Tellico Village Community Church Sermons

December 13, 1998

"The 'Other' Side of Christmas: Joy-Givers"

Isaiah 35,1-10

Joy to the world!

Today is the third Sunday in Advent, and I like to think of it as Joy Sunday. And this morning, I want to ask you to explore the idea of becoming a joy-giver. Joy-givers are among the most important, most helpful, most healing people in all of life. And there are never enough joy-givers because, as you know, the world is rife with folks whose lives offer us much less than joy.

I think I began to fully realize the extent of the problem one Sunday morning long ago. No sooner than I got out of the car in the church parking lot that beautiful Autumn day, than a couple ran up to me and brought me directly into winter. This was a couple whose great joy in life was to make everybody else sad. They regaled me that morning with tales of how this person had said this, and that person had done that. As we walked into the church building for worship, they filled me in on everything that was wrong with the world, the church, the people they knew, and so on and so on. Joy to the world!

Once inside the building, I took a couple of quick corners and escaped them. But just then, I ran into a woman. She was in such a dither. One of our more bizarre church members - a young man who lived in a group home (for obvious reasons) was going around the Fellowship Hall telling women that they ought to be subservient to men and, in fact, ought to bow down and kiss men's feet. She was really worked up into a lather over this, and I could understand. She said that, unless I did something about this, there was going to be hell to pay, and she was going to end up popping him in the noggin. Joy to the world!

She stormed away, and I managed to get out my office key and slip inside before anyone else could catch me. But as I closed the door, I noticed a piece of paper on the floor. It was a note from the fellow in our church who was sort of the resident prophet. His mission in life was to speak to people in Bible passages, and the passage he had for my edification that day was from the prophet Jeremiah. It spoke about how all the priests were corrupt and made unclean the people of God and how God was going to come and dismember them and throw them into the fire. Joy to the world!

Now, you know what I'm talking about. Your life - as well as mine - is chock full of folks who have little joy to contribute to the world. They spread darkness and gloom and seem to enjoy that they do.

But these are not God's people. God's people are called not to be doomsdayers, but joy-givers, and this morning, I wonder if you'll take a look at how we can become such people.

But first, let me tell you the story of a joy-giver who touched my life..

A woman by the name of Irene showed up one Sunday morning at our little Congregational church in Southeastern Massachusetts. It was my first parish, and it was such a small congregation that it was easy to spot a visitor. When I greeted her after the service, Irene told me that she had come to church out of a real urgent sense of need. Many storms were raging in her life, and she felt tossed to and fro, and something inside her kept telling Irene that Jesus was the only one who could anchor her life and bring her through. And Irene said that, during the service, she felt God's presence in a very powerful way, and felt as though the Lord himself had stepped into her life. And she teared up, and hugged me, and thanked me, and said she'd never forget me.

Well, frankly, I was flabbergasted. We were worshipping at that time in the musty basement of the church because the sanctuary was being painted. It was hardly a worship-ful setting. There was no organ - just some strained a cappella singing of hymns by the congregation. And if you've ever listened to a Congregationalist sing, you probably know there's not a lot there to move one to faith. To this day, I have no clue as to what it was that opened the door for Irene - except to say that I've learned over the years that the Holy Spirit moves where and when and as he will.

And the Spirit had moved in Irene's life, and for the first time, Irene knew that there is a world of difference between knowing about God, and KNOWING God as a real and personal power in your life. And how important that new faith became to Irene when, just a short time later, she suffered a serious heart attack.

For days, she lingered, unconscious, drifting back and forth - it seemed - between life and death. I would go into the intensive care unit and sit with her, and tell Irene about how we were all supporting her in prayer, about trusting in God, about what a beautiful gift she was to her family, and to me, and to God. I didn't know it then, but Irene later told me that she actually heard all those prayers, reminding me of what a pastor of mine had once told me about the importance of speaking to comatose people as though they can hear you. Because sometimes they do. I also did not know it then, but Irene believed she was in the presence of God during those days, and God told her it was not her time, but that she still had work to do.

Irene made a remarkable recovery, and threw herself into living as a disciple of Jesus. When someone needed help, Irene was there. When an appeal was made for a special mission cause, Irene was the first to give. When the doors were opened for Bible study class, Irene was standing there, just waiting to get in. Life to her was such a marvelous and mysterious gift! And she took great joy in sharing the gift with others.

