November 25, 2013
“And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; It shall rejoice in His salvation.”
Psalm 35:9
Yesterday I made a beverage stop at one of my favorite places before church, and as I was standing in line to place my order, a sign caught my eye. It was part of display to market items for Christmas; the sign read, “The gift that brings joy…” I laughed aloud and thought that what I experienced when I consumed my favorite beverage was definitely not what I would call joy…I call my experience with my coffee, “a temporary caffeine experience”… The gift that brings joy….wow, what a lofty claim. I really thought about that one; if that is what gives people their joy, no wonder why there are so many seeking, hurting people, some might say grumpy, joyless people…and if that claim is linked to a consumable product…What happens to the person who does not drink coffee…No joy for them? (Now you see what I do in lines while I wait…)
The word joy is defined as delight, jubilation, rejoicing, (I enjoy my triple Grande nonfat cappuccino with one pump of gingerbread) but I do not remember rejoicing over it) elation, exuberance, triumph…All of that in a little coffee pod, or a paper cup?
I spent the day really pondering the word JOY and the connection to triumph…jubilation…rejoicing…I love the way the marketing departments script the word JOY…obviously because the word is powerful, appealing, and something yearned for…something sought after…
The Gift that Brings JOY…
“…Now there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock…and behold an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone…and the angel of the Lord stood before them and announced “ Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring good tidings of great joy which will be for all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” From Luke 2:8-11
The Gift that Brings JOY…
The word JOY is written in scripture over one hundred times. It is interesting that the word JOY is defined in parallel words in the Greek, Hebrew and English languages; synonyms are comparable…
However, the profound differences within the use of the word JOY are “what” or “who” is the ground or object of the “JOY”? What is the source of the JOY which produces delight, jubilation, rejoicing, elation, exuberance, triumph?
The answer is found in the beauty of this incredible Hope-filled, Joy-filled, Love-filled, Light-filled season. Every year in the midst of the city sounds, the retailers’ messages, the social calendars, the ad agencies’ jingles, the Santa helpers, the beautiful Hope-filled, Joy-filled, Love-filled, Light-filled, Life-filled message from our Almighty God rings into the darkness of the empty human hearts…the Absolute Truth of the Gift that brings True, Everlasting JOY. God’s Messenger hovers over this earth, filling Christ-proclaiming churches, riding on the wings of Christ-filled music, resounding in the words of pastors and teachers, His presence felt at the hands of His people, as they serve one another, sharing, and giving in the name of Christ Yeshua. During the beautiful season of Light, the Absolute Message of Truth brings to the world the Good News of the source of True JOY, Everlasting and Eternal JOY…a reminder of the Greatest Gift which came into the world on that miraculous Christmas night…
The Gift that Brings JOY…
My first teaching job was at a middle school in the inner city of Waco, Texas. Student Clubs and organizations met mornings on campus before the school day began. One of the groups which had a profound impact on my life was a club called True Joy; the object of focus and the source of the JOY was the Lord, Jesus Christ. Students crowded into the room in the early mornings to hear a message of HOPE and to pray together. Many of the students came to the mornings with expectations far beyond what their hard, challenging lives could offer; they came to hear messages of a HOPE and a JOY which could not be found in the secular world.
A beautiful little girl named Lupe would visit my room before school in the mornings and would sit and talk. She shared some very difficult and tragic details of her life, but she always ended our conversations with a hopeful comment or thought, reflecting a heart of faith. She loved attending the True Joy meetings. I remember one morning as she and I talked, with tears running down her face, I was prompted to tell her that those who had to cry the most, had the greatest capacity to experience and to share love…in God’s perfect time…
I had no idea where the words that I spoke to her came from…not until some years later when I came across this scripture… “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” Psalm 126:5
I thought about my beautiful little Lupe…and her heart which shed tears for her family, for herself, and for the broken dreams, but as she trusted the source of True Joy…her Savior Christ Yeshua…and I knew that she possessed True Joy…I knew that she sang songs of JOY…and I was thankful…because our great Almighty God is faithful.
And how many times has He proven Himself faithful in my life, in the lives of my family and friends, in your lives…
“ …Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning…”
Psalm 30:5
In His time…in His perfect time…He spoke the world into being…He spoke Life…He spoke through The Word…In his perfect time…And all of existence, and all of time, and all of eternity are His the palm of His mighty and loving hands…In His time…
When our children were very young, they experienced, as many children do, the loss of loved ones; they also experienced the loss of beloved family pets…
Immediately following the death of my father, their beloved Grandy, their young hearts were broken. Although they understood Heaven as much as a five and seven year old could understand, their hearts ached and the tears ran down their faces at given point in the day. After several days of trying to coach them and talk them through, I had an idea. I had them come into my room and sat them down and handed them each a band aid. I explained that I understood that they had a very deep hurt in their hearts, and that they missed their grandfather. I reminded them of how we dealt with a wound or injury or “boo-boo” in their vernacular…we would put a band aid on the wound until it healed, with time. How many times had we prayed over a cut or scrape as we placed the Scooby-doo band aid on. And once it stuck, it was on there for awhile, unless we removed it. I suggested that we place their band aid on their hurting hearts, knowing that after several baths, it would surely peel itself off of their little chests. And I reminded them that by the time the band aid came off, their hearts would have begun to feel better…with the passing of time and life in our family…through God’s grace.
One day, my son came into the kitchen with something in his hand, and a smile on his face. He reached out and handed me a crumpled band-aid…I knew immediately that this was the one that we had placed over his heart…He looked up at me and smiled and said, “You were right, Mommy, my heart does feel better.” And I was able to explain how God works in our lives and in our hearts, over time…His time…we just need to trust Him. And that lesson has been applied in many circumstances in our family over the years…
“…Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning…”
Psalm 30:5
Psalm Thirty was written by King David as a celebration and as praise to His Mighty and Faithful God, The Lord His God, as a dedication to His Lord’s faithfulness. He praised and thanked His Lord for saving him from his enemies…for saving his life…for having favor on his life…in the midst of sin, but forgiving him and restoring his joy and gladness…turning his mourning for lost relationship, into dancing…David could live joyfully again after the passage of time…in God’s perfect timing…and David was deeply thankful, forever thankful…His joy came after the weeping caused by sin, by enemies, and by life difficulties…His joy was restored.
“You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!”
Psalm 30:11, 12
The Gift that Brings JOY…
As we enter the season of Light, of Hope, of JOY…I pray that each one of us listens to the authentic Voice speaking the message of True JOY…I pray that we do not let the sounds of this season, the cacophony of life, clamor and drown out the beautiful song of JOY that the Lord sings to His children.
I pray that as the Shepherds heard and believed and sought the Child, that we would be seekers of the same…yearning for the True JOY that only can be found in a relationship with the Loving Father and the Son, Christ Yeshua, the source of True JOY….
And yes, I encourage you to share a cup of coffee with your friends and your family, as you talk about the great and mighty things that the Lord has done in your lives, knowing and believing that the gift that brings JOY is the Lord, Christ Yeshua…
May we be people of gratitude…
May we be people who celebrate this season of Light…
May we be people who share the gift of True JOY with the world…
Joyfully,
