Broadway Christian Church · Columbia, Missouri

Morning Worship · December 14, 2008

Third Sunday of Advent

Prayer of the Day

Loving God, we thank you for the joy you have sent into the world. Come among us and fill us with an abundance of your glory as we share joy with others. We know you came down at Christmas, because you loved us enough to bring us joy. Amen.

Scripture

John 1:6-8,19-28

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not. “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said,

“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,

‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’”

as the prophet Isaiah said.

Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan were John was baptizing.

Message

The Joy of Christmas

Larry Gallamore

I was really astonished when I discovered that the Hebrew language, which is known for having few words, has more words for “joy” than any other language.  In the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) there are 13 Hebrew roots found in 27 different words used primarily for some aspect of joy.

However, I’m not surprised that God wants joy for all of God’s children.   God knows that happy, committed people get more out of life, make better friends, better parents, and better citizens.  And beyond all this, I’m sure God knows happiness is contagious.  That’s why joy came down at Christmas.

The joy of Christmas is everywhere.  People everywhere are rejoicing.  We’re filled with joy.  When you have joy in your mind, you feel joy in your heart, and you spread that joy to others.  

There is a story told about a man from Louisville, Kentucky, who had to travel to St. Louis on business.  This was years ago when Christians still kept Sunday as a very special day.  For this man, “Keeping the Sabbath” meant not riding the trains on Sunday. Thus, after he finished his business late Saturday night, he had to stay in St. Louis until the following Monday morning.  On Sunday morning, he left the hotel looking for a place to worship.  The streets were quite deserted, but finally he saw a policeman and asked him for directions to the nearest Protestant church.  The stranger thanked the policeman for the information and was about walk off when he turned and asked the policeman, “Why have you recommended that particular church?  There must be several churches nearby that you could have recommended.”  

The policeman smiled and replied, “I’m not a church man myself, but the people who come out of that church are the happiest-looking church people in St. Louis.  I thought that would be the kind of church you would like to attend.”

The average person on the street is looking for happiness.  People are looking for someone to make a difference in their lives.  People love to be around joyous people.  We are drawn toward people who elicit comfortable, happy feelings, and we avoid those who bring out feelings of anxiety and anger in us.  We love those who bring light into our world, and we tend to shy away from those who bring darkness.

As we search our Scripture lesson for today, notice John the Baptist was sent into the world to testify to the Light.  He was to affirm the Light, to declare the Light, to proclaim the Light so that all might believe, so that everyone might have the chance of being enlightened.  As soon as John saw the Light, he could not contain himself.  He had to share.  Nothing could have stopped John from sharing the “good news.”  He couldn’t wait to share.

You cannot do anything more useful for humanity and for yourself, too, than to share good news.  To use a phrase from Shakespeare, “When you share, with whom you share and you are blessed in turn.”

When you help others you help yourself.  Do you believe that statement?  It’s true.  Studies show it is true. I was reading an article published in one of America’s larger newspapers revealing a study of elderly people who reached out and helped others.  They lived longer and happier lives than those who dwelt only on themselves.  Somehow, endorphins are released when people give of themselves.  Psychologists who conducted the study called it “the helper’s high.”

Helping others is a way of overcoming the depression and despair in your own life.  Let me tell you how this works.  If you find yourself in the dungeon of despair with no joy, no peace, and no happiness, let me tell you how you can conquer your problem.

First of all, you need to know you are not alone.  People of all ages have had to deal with similar problems.  Abraham Lincoln once told a friend, “I am the most miserable man living.  If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human race, there would not be one joyous person on the face of this planet.”

Have you ever had such a feeling?  Did you feel you couldn’t help it? It was just how you feel.  According to the most recent medical journals in 2008, one in 20 suffers from this kind of depression, severe enough to require medical treatment.  Is there anything we can do about it?  I believe there is.  The first step, of course, is to get proper medical assistance.  Then, we must do our part.  When we spend an increasing amount of time thinking about how bad things are, we can grow increasingly depressed.  But if we spend a great deal of time trying to help another, we become increasingly happier ourselves.  It’s a sure-fire cure for the blues.  You start getting that “helper’s high.”  Here’s how it works.  By an act of your will, intentionally find a person who needs help.  Focus on helping that person, even though you don’t feel like it.  As you become increasingly focused on another, you’ll become less focused on your own problems.

This is how Abe Lincoln overcame his depression.  Many others have done the same.  We have to change our thinking.  Listen carefully.  Most people believe they do what they do because of how they feel.  In reality, the opposite is true.  They feel what they feel because of what they do.

