
Song: the joy
of the Lord
Prayers:
God our father,
Give us joy in your world – in your creation, in the
beauty of the earth, the sea, the sky, the stars. And turn our joy to action, to the strength to fight for the
future of this planet. Lord, in your
mercy, hear our prayer.
Jesus the Son,
Give us joy in each other – in our family, in friends,
in those we find companionship with.
Give us joy too in the unattractive, the seemingly insignificant, the
oucast, and turn our joy to love for the poor.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Spirit of Joy,
Give us joy in the life you have given us, in all its
pain and triumph. Teach us to use our
days, our work and play, to your glory, and for the good of your people. Turn our joy to a determination to share
what we know of you. Lord, in your
mercy, hear our prayer.
God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
You created us in joy and for joy. Make your chosen people joyful. May we be known not just for our dignity,
but also our joy, not just for our tears of sadness but also for those of
laughter. We thank you and bless you
for the joy of the kingdom coming. In
the name of Jesus, Amen.
Song: Jessy
Dixon