Scripture: Isaiah 62:1-5; John 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Theme: New Life, New Joy, New Community
Proposition: Epiphany 2 C passages speak to us of God's power to create New Life, To Bring Forth New Joy and to create a New Community
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ who came to take away the sin of the World! Good morning!
I love a great story that has a wonderful ending. I love it when the good guys win. I love it when the guy gets the love of his life and the story ends with everyone rejoicing and celebrating. I love it when the down trodden and the desolate are rescued and redeemed. I love it when at the end of the story you experience this great feeling of joy and contentment.
Perhaps, that is why this morning that I love all of the scriptural passages that we have read. For as you look at all of them together they all speak of the gracious and loving power of God. We see God's power displayed in the reading from the book of Isaiah, we see God's power displayed in the reading from John and especially in the reading from 2 Corinthians chapter 12.
Each individual passage reveal wonderful insights into God's grace, God's power and God's personhood. Joined together these passages provide for us a Trinitarian focus; in Isaiah, we see that the focus is on God the Father giving a new identity and life to His people, in John the focus is on Jesus, the God the Son bring forth joy and celebration and in 2 Corinthians the focus is on God's Holy Spirit enabling His Church to be Spirit-filled, Spirit-led and Spirit-active.
Let's look at each of these passages and hear what the Spirit is saying to His Church:
I. In Isaiah 62:1=5 we hear the Prophet proclaiming that God is bring a New Identity and Life to His People.
v. 4 - God transforms a people called Azubah to a people called Hephzibah.
Isaiah 62:1-5 is part of a prophetic speech to a people who are beleaguered. For over 70 years the people of Israel had suffered at the hands of the Babylonians. Their exile was now over but as they returned home they found their beloved city Jerusalem and their nation in complete ruins. Solomon's Temple had been destroyed by fire. The walls protecting the city of Jerusalem had been pulled down and burned. Wild animals now roamed areas where once there had been shops and businesses. There was no central banking system or major commercial centers. There was no Son of David ruling the Kingdom. They were back home but home was a wreck.
The picture of post -exilic Israel could be captured in the word Azubah (azab - a-zav). Azubah was used to describe a person who had been abandoned, neglected, depressed and living in desolation. It was the word people would use to describe their times of utmost anguish and hopelessness. This was how the people of Israel were feeling. They had rejected God. They had chosen to serve false gods. Therefore, God had sent them into exile. God had severely disciplined them. And now even though they were coming home it was a home that looked like, smelled like and felt like Azubah.
Even though the Temple had been partially rebuilt it paled in comparison to Solomon's Temple. Jerusalem's walls had been rebuilt but they would not withstand a major onslaught and the chance for a son of David to be back on the throne was mere fantasy. Gone forever where the glory days of David, Solomon and Hezekiah. Gone were the days when thousands were coming to worship at the Temple. Gone were the days when no army dared to breach the walls of Jerusalem. Gone were the days when Jerusalem sat as a city full of light, life and liberty. Gone were the days when silver was seen as nothing and only gold was seen as being important.
It is in the midst of this national despair and heartache, God sends forth the message that He will bring Israel and the city of Jerusalem back to life. God will give them a new identity. God will transform them and give them the name Hephzibah (Chephtsiy bahh - khef•tsē'vä), which means -THE ONE I DELIGHT IN. As they turn to the LORD, the LORD will renew His marriage vows with His People and they will be known again as God's People.
God is reaching out to His people who have been broken and ruined by their sin. God is reaching out to rescue them, redeem them and restore them to their former days of glory. God will once again cause His light shine around them and through them. He will once again raise up for them rulers of righteousness. They will once again wear crowns of His glory. All they have to do is to love Him, trust and obey Him and they will be given a new name, a new identity and enter into a new relationship.
What God graciously shares with Israel in this passage that He will do for them, God seeks to do for all of us this morning. Sin devastate us. Sin destroy our lives. Sin makes us feel desolate, forsaken and abandoned. Sin leads us into the very pit of depression, anguish and pain.
However, we don't have to live with that name Azubah. Our God is in the redeeming business. God loves to take ashes and bring forth beauty (Isaiah 61:3). God loves to redeem, renew and restore. God loves to recreate Himself in our lives, bringing us into a relationship of wholeness and holiness.
