Joy Reimagined

Joy Reimagined Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Today is the third Sunday of Advent-a time when we celebrate the incarnation-when God became man through Jesus, and our hope became reality. Christmas is drawing closer, and the sights, sounds, and smells of the holiday are everywhere. Houses and buildings sparkle with brilliant lights. People are busy buying gifts and writing letters for loved ones far away. Christmas carols bring colour and warmth to each moment and the scent of pine and mulled wine brings to mind cherished moments. As the season arrives, we find that many people go out of their way to be nice to each other. It's as if Christmas brings out the best in us. And yet, for some of us, Christmas is extremely hard. PAUSE For some of us, Christmas brings no joy and warmth, only pain and cold. We may look in the mirror in shame and sadness because we can't afford to give gifts to those we love. We may look around the living room on Christmas Eve to find loved ones missing. We may feel a deep emptiness realizing that we will never share Christmas with that person ever again. We may not have someone to embrace in a loving relationship, and this season makes us feel completely alone. Or maybe we feel excluded because we don't understand or celebrate Christmas? What does the birth of Jesus mean for those of us who feel far from joy? What does the birth of Jesus mean to you? Over the last year, there have certainly been moments where I experienced God's blessing and joy in my life. But, honestly, I've found myself struggling to feel God's joy through the challenges I've faced. When I chose to speak on the topic of JOY, I was hoping that God would meet me as he once met a father who spoke: "I do believe; but help me overcome my unbelief!". So I continued to move one step at a time and prayed that God would allow me to experience his Joy. As the days went by, I didn't hear an audible voice from heaven and the biggest storm in my life didn't give way to blue skies. But when I brought my pain to God in tears, I knew in my heart that He was there and He was crying with me. And even as I cried, I experienced his Joy. He was teaching me something important in those moments, and I believe he wants you to hear this today: You don't have to ignore the pain in your life to experience REAL Joy. You don't have to pretend that everything's okay when it really isn't. You don't have to be dishonest with yourself, with others, or with God. With this in mind, let's look to the Word to see what else God has to share with us, Our text for today is Isaiah 61:1-4 and 8-11. The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. In verse 8 He continues: "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed." I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. In this beautiful passage, Isaiah the prophet reported the words of the Savior given to a people returning home from exile. These people did not know what the future held. Their way of life had been lost and they had forgotten who they really were. They believed they had lost everything. They were poor, discouraged, and broken. In this difficult situation, Isaiah wrote this message of hope to them. He let them know that the Messiah, the Anointed One of the Lord, would fix everything that was broken. God would not overlook or ignore their suffering, and one day he would dispel their despair. This Messiah would restore the nation. He would reach down to every individual person in their pain and lift them to their feet. No one would be missed. Can you imagine how it would've felt to hear those words? It would've given them comfort and hope, but it also raised some questions. When I'm struggling, it's comforting to know that at some point my pain will end, but it's better if I know when my suffering will end. I want to know how much longer it will last. When I have a headache, I reach for the fast-acting pills. I don't want the drug that starts working in an hour. I want the medicine that gets rid of my pain as fast as possible. Those who originally heard Isaiah's message likely felt exactly the same. They wanted their pain and isolation to end. The message about the Messiah was good news, but they wanted to know when their poverty, brokenness, and despair would cease. More than 500 years later, a young teacher went into the synagogue in Nazareth. He took the scroll of Isaiah the prophet, stood, and in a clear voice, recited the first two verses of the passage we just read. He expertly wove in another passage from Isaiah to deepen his message. Then, like a master orator, the young rabbi sat down and paused. The crowd was captivated, waiting eagerly for his next words. These were the descendants of that lost nation and they had heard hundreds of messages that felt more like a performance than an act of worship. They were used to empty words and broken promises. They were used to men claiming to be the Messiah that they all hoped for and then watching them fall short . They were used to restoration that never felt complete. These people still carried some of the poverty, brokenness, and despair of their ancestors. But this rabbi, this teacher, was different, and he had them on the edge of their seats. In words full of confidence and compassion, the rabbi said, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." This account of an event early in the ministry of Jesus was captured in Luke 4:16-21. Luke lets us know that at long last there was an answer to the question, "How long?" That day in Nazareth, Jesus declared that he was the beginning of the end of poverty. He was the beginning of the end of brokenness. He was the beginning of the end of captivity and slavery. He was the beginning of a new era of grace. And this new beginning started today! Jesus' life, death, and resurrection brought restoration not only for Israel, but for all humanity, and Jesus brings restoration to us today. This is good news for humanity, and it is good news for each of us. In some way, we are all poor, broken, and discouraged. We all suffer. We are all in need of restoration and redemption. We have all cried out, "Lord, when will this pain end?" Suffering is a reality of our humanity. Christians-as those who have experienced the newness of life that can only be found in Jesus-should be filled with compassion. Our hearts should turn towards those hurting in our midst. We shouldn't look away, cover our ears, and stay silent. Since we have been restored in Christ, we should be the first to proclaim that Jesus has come to give us a new beginning, and there is not a