The Season of God is; Hope, Peace, & Joy! Unless you are depressed, sick, hungry, alone, in the middle of a continuing argument with someone, addicted to something that is taking more and more if not all of your energy to feed and maintain (and we won’t begin to list all the stuff human beings can get addicted to, or we would be here until New Year’s Day), … Oy maybe, you are in an ongoing rebellion with the Lord Himself. Perhaps due to one or more of the items previously mention.
Actually, the Good News I have for you today, is that we can find joy even when we are in the midst of the challenges just sighted, if we are in a relationship with the one who created us. With Him, we can actually in time learn to leave all of that junk, it can be left at the curb if you really want to work at letting it go with God’s help.
Your Lord and His family stand ready to walk with anyone (with anyone, not for anyone). Because we and God really want people to get healthy, and accountability leads to personal growth and insight, which is a big part of the cure to an incredible life. And, that thought alone should bring great joy to many both in and outside this room this morning.
When we are ready to begin our Faithwalk sincerely with our Lord and His family, one of the first things we begin to work on is leaving all that junk that I mentioned earlier… behind. That thought is explicitly imbedded in the Psalmist prayer and praise from Psalm 30:10-12;
10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
Lord, be my help.”
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
God is truly capable of removing the whole concept of sackcloth and ashes (morning and depression), and opening our minds to the joy that is available to each of us. Accessible when we make our lives about our God and others, instead of our old ways that are entrenched in the ways of the world.
A world that brings depression, ailment, envy, selfishness, fear, and regret, because it is consumed with chasing itself, and never realizing real joy that comes from our Lord. Reason indeed to praise Him forever as we were created to do into eternity and beyond.
It is those sentiments of grace and love, and humanity overcoming with God all of that stuff that binds and drags. Yes, those ideas real joy, bring home for me the idea that our God has been reclaiming and saving humanity for a very long time. Our Bible is rife with examples. I’m thinking the Old Testament in particular this morning, and how it documents God’s word over and again about how He is going to fix the sad condition that a fallen people have inflicted on a fallen world.
We have an excellent example provided by God through His Prophet in today’s Call to Worship reading in, Isaiah 11:1-3, 6-9;
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
*Please let me interrupt Isaiah to say; This shoot of Jesse (King David’s father), so we are talking a decedent of David, aka… Jesus Christ, and will have the Spirit of the Lord upon Him, for Jesus is God, and so all is possible and foretold in our Devine family’s past and future! And thank you Lord that it is you who will judge and not one of us, which again should bring great joy indeed. Continuing now at verse 6;
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
**I’m sorry, I have to add; that in today’s fallen, selfish, anger driven world, …for the lamb to live on a daily basis with wolfs, a new lamb must be thrown inside the cage with the wolfs daily on a constant replacement basis. One day our God will redeem all, then;
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
May it happen today! For then the earth will put away the childish things of a fallen existence, and embrace the joy that occurs when all in God’s family live their faith for and with the Lord and His Family, the Body of Christ.
Only our God is capable of glorifying the creation into what it once was before the fall of humanity with Adam and Eve’s sin. Our sin! When glorification comes, all will be made perfect as it once was, but until that time we will get only glimpses of what the future might entail. Joy beyond joy, beginning with the Joy to be found in our Lord.
Just look around, and you will see that much of humanity offers the same old things at Christmas time; bling and tinsel of the season, with plenty of faux (or fake stuff) thrown in for good measure. It’s no wonder people get depressed during the Holidays, when these days of Christmas are all about fake stuff that the world offers instead of the real Joys of eternity, provided by a baby born in a stable from a family unable to purchase much tinsel and bling.
Just faith, hope, and love in undiminished proportions, never failing from a God that loves you and me enough, that He would send His only Son into a world to save it from itself.
You see, in God’s family, we are able to look beyond what the world sees, because the Lord provides us discernment which is an enhanced vision more of the way God views things. The further down that road we travel with and in our Lord, the better our discernment becomes. Our vision, hearing, and perception (discernment), are more in-tunned with the Lord’s agenda, and bringing great joy in the process.