And along with all the many ways Irene lived out her faith, she placed extraordinary effort into loving Sandy and me. She filled our lives with her joyous presence, our ears with joyous words. At just the right moment - in almost uncanny ways - a lovely note would show up in the mail telling us of some great joy she found in us. A gift would be waiting on the front steps just to let us know she loved us. Irene became very adept at touching the Singley's with little rainbows of joy that often showed up just when the storm clouds were darkest.

Well, years passed. Irene and her husband Arthur retired to Maine. Sandy and I moved to another church. But still, we kept in touch and she continued her extraordinary ministry of love to us. And then, one day, her son Rusty called. He was crying. "Mom died today," he wept. It was ten years to the day she'd suffered the heart attack.

Sandy and I were brokenhearted to hear the news, both for ourselves and for Irene's family, although we were glad for God, and glad for Irene finally being home. I wept for the joy of her life, and as the tears flowed from my eyes as freely as the rain that fell outside, I went out to the car to drive to church to start working on her funeral service. And as I backed out of the driveway that rainy afternoon, something wonderful happened. In the deep sadness of that moment, and in the midst of tears that just would not stop, the clouds suddenly parted, and streams of sunlight broke through, and a brilliant rainbow of many colors reached out from the clouds and stretched to the roof of our house. And it struck me in a powerful way that - in death as well as in life - old Irene was still doing her best, with God, to touch our lives with joy.

Would you become a joy-giver?

I believe there are three characteristics of such people.

First, they are folks who learn what joy is.

You know, there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is what happens when all is well. When you achieve some success, or reach some goal, or acquire some desire. You feel happy!

But joy is different. Joy is a gift God gives to those whose lives are out of sorts. It is not the product of good times, but rather a gift for hard times. It is the present assurance that you mean something to God, that God cares about you, and that no matter what you're facing right now, God will somehow get you through.

To understand this gift, and to give it to another person, is a tremendous act of love. Joy-givers understand what joy is.

Second, joy-givers see joy almost everywhere they look!

In telling you the story about Irene and the rainbow, I realize that I run the risk of offending those of you who think of yourselves as intellectuals. And I understand. I too am a person who is most comfortable living in the world of objective reality, rational thought, and intellectual comprehension. However, as a Christian, I am trying hard to overcome those handicaps. Now, I'm not saying that Christians should not be objective, rational and intellectual beings. In fact, it is important that we develop these qualities. What I am saying though, is that God is larger than our thoughts. And there's much about God that defies our being able to understand and quantify every detail. To know God, you not only need to use your head, but you also need to learn to use your heart.

For me, that's meant learning to look at something like the rainbow that touched our house on the day that Irene died, and seeing it not only for the physical reality it is, but for the spiritual significance that lies behind it.

Life is full of signs that we mean something to God, that God cares about us, and that God will somehow bring us through the times we are living. In our Scripture reading from Isaiah 35, the prophet tells us to sharpen our eyes to see these signs!

You see a flower growing in the desert! There's a sign! You see a stream flowing in a wasteland! There's a sign! You hear about a blind person seeing, or a deaf person hearing, or a lame person walking! These are all signs!

All around us are signs that God is here, come to save us, and bring us through the trials of life, and set us free from what oppresses us, and give us new life!

This morning, on the third Sunday in Advent, we lit the Candle of Joy. It's a pink candle. Made of wax. And I'd be willing to bet that there's probably some scientific type out here today who can exactly explain the process of combustion that brought the candle to flame. And that would be interesting.

But more important, I believe, is another question about this Candle of Joy.

What does it mean to you?

How does it happen to be that you are here, on this day, experiencing whatever it is that's going on in your life, when a candle is lit that promises joy? What is God saying to you in this candle?

And as you go out to live this week, I wonder if you'll keep your eyes peeled for other signs of joy. For all around - especially in the dry deserts of our lives - flowers blossom, streams run, candles burn, rainbows reach - to bring us joy!

Joy-givers understand what joy is, and they learn to spot joy in the course of life.

Finally, joy-givers become joy to others.

You are the body of Christ. You are his human presence in the world. And one of the most important things you'll ever do in the life of those around you is to give them the gift of joy.

Reminding them in word and deed that they mean something to God - that God cares about them - and that God will bring them through the challenges they face.

The Joy Candle burns before us. What is it saying to you?

To me, it says, Joy To The World!