Joy In Troubled Times

Sermon Joy in Troubled Times

Zephaniah 3:14-20 The Message

14-15 So sing, Daughter Zion!

Raise your voices, Israel!

Daughter Jerusalem,

be happy! celebrate!

God has reversed his judgments against you

and sent your enemies off chasing their tails.

From now on, God is Israel’s king,

in charge at the center.

There’s nothing to fear from evil

ever again!

God Is Present Among You

16-17 Jerusalem will be told:

“Don’t be afraid.

Dear Zion,

don’t despair.

Your God is present among you,

a strong Warrior there to save you.

Happy to have you back, he’ll calm you with his love

and delight you with his songs.

Hip Hop Modern Street Bible Version: Zephaniah 3:14-20 “Sing, Daughter Zion; Shout Aloud”

3:14-15

Yo, Zion, it’s time to turn up—sing loud, girl, sing!

Israel, shout it out, let that joy ring.

Daughter Jerusalem, go ahead an break dance,

God flipped the script, gave you a second chance.

He canceled the charges, enemies on the run,

Now God’s the King—yeah, He’s the One.

He’s holding it down in the center of your block,

No more fear, evil’s on lock.

3:16-17

Jerusalem, here’s the word on the street:

“Don’t trip, Zion, don’t admit defeat.

God’s in the mix, a Warrior who saves,

Got your back, lifting you out of the grave.

He’s hyped to have you back in His crew,

Calms your fears, His love renews.

God’s spitting love songs straight to your soul,

A vibe so deep, it makes you whole.”

3:18

It’s party time—festival vibes in the air,

No more shame, no more despair.

Disasters are out, no reproach to bear,

God’s cleaning the slate, showing He cares.

3:19

He’s coming for the oppressors, they’re about to fall,

Lame and outcasts? He’s lifting them all.

Shame gets flipped into worldwide praise,

God’s rewriting stories, sparking better days.

3:20

When that time comes, He’s bringing you home,

Gathering the scattered, you won’t feel alone.

He’ll make you famous, world singing your name,

Restoring your fortunes, removing the shame.

Right in your sight, it’s all gonna unfold—

Signed, sealed, delivered—God’s word is gold.

Let the beat drop, Zion! It’s time to rejoice.

Sermon Joy in Troubled Times Zephaniah 3:14-20

Introduction: The Challenge of Joy in Troubled Times

Church, this third Sunday of Advent—the pink candle Sunday—ushers us into joy. But how do we celebrate joy in a world so gripped by fear and trauma? With January 6, 2025, looming as a tense political flashpoint and Martin Luther King Jr. Day being the day of the Presidents Inauguration following shortly after, some of us are already bracing ourselves for what feels like an oncoming storm. In the face of such uncertainty, how can we authentically rejoice in the coming of Emmanuel, God with us?

Throughout history, African Americans have faced profound trauma and hardship, yet they have emerged as a testament to strength, resilience, and faith. From the horrors of slavery to the struggles of Jim Crow, from the fight for civil rights to enduring systemic inequities, Black communities have navigated the storms of oppression with unwavering determination.

In the face of economic instability and uncertainty following the 2024 elections, African Americans draw strength from this legacy. They know hardship intimately, but they also know how to build, rebuild, and rise above. During the Great Depression, Black communities pooled resources, creating mutual aid societies and churches that became sanctuaries of hope and sustenance. In times of political and social upheaval, the spirit of community, faith, and innovation has carried them forward.

This resilience is not born of ease but of a deep well of survival strategies honed over generations. It is a resilience rooted in faith traditions that declare, “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

It is the resilience of those who transformed spirituals into freedom songs and sorrow into art, who took the ashes of despair and molded them into movements of change.

As the nation faces economic stress and potential disaster, African Americans bring this legacy of survival and thriving into the future. They are not afraid. Instead, they stand ready to face what comes with faith, creativity, and an unshakable belief that even in the darkest times, there is light.

The prophet Zephaniah invites us to a radical kind of joy, one that defies despair. His words in Zephaniah 3:14-20 paint a picture of God as both Savior and singer—a God who not only redeems but rejoices over us with gladness and song. And then there’s the Apostle Paul, writing from prison, urging us in Philippians 4:4-7 to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Always. Not just when life feels easy, but even when we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

This Advent, we must reclaim the audacious joy that Zephaniah, Isaiah, and Paul proclaim—the kind of joy that meets us in the midnight hour, as the song sung by Kirk franklyn and the family Joy, Joy, Gods Great Joy reminds us: