[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 23rd of December, 2018 at Pilgrim Reformed Church. This is the fourth Sunday in Advent, with the theme of "Joy". Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Today is the 4th and last Sunday in Advent, the day when we are filled with joy as we anxiously await the coming of our Lord Jesus. On Christmas day, God’s Light came down from heaven to earth. And some sweet day, Jesus will return to conquer evil and bring everlasting joy.
But on that night long ago when Jesus was born into the world, we didn’t know or understand what was happening. So God sent a messenger to get the word out that a Savior was born. Please listen and follow along to the Apostle Luke’s Gospel account of that joyful night, from chapter 2, verses 8 through 14, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
But on that night long ago when Jesus was born into the world, we didn’t know or understand what was happening. So God sent a messenger to get the word out that a Savior was born. Please listen and follow along to the Apostle Luke’s Gospel account of that joyful night, from chapter 2, verses 8 through 14, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
--Luke 2:8-14 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, You showed mercy and compassion upon Your sinful people by sending Your only Son into this world to offer us salvation. Father, How could You love us so much, we who are so undeserving of Your love? Father, may we be filled with joy to the point of bursting just thinking of what You have done for us! Open our hearts that we might hear Your voice, Your word, Your message, and be joyful. This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son Jesus. Amen.
C.S. Lewis wrote: "Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
George Bernard Shaw might have had Lewis' words in mind when he said: "This is the true joy in life: being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, and being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."
If we believe what we see on TV, the only hope we ever have for true happiness and joy is if we buy the newest car, the biggest house, the finest jewelry. We can only be fulfilled if we eat the best burger, the biggest pizza, visit the busiest steakhouse. According to the world, only the very best things can bring us joy.
Lewis and Shaw tell us otherwise. Without saying it in so many words, both authors acknowledge that true joy can only come from surrendering ourselves to God, enjoying what He provides, and serving His purposes. Joy that lasts, that stands the test of time, that cannot be taken away or diminished, comes from the Creator, not the created.
Our dictionary defines “joy” as the emotion of great delight or happiness, keen pleasure, the source or cause of keen pleasure or delight, or the expression or display of glad feeling. So we can see there’s not only the aspect of feeling joy, but also of displaying that joy. But do we even know how to be joyful, do we know how to express our joy? We of the Reformed tradition tend to be rather staid in our worship. Coaxing an “Amen” out of a German Reformed congregation can be a tad difficult sometimes.
The great prophet Isaiah knew how to express joy, and he encouraged the children of Israel to show their joy. Listen to what Isaiah wrote in chapter 49 verse 13 of his book of prophecy…
Be joyful! Break out in singing! Why? Because our Lord has given us comfort and has shown us mercy by sending His own Son to us.
Psalm 96 is one of those that we’re not completely sure who wrote it, although it might well have been the work of King David. No matter the author, the psalmist agrees with Isaiah in Psalm 96, verses 1 through 3, when he tells us…
Not only are we to sing to the Lord, but to sing a new song! Why a new song? I can think of any number of reasons. One is that we should be creative. We should take the time to come up with something new and wonderful that shouts our joy to the world.
Another is that when we do or say or even sing the same thing over and over, we start to take it for granted. It becomes too familiar and we don’t really listen to what we’re saying anymore. We stop paying attention to what we’re doing. If it’s something new, it grabs our attention and holds onto us, and to those who witness it. And then, when we declare God’s glory, when we proclaim the good news of His salvation, people just might stop and listen.
I’m sure you remember the parable Jesus told of three servants who were each entrusted with a sum of money by their master. It’s in chapter 25 of the Apostle Matthew’s Gospel account. Two of the servants invest the money and return a profit on what they were entrusted with. Their lord told them, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your lord.” If we remain good and faithful servants to our Lord Jesus, we will indeed someday enter into His joy, a joy that will far exceed anything we can imagine. We will know greater happiness and keener delight (as the dictionary puts it) beyond what words could describe.
The angel brought us the wonderful message of good tidings of great joy! Be joyful, sing to the Lord a new song! For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given! Be filled with joy in the Lord Jesus, Son of God!
We light the candles at Advent to show that our hope is in our coming salvation, which causes us to show love to others, which brings us peace that leads to joy in the coming Christ. Let’s show others that our hope is not unfounded by the love we share, the peace we enjoy, the great joy we feel, all because of the Good News of salvation through Jesus our Lord. For Christ is coming. In the blessed name of Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You sent Your only Son into this world to offer us forgiveness and salvation. Thank You, Father, for such a wonderful gift, a gift greater than any we could ever imagine, a gift we don’t deserve. Forgive us, please God, when we fail to express the depth of our joy, when we don’t pass that joy along to others. Forgive us when the busyness of the season pushes our joy out of our hearts. Please rekindle the fire of joy within us so we can celebrate what truly matters the most.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness for our disobedience…
Lord Jesus, You came to us as one of us. You came as a tiny baby, and grew into a man. You came as God’s only begotten Son so that we might be sons and daughters of God. Thank You, Jesus, for coming, for living, for dying and then rising from the grave, just so we could be saved from our own sin. Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to follow Your commands, especially when we find it so hard to love all others. Please help us to honestly feel, express, and share the joy You brought into this world.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and Master. Amen.
