I. When my father, Rev. Charles Wesley Bradford died, my mother gave me all my father’s old sermon notes and some manuscripts. Among these files were, I believe, also some things that either belonged to my grandfather Rev. Ernest Bradford or to my mother’s father Dr. Rev. Dewey Whitwell. AMong these notes one illustarition began "A college chaplin was crossing the campus of his college, when he was joined by a young woman, who was a member of the college faculty. As they walked together their conversation turned to the appraisal of the college which they served.
They agreed it was a wonderful place: the location; the equipment; the high standards; the select student body; the fine faculty - all these were mentioned. Just before they parted the young woman said, "Yes we have everything to be thankful for, everything but joy."
Whoever authored that original sermon, goes on to state "A commentator traveled widely throughout America and returned with the observation, "America is lacking in joy". This sermon, judging by the manuscript was written in the late 50’s or early 60’s comments seriously about the "lack of joy" in America. And yet some 40 years later, perhaps we might find the same "national shortage". "My own observations is not that there is an absence of joy in American life, but a serious shortage". With Thanksgiving approaching in about two weeks, perhaps we should examine our own "joyful" response to life, and to God! For even in difficult times we have much to be thankful for in this world of ours.
Putting this in our day, at a more recent conference, (1) "...at a Presbyterian church in Omaha. People were given helium filled balloons and told to release them at some point in the service when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. Since they were Presbyterians, they weren’t free to say "Hallelujah, Praise the Lord." All through the service balloons ascended, but when it was over 1/3 of the balloons were unreleased..." What a sad day, when 1/3 of the people at Church are not free enough to express joy; to express delight; or happiness caused by something good or satisfying.
Sometimes we don’t express joy, because rather than seeking spiritual fulfillment, we have tried in its place other things: Consider the reflective comments of these men: (2) "Men have pursued joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it while others have not. Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy cannot be found:
- Not in Unbelief -- Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: "I wish I had never been born."
- Not in Pleasure -- Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did. He wrote: "The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone."
- Not in Money -- Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying, he said: "I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth."
- Not in Position and Fame -- Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: "Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret."
- Not in Military Glory -- Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said, "There are no more worlds to conquer."
And yet the Scripture boldly proclaims "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice" (Phil 4:4). Not just to be joyful, but to express the feeling of great joy. To resound with a joyous celebration for the Lord! (3) Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years. At one point in his life, Justice Holmes explained his choice of a career by saying: "I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers." So where is the joy? Where is the "always" rejoicing in the Lord? Where is the "always" giving praise with joy in our hearts for the great things He has done?
II. Let’s look then at what it means to have joy, looking closer at the "nature" of joy:
1) It is not the same as pleasure: Many woman may know this better than men, because of having experianced childbirth. Joy may accompany pain. It is awesome and almost uncomprehensible (especially for us men) that a woman could experiance such pain of childbirth, yet be filled with the joy of giving birth to a new life. It is certainly not pleasure, but it is joy. In fact, we may find that the most important time, but often the most difficult, is for us to "rejoice" in the Lord when in the midst of pain, tribulation, or difficult times. I am often reminded of one of my most favorite Scripture verses in James 1:2-3 "My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance..." Another translation reads "Count it all joy when you fall into difficult times...".
(4) "Author Leo Buscaglia tells this story about his mother and their "misery dinner." It was the night after his father came home and said it looked as if he would have to go into bankruptcy because his partner had absconded with their firm’s funds. His mother went out and sold some jewelry to buy food for a sumptuous feast. Other members of the family scolded her for it. But she told them that "the time for joy is now, when we need it most, not next week." Her courageous act rallied the family."
Where is your joy even when there is no pleasure? Where is your joy even in the midst of pain or difficult times? "Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I saw Rejoice!"
2) Secondly, joy may be experianced through pleasure, though not reliant upon pleasure! We are not ascetics! O’ we may at times may fast, or as during Lent deny ourselves certain things, but we are not people who practice extreme self denial for religious purposes. Joy can come through pleasurable things. A vacation to the Grand Canyon; A walk along the beach with a spouse; the beauty of a sunrise or sunset; a hobby or sport, and when we experiance joy we must give thanks unto God. In the 8th Chapter of Nehemiah he "summons the people to obey the Law" and the prophet says this: "Go your way, eat the fat and drink your sweet wineand send portions to them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is youyr strength." (Neh 8:10) "Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I saw Rejoice!"
When is the last time you experianced joy through something pleasurable and quickly rejoiced to the Lord?
3) Thirdly, joy is the fulfillment of who we really are. We are a people of joy! A people of praise! A people of thanksgiving! Joy then is a fulfillment of our whole self, our spiritual self, and our real self. In Ecclesiastes the 5th Chapter the ancient Hebrew writer speaks of joy: "This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is our lot. Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enabvles to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil -- this is the gift of God. For they will scarecely broiod over the days of their lives, because God keeps them occupied with the joy of their hearts." (Eccl. 5:18-20). And so joy is who we are! "Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I saw Rejoice!"
But when is the last time you let joy be the very essence of your life? Or have you let grumbling and complaining be the virtue by which you live?
4) Fourthly, I believe we have joy because God is God, and He has given us His Son, to be our Savior! "Joy to the world, the Lord has come!" The angels brought "good tidings of great joy!" (Luke 2:10) and Jesus Himself proclaimed "I have said these things to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11). This word that Jesus used "chara" ("khar-ah’") (Strong’s #5479) means "cheerfulness", "delightfulness", "gladness" "with exceedingly great joy". "Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I saw Rejoice!"
And yet sometimes I wonder just where is our joy? Where then is real joy found? -- the answer is simple, in Christ alone.
III. We must claim our joy! Experiance it through wonders. The wonder of the harvest. The wonder of nature. We must experiance joy evedn in the trivial matters of life, and begin to praise God with every breath that we have. We must experiance joy in the ritual of our lives. Church ritual; home ritual; the little rituals which are small, yet so big. Joy in times when we kneel in prayer. Joy when we bend down to kiss a child on the cheek. Joy in Birthday’s. Not just thanksgiving rituals one day a year, but the ritual of giving thanks each and everyday! We must experiance joy in service. Do something for others! There is supreme joy in giving something to others especially in giving to God our Father Almighty.
"To make up for a national shortage of joy in our land we need thousands of joy centers" that begin right in each of us. "How can we do it? Where can we start you ask? We must start withourselves", and we must begin to give thanks! "Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I saw Rejoice!" And do not let anything take your joy away!
As the songs says "This joy that I have, the world didn’t give it to me. O’ This joy that I have, the world didn’t give it to me. This joy that I have, the world didn’t give it to me. The world didn’t give it, and the world can’t take it away!"
(1) Bruce Larson, Luke, p. 43., www.sermonillustraitions.com "joy"
(2) The Bible Friend, Turning Point, May, 1993, www.sermonillustraitions.com "joy"
(3) Today In The Word, June, 1988, p. 13, www.sermonillustraitions.com "joy"
(4) Christopher News Notes, August, 1993, www.sermonillustraitions.com "joy"