This morning, there is no sin greater than our LORD. There is no life that is so broken that God cannot recreate it. Our God will never leave us forsaken or desolate. All we have to do is to surrender ourselves into His care and the light of His holiness. Then the light of His righteousness will shine brightly around us.
We may feel like we should be called AZUBAH (a zav) , but in the hands of the LORD our name can be Hephzibah (Chephtsiy bahh - khef•tsē'vä), - THE ONE IN WHOM GOD DELIGHTS.
II. In John 2:1-11 we see God the Son, Jesus Christ bring New Joy into the lives of His People
What would you have done as your first miracle? Would you have resurrected someone from the dead or perhaps healed someone with a terminal disease? Would you have changed some rocks into bread or perhaps walked on the water?
Jesus, chose to do His first miracle at a wedding. He chose to take some water and turn it into wine. Wine was the universal symbol to the Jewish people for joy, for celebration and happiness. In Ecclesiastes 9:7, the writer tells his readers to eat their bread with joy and drink their wine with a merry heart. He is telling his readers that in following God, one can expect a life of love and joy and happiness.
So, what is Jesus, the Son of God trying to do and say in giving us this first sign (miracle)? I think Jesus is saying that I want to bring the spirit of joy and happiness to my people. I want to bring liberation. I want to bring celebration. I want to bring unspeakable joy into their lives. I want my people to be filled with joy.
John is telling us that Jesus can come into our world to bring back joy, happiness and victory. In the story the wine of joy had run out. The wedding party was going to become a disaster. People would go home disappointed and discouraged. The young couple's reputation would be ruined. But Jesus comes to the rescue and brings more joy and greater joy than anyone could imagine.
In the same way, Jesus had come to take his people away from sterile rituals and rules that had made following God distasteful and a drudgery. All around Jesus at that time were people who were being crushed by all kinds of rules and regulations. More of them entered God's house with frowns than smiles. Serving God was seen as a duty. The common attitude was that we better serve God than go to Hell. Better serve God than be burned up by fire. Better serve God than face everlasting damnation.
Jesus is wanting them and us this morning to see that we are in the presence of the One who wants us to experience joy and celebration. In the last day, Peter tells us that God will pour out His Holy Spirit and His Church will do amazing things (Acts 2:17-19). Amazing things that will bring joy and celebrations. Amazing things like being able to hear and speak for the LORD. Amazing things like experience visions and dreams which will bring supernatural joy. Amazing things that will bring healing and wholeness. Amazing things that will bring life and liberation to those who hear and call upon the name of the LORD.
Jesus does nothing in little doses. In our story, Jesus creates over 150 - 180 gallons of great tasting wine. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Today, Jesus wants to give us joy, unspeakable joy. He is wanting to take our services and instead of them being ho hum, scripted, ritualistic and dull and make them full of wonder, surprises and creative joy.
It may be a little brass to say this but there is something wrong when people believe that they can experience more joy singing karaoke in a bar on a Saturday night than they can experience in the church on a Sunday morning. You may say, well that is because that have had a few drinks and it gets them all going. Well, I would say, isn't it about time we get "filled with the Spirit" so that we too experience joy and celebration. Not to be silly or juvenile, not to simply ride on emotions but to have faces that beam with joy and happiness. We are to have voices that are raised in joy and celebration. We are to leave this place being filled with the Joy of the LORD.
Nazarenes of old were made fun of because of their loud singing, praising and praying especially those that attended the Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles, California. Because of their exuberant style of worship they were mocked and called, “Noisy-renes”. "Noisy-renes" because you could hear their singing through the windows, the doors and the walls. You could hear the joy of their praying and their celebrations around the altars out in the street. People knew that they were having a good time. Believe it or not, that first Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles for a time was included as a point of interest on various guided tours of the city because of their great passion and joy for the LORD. Everyone coming to the city wanted to hear them, see them and experience their joy and passion.
Now, I don't think Jesus is telling us to be noisy for noise sake. I don't think He is wanting us to cause a disturbance just to make a scene. But I do think Jesus is wanting us to be filled with the wine of the Holy Spirit. I think Jesus is seeking ways to bring more and more joy to the lives of His People.