Because discernment also instructs us how to be in more sync with God, and how to better serve our Lord. For an example of what I’m talking about, we have today’s Message Reading in which; Mary, Elizabeth, and the unborn John the Baptist, know their God and listen to His promptings and direction. Reading againfrom, Luke 1:39-45;
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
*Interrupting to say; Elizabeth is full of God’s Spirit, because there is a home in her heart for the Holy Spirit. Continuing now at verse 42;
42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
And the unborn John knows the joyful presence of the Lord and responds accordingly. This is what our family in God is like, due to our desire to be with and to serve our God through serving others and sharing the Good News of; The Season of God [which] is; Hope, Peace, & Joy!
Not to be left out, Mary herself will reflect on this joy and grace that is visiting them all, in the next 11 verses with a song to rival the Psalms of David. Reading from Luke 1:46-56 is,Mary’s Song;
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
*Please let me cut in to say; that Mary and Joseph are in the midst of a social dilemma. Joseph is about to be a dad without being a part of the process. Just think about the grace that is required of all the parties involved. Joseph, Mary, their families. If Joseph is looking for justice, Mary could be stoned to death, but Joseph is looking to serve God by serving others with mercy and grace in healthy ways.
In life when you are about looking for the good in things in healthy ways, God will lead you to solutions in healthy ways to edify Him before anyone else. Hence, Mary is being blessed by God first, and also by Joseph. She has much to be joyful for even in the midst of life’s challenges and obstacles. Continuing now at verse 49;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me-
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
**Interrupting once more to reflect; I think that original list I sighted at the beginning of this message; depression, being sick, hungry, alone, in the middle of a continuing argument with someone, addicted to something, or in rebellion with God, are sometimes the product of our egos and pride.
Don’t get me wrong, there are times for genuine sadness in life that is not anyone’s fault but just life. But we must remember that God wants us to get over the sadness of the moment, to have joy and real happiness. Just read scripture, I’m thinking today of Deuteronomy in particular, where God is telling Moses and the children of Israel repeatedly to rejoice. Be happy.
This takes work on our part, and even more for some of us during the Holidays. It is important to remember that you are not alone. If you are struggling for joy right now, go find someone else who is struggling even more than you and discover with them how to help them in healthy ways, that don’t include co-dependent junk. (Giving stuff that makes the problem worse, by enabling.)
Once you start to give of yourself to someone else in healthy ways, God will equip you for more strength in your own challenges. Mary continues her song at verse 52;
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
So often life, and life’s joys, are about taking a risk and reaching out to other people. Getting to know others instead of forcing them to know about you, and then caring for them in healthy ways by pouring yourself out into other people, and giving joy through service, kindness and love. These are not just empty words and platitudes, but actually following our Lord in His footsteps of joy.
Does that mean that everything is going to be happy and full of puppies, candy bars, and laughter? No. What it means is that when I stop focusing on me all the time, my wants, my dreams, and my hurts, maybe I’ll find a little more joy in the world by realizing just how much of a miracle life really is.
I know four families that have gone through losses of loved ones in the last couple of months. And make no mistake about it, the whole loss of someone you have known all of your life is devastating. And rightly so. But in each of those losses, in each of those families, members of those families have allowed God to bring blessings out of heartache and sorrow, by blessing others.
Like Mary singing the praises of God in the midst of life’s challenges, I have witnessed incredible kindness, deep concern and care, love in its genuine best, and people rallying to each other’s side to face whatever life was going to bring their way. I have witnessed joy at the darkest moments of a family’s sorrow, because each one knew that they were not, and were never going to be alone in their mourning and loss.
In this season of God, my hope and prayers for each of you are simple and sincere. May you all experience the pure kind of joy that comes from your relationships. A walk in and with our Lord, and His family, the Body of Christ awaits you. I hope you find that incredible joy that comes from pouring liberally of yourself into the lives of others, as you seek to serve God, by serving those around you.
If you already are experiencing joy in your life, sharing that joy will help your own to grow. And if you are empty of joy right now, find it in others, as you seek to make your little corner of your community brighter, healthier, and joyful. May God bless you my beloved in Christ, and may you find that; The Season of God is; Hope, Peace, & Joy!
Amen!