C.S. Lewis wrote: "Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
George Bernard Shaw might have had Lewis' words in mind when he said: "This is the true joy in life: being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, and being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."
If we believe what we see on TV, the only hope we ever have for true happiness and joy is if we buy the newest car, the biggest house, the finest jewelry. We can only be fulfilled if we eat the best burger, the biggest pizza, visit the busiest steakhouse. According to the world, only the very best things can bring us joy.
Lewis and Shaw tell us otherwise. Without saying it in so many words, both authors acknowledge that true joy can only come from surrendering ourselves to God, enjoying what He provides, and serving His purposes. Joy that lasts, that stands the test of time, that cannot be taken away or diminished, comes from the Creator, not the created.
Our dictionary defines “joy” as the emotion of great delight or happiness, keen pleasure, the source or cause of keen pleasure or delight, or the expression or display of glad feeling. So we can see there’s not only the aspect of feeling joy, but also of displaying that joy. But do we even know how to be joyful, do we know how to express our joy? We of the Reformed tradition tend to be rather staid in our worship. Coaxing an “Amen” out of a German Reformed congregation can be a tad difficult sometimes.
The great prophet Isaiah knew how to express joy, and he encouraged the children of Israel to show their joy. Listen to what Isaiah wrote in chapter 49 verse 13 of his book of prophecy…
13 Sing, O heavens!--Isaiah 49:13 (NKJV)
Be joyful, O earth!
And break out in singing, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people,
And will have mercy on His afflicted.
Psalm 96 is one of those that we’re not completely sure who wrote it, although it might well have been the work of King David. No matter the author, the psalmist agrees with Isaiah in Psalm 96, verses 1 through 3, when he tells us…
1 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!--Psalm 96:1-3 (NKJV)
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
Not only are we to sing to the Lord, but to sing a new song! Why a new song? I can think of any number of reasons. One is that we should be creative. We should take the time to come up with something new and wonderful that shouts our joy to the world.
Another is that when we do or say or even sing the same thing over and over, we start to take it for granted. It becomes too familiar and we don’t really listen to what we’re saying anymore. We stop paying attention to what we’re doing. If it’s something new, it grabs our attention and holds onto us, and to those who witness it. And then, when we declare God’s glory, when we proclaim the good news of His salvation, people just might stop and listen.
I’m sure you remember the parable Jesus told of three servants who were each entrusted with a sum of money by their master. It’s in chapter 25 of the Apostle Matthew’s Gospel account. Two of the servants invest the money and return a profit on what they were entrusted with. Their lord told them, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your lord.” If we remain good and faithful servants to our Lord Jesus, we will indeed someday enter into His joy, a joy that will far exceed anything we can imagine. We will know greater happiness and keener delight (as the dictionary puts it) beyond what words could describe.
The angel brought us the wonderful message of good tidings of great joy! Be joyful, sing to the Lord a new song! For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given! Be filled with joy in the Lord Jesus, Son of God!
We light the candles at Advent to show that our hope is in our coming salvation, which causes us to show love to others, which brings us peace that leads to joy in the coming Christ. Let’s show others that our hope is not unfounded by the love we share, the peace we enjoy, the great joy we feel, all because of the Good News of salvation through Jesus our Lord. For Christ is coming. In the blessed name of Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You sent Your only Son into this world to offer us forgiveness and salvation. Thank You, Father, for such a wonderful gift, a gift greater than any we could ever imagine, a gift we don’t deserve. Forgive us, please God, when we fail to express the depth of our joy, when we don’t pass that joy along to others. Forgive us when the busyness of the season pushes our joy out of our hearts. Please rekindle the fire of joy within us so we can celebrate what truly matters the most.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness for our disobedience…
Lord Jesus, You came to us as one of us. You came as a tiny baby, and grew into a man. You came as God’s only begotten Son so that we might be sons and daughters of God. Thank You, Jesus, for coming, for living, for dying and then rising from the grave, just so we could be saved from our own sin. Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to follow Your commands, especially when we find it so hard to love all others. Please help us to honestly feel, express, and share the joy You brought into this world.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and Master. Amen.
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