And I don't think it is by accident that one of the great passions of Pope Francis is to sound forth the message for the Church to once again experience joy and celebration in every respect. With his smile, with his words he has called back the Church to experience of joy and celebration of salvation through Jesus Christ our Savior and LORD.1
III. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 lets us know that it is through the Holy Spirit that we are challenged and able to form a radically new human community
The Apostle Paul takes great pains in chapters 12-15 to share with the Corinthian congregation it means to be a part of the Body of Christ. It means a life of being Spirit filled, Spirit led and Spirit gifted. It is a life of serving and being active under the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Paul shares that everyone filled with God's Holy Spirit has been gifted with certain special talents, gifts and abilities. We are to rejoice in whatever gift (skill, talent, ability) that God has given us. We are to be gracious and outgoing with our gift. We are never to see our gift in an individualistic way. Instead we are to see ourselves as part of one another. We are to see ourselves as part of the whole body of Christ. We have been given our gift(s) to bring honor to God and to uplift, encourage and support our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
Many of us here this morning love the creation of a Danish man named Ole Kirk Christiansen. He lived from 1891 to 1958. He started off making small wooden toys but one day decided that he would make these little brick toys that would interlock with one another. He created a toy and later a company that would go by the name Lego. Since 1947 the Lego company has created more than 600 billion little Lego pieces. I am sure that everyone here this morning has at one time or the other played with some form of Lego pieces.
Each Lego piece is vital. Each one has a function. They can do nothing on their own. They just lay around and take up space. However, under the right hands people have built all kinds of things with Lego pieces. Today, major companies use Lego pieces and puzzles as way for their engineers and those in research and development to look at things in new ways. Lego pieces have become a part of our world's culture. Lego blocks have literally helped us build a better world.
In the Sprit, Paul might say that we are like Lego blocks. We are individuals but we only become creative, active and of service when we interlock with one another. The Spirit, Paul tells us gives us gifts, not for the sole benefit of personal enrichment, but so that we can enrich the lives of others.
The Holy Spirit helps us go from being inward focus to outward focus. One of Jesus' greatest parables was that of the Good Samaritan. Instead of just being an inwardly focus Spiritual LEGO, he became one that was determined to reach out to those outside his comfort area. He reached out to a man who was hurting that was from a different culture and faith. He connected his life with this poor man's and in the end the man was rescued and saved from death.
The Church is no more the Church of Jesus when we allow ourselves to do the same thing. We are called to take care of those inside the Church. We are also called to reach beyond the doors of our church, beyond our membership and reach out to those around us. It is only by doing that we will experience true joy, celebration and growth.
Houma Church of the Nazarene experienced its greatest growth the year the Holy Spirit led them to reach out to children and adults that were of a different culture and life story. The main body of the church was filled with hard working, honest, God fearing middle class white people. For years they had faithfully looked after one other but had never really experienced much growth.
However, when the Holy Spirit led them to reach out things began to happen. As they prayed and reached out, family after family began visiting and attending. In one year they doubled their attendance and began changing lives. That is the power of the Holy Spirit. Not working as individuals but as a corporate body in Christ. For all of that growth to happen it took all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It took prayer warriors, teachers, caregivers, people with vision, knowledge and wisdom.
This is when the church is at its best. Recently, Pope Francis in preaching to Catholics all over the world made this statement:
“I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.”
― Pope Francis
This morning, God calls out to any who feel abandoned, desolated and forsaken. In Him you can find Hephzibah - in God you can find DELIGHT.
This morning, God calls out to any who need joy. He calls for you to allow Him to bring "new wine" into your heart and life.
This morning, God calls out to the Church, to be filled by His Holy Spirit. To rise up and to be active in receiving, in giving, in serving both inside the doors of the Church and outside the doors of the Church.
This morning, as we close let us turn in our hymnals and sing - # 311 - SPIRIT SONG
1See Pope Francis writings on joy in his writings, APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION EVANGELII GAUDIUM. 1. The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come. (Note: You may not agree with all that Pope Francis preaches but his message of joy needs to be heard and heeded)