hurt he cannot heal. There is no one lost that he cannot find, and nothing broken that he cannot fix. When we're trying to follow Christ, our lives don't just become easier. Jesus is not some magic wand that makes our problems go away. Following Jesus doesn't change our circumstances; it changes US. When we come to Jesus with honesty in our struggle, he causes us to see things differently - we see the world through the lens of the cross, through the lens of his victory over everything this world throws our way. We see ourselves as loved and accepted by God, and we see others as loved and accepted by God. True Joy is found when we hold on to Christ in our lives. He enables us to love others because he helps us see them the way He does, with love and care. We have a purpose in Christ and work in which to participate by the Holy Spirit. In Christ alone, we can find hope, peace, joy, and love in any circumstance. For his sake, we shouldn't keep this good news to ourselves. We should want to share it with others. How can we share this message and the Joy that comes from it? Let's go back to verse three of Isaiah 61 to answer this: [He will] provide for those who grieve in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. (Isaiah 61:3) Isn't this a beautiful promise that God makes? Doesn't it sound comforting? He's saying he will meet our needs when we feel broken, he will help us see how beautiful we truly are, he will give us joy in our sadness and encouragement that contradicts our low view of ourselves. The good news God gives to us is also our guide. To share this message, we must follow his example and be his hands and his feet to those around us. Why is Jesus coming to this earth significant? Because he will: "Provide for those who grieve..." Jesus tangibly provides for those who grieve. As a result, Christians should also give their time, talents, and treasures to those in need, and our giving should likewise be tangible and appropriate. Too often, we only pray for those who suffer when we should provide while we pray. I can think of so many examples in my own life where all I did was pray. There have been many times when a friend expressed that they needed someone and I prayed but didn't reach out to them later. We are all guilty of praying INSTEAD of doing more. JESUS met the immediate needs of people-like healing the sick and the blind-WHILE he cared for them spiritually. Another mistake we often make is to provide for those who are struggling with what WE believe is needed instead of what they REALLY need. We need to engage the people in our community and find out from THEM how we can be a blessing. This can be done directly with people in need through conversations or by forming relationships with charities and community-based organizations who specialize in serving a particular people group. Make a phone call to a friend in need or send an email to soup kitchen to find out how you can help those you don't even know. Lastly, Jesus made an impact by meeting their spiritual needs and physical needs at the same time. Which means that we shouldn't be praying INSTEAD of reaching out. Rather, we should be praying WHILE reaching out. One way or another, our giving should be grounded in intentional care for everyone we know and also those we don't. What's next for us in this passage? "...[He will] bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes..." When we suffer, our pain often distorts how we see the world. We find it difficult to see when tears cloud our eyes. We can withdraw into our own situation and no longer be fully present in our life. If we are not careful, we can begin to identify ourselves by our pain. When we feel deep loneliness in a moment, we can easily believe we are unloved. This is why Jesus tells us that our identity is not rooted in pain, but in the love of Jesus. This is a message that NEEDS to be shared with those who are suffering. We need to tell them that they are NOT defined by their circumstances but by God's LOVE. Their identity is not the problem; they are made in the image of God and their identity is beautiful. We need to be very honest with ourselves if we are to share this truth. We need to believe that our own identity is found in Christ's love before we communicate that with others. We need to guard against our own judgements and pride. We should first acknowledge the pain and difficulty in their situation and then help them see their inherent value and worthiness of respect because they are God's child. So how do you do that? First, encourage them for the qualities and actions of love they show to others that reflect their true identity in Christ. Second, provide for them in meaningful and tangible ways. This will allow them to see that Christ values and loves them, because he's doing so through YOU. Moving on to the next part of the verse: "...[He will give them] the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." This part of the passage teaches us that we should invite those who suffer to participate in opportunities of joy and praise. For Christians, Jesus is the ultimate source of joy and the origin of praise. Therefore, we should invite others to celebrate and experience Christ with us. Jesus didn't just save us, he invited us into his life, a life of purpose and meaning. He created a place for us so we can be with him for all eternity. He did this by coming to this earth as that baby in a manger and later dying in our place to pay the price for every mistake we'll ever make. That's how much he loves us! Like Christ made a place for us, we should invite those who suffer to have a place in our lives this Christmas and beyond. Allow them to experience the joy that is in Jesus by loving them as he did. So let's go back and answer the question we asked at the beginning: What does the birth of Jesus mean to us? The birth of Jesus means that even in the darkest of places, we can experience Joy because we are no longer alone. As Christmas draws closer, let us remember that the birth and gospel of Jesus is good news for all of us, no matter what we've done, no matter who we believe we are, no matter what situation we're in, and no matter how we feel. Jesus is a new beginning. We need to share with this world that they don't have to wait for everything to get better to feel joy and meaning again. Renewal and Joy are found in Christ and He is available RIGHT NOW. As we enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas, may our focus be on Christ and the message of hope he brings to all humanity, for, in His love, our Joy is found. Let's speak to Jesus together: