Joy

Isaiah 61:1-11

“Joy”

11 December 2016 St. Andrew’s Military Chapel Singapore

            On this the third Sunday of Advent, we explore joy. But, what exactly does it mean to be joyful or to have joy in our lives?

            We could search for a textbook definition and find ideas such as great delight, happiness from something satisfying, elation, someone or something greatly valued or appreciated, glad feeling, etc. But, I think there is more to joy than what the dictionary says. Something has been lost in the interpretation of that word over the years.

            Perhaps the best place to look to see true joy is to just watch a young child grow up. Now, while I don’t have any children of my own, I am fully aware that children aren’t always the fountain of bubbly joy, smiles, and love that we might lead everyone to believe. Young children can be quite tempermental and are known to have bouts of behavior that are trying not just on their parents, but anyone around them.

            That being said, young children exhibit more joy on a day-to-day basis than most adults. Perhaps this is because each day brings new wonders and learning through new discoveries. Maybe there is less in the world distracting them from God. Whatever it is that allows them to find joy everywhere, as we grow we seem to lose that ability.

            So, it’s a true blessing to have a church community here that has young boys and girls roaming our pews, singing their hearts out, playing during worship, running around during the passing of the peace laughing and bringing out smiles from all the stuffy adults in the congregation.

            How we approach those full of joy here in these walls matters more than we may know. How many times have you seen the younger members of our community out at the Terror Club or in the NEX and their faces light up and they run over to say hello, give you a high five, or show off a new way to do a fist bump? Because we allow and encourage joy on Sunday, there is permission to live into that idea beyond these walls. Keeping joy alive when the world is trying to mute the melody of joy in our lives and make us dampen any strong emotions is important. What we practice here matters to the world.

            This section of Isaiah is starkly different than the surrounding sections. Chapters 60-62 offer a glorious future for the devastated Jerusalem. Because there was a double portion of shame upon Israel, they will now receive a double share of joy. Plus we hear the good news of Christ in the first verse, “The spirit of the LORD GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners.”

            Whenever we hear the Gospel of Christ proclaimed, it is a cause of great joy for those with ears to hear and this is no different. Isaiah is speaking as the voice of God proclaiming that the end of Israel’s pain and suffering is nearing its end. The prophet is proclaiming release from Babylon, those who have endured will be the oaks of righteousness, roots of faith for the new community to come.

What a joyous vision not just for Israel, but for the world!

            Who doesn’t want a world where there are no prisoners because there isn’t any violent crime? Just think of having the safety and security we feel here in Singapore regardless of where we travel in the world. A world where we can truly get to know each other because we aren’t afraid of what someone may do to us or because we’re always wondering what someone’s angle is for being polite and friendly to us. If there is no need for prisons because we aren’t fearful of others then imagine just how well we could get to know each other. How amazing would it be to sit in a true cultural exchange where there are no agendas but to just know each other?

            Who doesn’t want to ease the brokenhearted? A world where even if tragedy still occurs there is a place of healing and a balm over Gilead no matter how deep and infected the wounds of our hearts became. No matter the wrong done by or to someone, they are aware of the deep, cooling, soothing relief of forgiveness and love that we all so desperately need in our most painful times. A place where we are all loved to the point that there is no need for us to harbor resentment or anger towards another.

            Oh what joy would we see if all of the captives were set free. Right now there are 45 million people trapped in slavery and 30 million who tried to escape chaos and destruction in their own land by setting out for countries full of hope only to find themselves longingly looking at a new life through a screen of razor wire and tall fences from the flap of their patchwork white tent that many families before them also used in the refugee camp they must now call home. What joyful news release would be to those families and what amazing gifts springing forth are being kept from the world while they sit and wither on the vine. Fresh eyes looking at a situation with fresh energy can provide results unheard of previously. Just look at the popularity of consulting firms to come in and overcharge companies for the privilege of looking at something from a new angle.

            So, how do we bring this joyful news to the world? In all honesty that will be harder than it sounds. Somehow we need to focus on the root causes of joy. If we work to “bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners” not only will we spread joy to the world, but we will hear the joyful melody in our hearts much louder.

The group Rend collective has a song called Joy that can help people move to joy in their lives and spreading the joy in others. (Play Song) When we play God as the song of our hearts we set the captives, including ourselves, free because God is the joy in our lives. Just like with our youngest members, let’s turn up the volume of the God song in our hearts to drown out the noise of the world so that all we hear and give to the world is the Joy of the Lord.