Remember to take these sermons with a grain of salt. I tend not to say the exact same thing as I write. So the two are distinct...
Streams of Joy
Introduction
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times...” Someone once said that in a book or something...
ok, ok, opening line of A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens. Nonetheless, a very poignant opening line and very, very wise... life is like that... best of times, worst of times... sorrow and sweetness all wrapped up into one.
Sometimes it is not easy to figure out which is which... take the story of Mary – unwed, pregnant, potentially alone, trying to convince others that it is a miracle, about to be moved off to another city, told by angels she will birth a saviour, welcomed with open arms by her cousin Elizabeth and even her betrothed, Joseph... the best of times, the worst of times.
How about the Israelites, forced into exile, city abandoned, finally granted freedom, returning to ruins, planting their own gardens... again, best of times, worst of times... and yet... and yet...
People who embrace the reality that life is both sadness and joy at the same time come to such a deep understanding that it can lead to song... nowadays it leads to the blues... but once upon a time, it led to songs of praise to God... and we are going to hear one of them in just a couple of minutes.
Deserts Rejoicing
“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you." Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert...”
You know what... I believe that!
I have been in shanty towns in the American South. I have lived in a refugee camp in Guatemala. I have been a soldier. I have worked with abused kids. I have lived on the street. I have seen drug addiction up close and personal. I have been abused. My life is NOT Pollyanna-ish in any sense...
But I am here; I do what I do, because I believe that Isaiah knew something I do not! For just a few moments today – I want you to believe too. Put aside the pain. Put aside the doubt. And LISTEN.... listen for what God has been saying...
There is a reason that our most popular hymns are things like Joyful, joyful we adore thee... or Amazing Grace how sweet the sound...
We know, deep down, that God is that gracious power behind the goodness of the universe. God is that feeling of love that overwhelms us in darker moments. God is the joy to be found in a blooming cactus.
Because you know – people like Isaiah, and the writer of the Psalms – they felt this so much that they wrote love songs to God. The idea of God’s grace brought them such joy that love overflowed in worship... So much so that they could even imagine the deserts rejoicing with them...
If I came up to you and said that even the trees seem to be singing today, everything is SO beautiful, I am just moved to tears... you might be thinking that I have fallen in love... Well, Isaiah has – he has fallen in love with God.
Baby Love
I have never been pregnant. I have however done two things that I think are the emotional equivalent. I have sat in an obstetricians’ office and listened to the heartbeat of a foetus that took 5 years to conceive; and I have watched my wife give birth to a daughter who was literally not alive, strangled on the umbilical cord – and then brought back to life by incredible nurses within three minutes.
In those moments I understood Mary – “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”
It was also one of those rare moments that the needs, desires and passion of the individual completely overlap the needs, desire, and passions of all people. Mary wanted a son, she loved her unborn son, and somehow, she knew, as did Elizabeth and Zechariah, as did others who encountered them, like the inn keeper, Herod, the Wise Men... that this was no ordinary baby.
This was the beginning of something truly different. This was a reason for joy.
Elizabeth says that John leapt in her womb because of joy the minute their bodies touched.
And more than that – Mary felt it in her body, in her spirit, in her soul... we are not talking about happiness here. We are talking about something that goes beyond the simple pleasures that make us happy – something that touches us so deeply and so passionately that we cannot help but sing.
And more than that – Mary felt it in her body, in her spirit, in her soul... we are not talking about happiness here. We are talking about something that goes beyond the simple pleasures that make us happy – something that touches us so deeply and so passionately that we cannot help but sing.
That sense of joy is not just rooted in here – it is rooted in her God – her understanding of how God has blessed her in this moment.
It is a sense of joy that is alien to us today. Perhaps we don’t let ourselves get so wrapped up in new life that it overwhelms us...
But there are times. Like when we celebrate Christmas for the first few times, or get our drivers licence and go for the first ride. Or fall in love for the first time, or hear a heartbeat for the first time... It is not that we don’t know such joy – it is that we stop ourselves from feeling it for all but the most exceptional of circumstances.
But we should...
Seeing with Different Eyes
So we are not always sure that things matter.
Does it matter that we come to church? Does it matter that we hold the door open for someone who does not say thank you? Does it matter whether we make a couple of little environmental choices? Does it matter whether we give a dollar to the person begging for change?
Go ahead and make your own list… we could all do it… does it matter whether I put on a clean shirt, or whether I visit a comatose relative in the hospital, does it matter whether I try to be nice to people that always irritate me…
“John says we should come and check if you are for real…” says one of John’s disciples to Jesus. Behind that question I hear another… the world does not seem to be getting any better, so does any of this stuff matter?
I mean come on, the rich are still rich, the poor are still poor, the government is still corrupt, the rabbis don’t listen…
And Jesus says this: “look closer.”
Thousands of turkeys collected. Hundreds of thousands of meals served at the Karing Kitchen, Millions raised for Pakistan and Haiti, doctors volunteering to treat cholera, wallets returned, doors held open, smiles at strangers, seats given up at the bus, volunteer visitors at the hospital…
What do you see when you look around?
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