When you bring joy to people around you, joy will flow into your own life.  When you start bringing joy to those around you, don’t be surprised when people ask, “Who are you?”  Notice what happens in our Scripture text.  The minute the priests and Levites realized what John the Baptist was doing, they asked, “Who are you?  Are you Elijah?  Are you a prophet?  Are you sure you are not the Messiah?”

When you look the world in the eye and tell about the “good news” of Jesus, folks are going to say, “We’ve never heard anything like this before.”  The reason they’re saying this is you’ve just given them a new reality.  You’ve given them a reason to live joyously.  You’ve made the impossible possible.  You’ve given them a way to get their minds off themselves and on God.  You are making a difference in their lives like John the Baptist.

We’re all born to make a difference.  We’re born to accomplish certain things for God and others.  We’re born to live joyous, happy lives.

Most of us are saddened when we see someone wasting his or her life.  Do you know there are people who live long lives and don’t accomplish one solitary thing?  Every time I read the verses in the Bible about Methuselah, I am saddened.  His biography consists of two lines: “Methuselah, son of Enoch, oldest man in history, died at age 969.”  That’s all.  I’m tempted to say, “So what?  Didn’t he accomplish one solitary thing worth mentioning in all his 969 years?”  

Now, contrast his life to Jesus, only 33 years, but what a life!  He accomplished more than any other person who has ever lived.  His secret?  He was obedient to God every minute, of every hour, of every day, of every year of his entire life.  Jesus brought joy.  

When people encountered Jesus, they never knew what was going to happen.  We read in the book of Acts, when the church encountered the Holy Spirit, it fell on the apostles, and they began to speak in different languages.  No one understood them.  In fact, the word on the street was that they were all drunk (Acts 2).  The street has never understood God’s Spirit.  The truth is they were so full of joy; they were rejoicing.

You may recall that Jesus said to his disciples, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).

To know that Jesus is coming makes one joyful.  While it is true the world is filled with problems, and in our everyday existence we encounter problems, we must never forget that joy is ours for the taking.  We know God is all-powerful, God is good, so life is also good.  Therefore, we meet the world with a smile.  If you go about the world with a face like an “east wind,” with gloom and doom on your face, what can you possibly expect to attract from the world?

When I say a smile, I mean a real one, not an artificial or fake one.  An artificial smile is the saddest sight on earth.  A few years back when our youngest son was a teenager, he was with me, and we met a man I knew.  After the meeting, as we returned home our son said, “Dad, that man had a fake smile.”  The man had a fixed smile that looked artificial.  He didn’t know his feelings were showing.  Only a few weeks later, the same man was in my office talking to me about some personal problems he was having.

A real smile is one filled with joy.  It is the smile of a happy face.  I read, a few days ago, that an actor in Hollywood was told to smile in rehearsal.  The director of the play said, “Put a smile on your face.  Register joy and hold it.  Keep it up until it becomes spontaneous.”

People around you are looking for a smile from you.  They want to see Jesus in you.  Put a smile on your face and start to work to make someone’s day a little more pleasant.  Plan to make someone’s life a little happier and, in turn, you will have a happier life.

I was delighted to read in People magazine a few years back of a man who bought a nursing home.  He renovated it and combined it with a pre-school.  Now, every child is paired with a “grandparent” and there is even a petting zoo on the premises so the elderly can still enjoy the companionship of furry friends.

The owner said, “I looked around at nursing homes and realized their goal was simply to ease pain.  But that isn’t enough.  Life means there is the presence of joy, and I intend to bring it to the people in nursing homes.”

I like this story, because this man brought joy to many nursing home patients.  But he also showed us a new way of doing things.  Like Jesus, he looked at the world through new eyes.

One of the most amazing gifts that Jesus brings is the gift of seeing through new eyes.  He brings us a new perspective.  His perspective of the world was astonishing.  He said, “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you can move this mountain.  If you believe in me and ask in my name, nothing shall be impossible for you.”  

I like the way Jesus thinks.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to come out of this Christmas season thinking like Jesus, feeling like Jesus, and believing like Jesus?  As Christians, we can help Jesus change the world.

So be it. Amen.

Benediction

Gracious and loving God, give us the peace to pause and reflect on your presence in our lives. We give thanks for your steadfast love and faithfulness. Remind us that you are the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end. All that we are and all that we have yet to be may only be done through you. Amen.