Leap for Joy!

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 22nd of December, 2024, the 4th Sunday of Advent.  Today's service also included the ordination of a Deacon and the installation of officers for the coming term.  A recording of our service should be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.]

Family, today as we enter the fourth and final week of Advent, may our hearts be filled with joy in anticipation of the coming of our Savior, born to us as a little baby.  In the first week, we embraced the hope that God gave the world when He sent His Son Jesus to redeem us of our sin by the sacrifice of the Spotless Lamb.  In the second week, we took comfort in the unconditional, undeserved love of God and the sacrificial love of Jesus, all for us – we who are all too often so unlovable.  And last week we looked into just what the angel meant when he proclaimed, “And of earth peace, goodwill toward men”.  Today we take joy in knowing the birth of our Christ, our Savior, will happen soon.

You may have noticed by now that I read from the Apostle Luke’s Gospel account a lot during the Christmas season, and maybe you wondered why.  Well, part of the reason is because Luke gives more emphasis to the human side of Jesus, the fully man side of His duality.  Jesus, while God, was born to us as a man, as a small, vulnerable baby, just like us.  He came to us as a man, the Son of Man, at Christmas.  And Luke just tells the Christmas story so beautifully.  Part of that story is how it all began.

In our scripture reading this morning, Luke relates the beginning to us, telling us about that little baby’s mother and Father.  Please listen and follow along as I read verses 26 through 45 of the 1st chapter of the Apostle Luke’s Gospel account, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”

38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

--Luke 1:26-45 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, You sent Your Christ Jesus into the world to offer salvation to all of mankind if we would only truly believe in Him, and in believing, to follow Him.  And You sent Him not as some mighty king or super star celebrity, whose coming would be announced far and wide and with great fanfare.  You sent Him in the most humble manor, as a tiny, vulnerable baby, whose birth was proclaimed only to a lowly group of shepherds watching their flock nearby.  Thank You, Father, for loving the world so much that You would send Your only begotten Son to redeem us of our sin and offer us salvation.  May the joy that Mary and Elizabeth felt fill our hearts as we await Your Son’s birth in just a few days.  Sadly though, Father, too often the hustle and bustle and commercialism of the season overfill us with stress and anxiety.  For so many, our emotional hurts rob us of our joy.  Please forgive us these times, Father.  Help us remember the true reason for the season.  Help us 

spread the news of our Savior’s birth and the joy it brings.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, our worship, and our service.  And please keep us healthy and safe through these trying time.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

George Bernard Shaw once observed that,  “This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one: the 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.”

We see it all the time, especially in social media: people complaining about all they don't have, rather than being grateful for what they do have.  I think these fit the description of “feverish selfish little” clods, “complaining that the world will not devote itself to making” them happy.

There have been many studies on happiness that concluded with the results that, overall, true Christians are the happiest, most content people of our society.  And I think that is primarily because of two things.  First is our hope in Jesus, our anticipation of His return, His promise of a much better eternal future.  And then there’s the part Mr. Shaw spoke of: our propensity toward giving, giving of ourselves in service to God.  Let’s partake of that true joy in this life that comes from being all used up for this greatest of purposes.

When the angel Gabriel first appeared to Mary, he greeted her with the word, “Rejoice”.  Rejoice, be joyful, be filled with joy and let it sing out from you.  As Gabriel continued and told her what is to come, doubts crept in and she began to fear what all of this truly meant.  But she accepted what the Lord had planned for her.

Now we know there was a bit of confusion and consternation over her becoming pregnant while betrothed, and not by her intended husband Joseph.  So she went to visit her elderly relatives, Zacarias and Elizabeth.  As it turned out, Elizabeth – while well past normal child-bearing years – was also pregnant, and also according to God’s plan.  When Mary came into the house, the baby within Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice, and the babe she herself carried.  Elizabeth’s little one would grow to be John the Baptist, who would prepare the way for Jesus.

As an adult, Jesus also spoke of joy.  One time in particular I’d like to mention came during what we often call Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, not to be confused with the Apostle Matthew’s recording of the Sermon on the Mount.

There are many similarities between the two accounts, but Matthew recalls Jesus speaking to more spiritual matters while in Luke’s reporting, Jesus addresses more practical concerns.  And both begin with Jesus blessing certain groups.  Please listen to the Apostle Luke’s version of Jesus’ Beatitudes as I read verses 20 through 23 of chapter 6 of Luke’s Gospel account…

20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you poor,

For yours is the kingdom of God.

21 Blessed are you who hunger now,

For you shall be filled.

Blessed are you who weep now,

For you shall laugh.

22 Blessed are you when men hate you,

And when they exclude you,

And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,

For the Son of Man’s sake.

23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!

For indeed your reward is great in heaven,

For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.”

--Luke 6:20-23 (NKJV)

We are to leap for joy when we’re hated and reviled and persecuted because of our belief in Jesus.  We should be joyful, because our belief will lead to a great reward in heaven.

Now that is hard to do.  It’s hard to be joyful when someone is actively hating us, talking bad about us, wishing us harm.  But the reason we should be joyful is because of why they are hating us and all that bad stuff.  They hate us because we believe in Jesus and the promise He made us!  And that promise is everlasting life in heaven, where our reward awaits us.

So yes, be joyful!  Be joyful when nothing seems to be going your way.  Be joyful when you hurt so much you just want to crawl in bed, pull the covers over your head, and wish that the world would go away.  Be joyful, for great is our reward in heaven.

Today we lit the candle of joy.  May our love for Jesus spark the flame of joy within our hearts, and may that flame spread as wildfire among everyone we touch.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the Son of God, whose birth brings joy to the world.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for sending Your own Son to earth as one of us.  Fully God, yet fully human, He came to set us free from our bonds to sin.  He came that we might know Him and believe, for some have trouble believing what they can’t see.  Thank You for loving us this much, even when we were so disobedient and unlovable.  Thank You for offering us salvation through Your Christ, Your Son, Jesus.  Father, we admit that too often our faith weakens.  Too often the troubles of this world rob us of our joy, replacing it with grief and anger.  Forgive us those times, please Father.  Please rekindle the flames of joy in our hearts that we first felt when we gave ourselves to Jesus.  And then help us to share that joy by giving of our love freely, unconditionally, sacrificially, just as Jesus gave of Himself for us.  And please help us share our Lord Jesus with others so that they too may be saved by Your mercy and His sacrifice.  

Father, please shield us from Satan as he attacks our faith, trying to make us his own.  Help us be better servants, glorifying You in all we do so that the world can see You in us, through our deeds, in how we live.  And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what comes our way.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You didn’t necessarily come to bring joy to the world, but we believers are definitely filled with joy when we think of Your coming, of Your birth as a little baby, and of Your return when You will set things right.  You love us, and gave Yourself for us.  And because of Your love, we are not condemned, but are redeemed.  Thank You, Jesus, for washing us clean of our sin.  Thank You for showing us what love looks like.   Please help us, dear Lord - help us be more like You.  Help us love all others, even those who hate us and wish us harm.  Help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.  Give us the words to say, show us the deeds to do to lead the lost to You.  Make sharing love and joy be the highest priority in our lives.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.