Gifts Of Christmas: Joy

GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS: JOY

Luke 2:10

#giftsofChristmas

INTRODUCTION… Joy to the World (p)

Today we are going to talk about something that is complicated and also wonderful. Wonderful and complicated. Complicated and wonderful. Doesn’t that sound like fun? We are going to talk about “joy” which at first glance probably shouldn’t be complicated and wonderful, but I think it is. Let me explain about the wonderfulness and the complicated nature of “joy” by comparing two songs that are both titled “Joy to the World.”

The first song is called “Joy to the World” written by Hoyt Axton and performed by Three Dog Night and came out on November 18, 1970. Now, I need a little help when I read you these verses. I need one or more people to say “Neh Neh Neh” at the right time and I will point at you to say “Neh Neh Neh.” If you don’t know the song, it’s ok. If you do know the song, you already know when to “Neh Neh Neh.”

Words: “Jeremiah was a bullfrog [Neh Neh Neh] Was a good friend of mine [Neh Neh Neh] I never understood a single word he said, But I helped him drink his wine. And he always had some mighty fine wine. Singin' joy to the world, All the boys and girls now, Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, Joy to you and me. [Neh Neh Neh]”

Now that is the first song. Notice that in this song “joy” is tied to a wine drinking frog.

The second song is also called “Joy to the World” which was written by Isaac Watts in 1719. Unfortunately, there is no “Neh Neh Neh” in this particular song, sorry.

Words: “Joy to the world, the Lord is come, Let earth receive her King, Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing. Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ, While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.”

That is the second song. Notice that in this song “joy” is all about the King of the Earth arriving and Creation singing about the Savior of the World.

Now, just on the surface, one song is about a wine drinking frog and the other is about the King of the Earth’s arrival. Both are about “Joy to the World.” I hope you can see why I believe “joy” is complicated since how can “joy” be about both things? One seems silly and the other seems important. Admittedly one song is secular and one song is religious, but still, joy is complicated.

If you were to look up “joy” and quotes about “joy,” you would find joy is connected to and defined by: friends, experiencing the journey, happiness, a choice, being the opposite of grief, new experiences, God, singing, the focus of our lives, and about 100 other things.

Joy is complicated, at least to me, because I am not sure how to define it without a song or a poem and where it comes from also seems to be up to each person. I know joy when I see it or feel it. I know when joy is not present or when someone does not have joy. Joy is weird and complicated.

Joy is also wonderful. It seems to be wonderful no matter if it is connected with a drunk frog or the entire Earth at Christmas time. Joy is a positive emotion. Because I know where joy ultimately comes from, I believe joy is a gift from God. God is the author of joy. God has joy therefore when we have joy it is part of us being in the image of God. Joy is a positive emotion so it is like happiness in that way, but it transcends circumstances, so it is not like happiness in that way. Some even think joy cannot be taken from us once it is given.

SERMON SERIES FOCUS

This year for Christmas we are focusing on the gifts of Christmas. Christmas is that time of year when we set aside time and energy and effort and thought to focus on the birth of Jesus Christ and what His birth means for us. We can do that in a year that is spectacular and also in a year that has been spectacularly stressful. We gain much because of the birth of Jesus. We understand more about God because of the birth of Jesus Christ.

We receive peace because of the birth of Jesus Christ. We focused on that last week.

We receive joy because of the birth of Jesus Christ. This is our focus this week.