Rejoice! Choosing Joy in the Midst of our Mess (2)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 10/11/2015
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to experience deep and authentic joy in their daily lives—even in the toughest times—while others can’t seem to find it no matter how hard they search?
I read this week about a receptionist with a serious case of the grumpies. A man going into the doctor’s office tells the receptionist that he had a sore on his chin that he wanted the doctor to examine. She said to him, "Down the hall, first door to the right, and take off your clothes." "But ma’am," he said, "it’s just a sore on my chin. I don’t think all that is necessary." She repeated, "Down the hall, first door to the right, take off your clothes." "But ma’am," he said. "Down the hall, first door to the right, and take off your clothes." So he went down the hall, took the first door to the right, walked in and saw another man already sitting there in his boxer shorts, shivering. He said to him, "Boy, that receptionist is really something, isn’t she? I just have a little sore on my chin and she told me to come down here, go through this door and take off my clothes." The man in the boxer shorts said, "You think that’s bad? I’m the UPS delivery man."
I think she could use a little more joy in her life. How about you?
Like I said last Sunday, the Bible has a lot to say about happiness. It speaks of indomitable joy as a fruit of God’s Spirit welling up in the life of a believer—joy that runs deeper and stronger because it’s anchored not in our circumstances or successes, but in the love of God and the person of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul had a lot to say about that kind of joy. Even though he was in chains twenty-four hours a day, awaiting trial and possible execution, Paul wrote a letter to the church in Philippi that radiates joy. The words joy or rejoice appear no less than sixteen times in four short chapters. In fact the whole theme of the book can be summarized in this one verse: “Always be joyful in the Lord! I’ll say it again: Be joyful!” (Philippians 4:4 GWT).
Last Sunday we surveyed the first chapter of Philippians where Paul reveals that by focusing on partnerships, positivity, and purpose we can experience more joy in our lives. As we step into chapter two, Paul reveals three more bringers of joy. The first of which is solidarity.
• SOLIDARITY
Paul open the second chapter of Philippians with a series of questions: “Does your life in Christ give you strength? Does his love comfort you? Do we share together in the spirit? Do you have mercy and kindness? If so, make me very happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and having one mind and purpose” (Philippians 2:1-2 NCV).
For Paul, the church living in harmony, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose made him very happy. Another translation says “truly happy.” That kind of solidarity—the fellowship and unity that comes from having a shared purpose and passion—can fill our hearts with happiness as well.
This time of year you’re likely to see geese flying south for the winter. I think the church could learn some valuable lessons from these geese. Winging their way to a warmer climate, they often cover thousands of miles before reaching their destination. It is fascinating to read what has been discovered about their flight pattern as well as their in-flight habits. Four come to mind.
1. By flying as they do, the members of the flock create an upward air current for one another. Each flap of the wings literally creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. One author states that by flying in a V-formation, the whole flock gets 71% greater flying range than if each goose flew on its own.
2. Those in front rotate their leadership. When the lead goose gets tired, it changes places with one in the wing of the V-formation and another flies point.
3. When one goose gets sick or wounded, two fall out of formation with it and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with the struggler until it's able to fly again.
4. The geese in the rear of the formation are the ones who do the honking. I suppose it's their way of announcing that they're following and that all is well. For sure, the repeated honks encourage those in front to stay at it.
It is the natural instinct of geese to work together. Whether it's rotating, flapping, helping, or simply honking, the flock is in it together, which enables them to accomplish what they set out to do. This is the kind of fellowship that Paul wanted to see in the church. As Christians we have a common destination (we all want to get to heaven to be with Jesus) and a common purpose (to glorify God with our lives along the way). We can reach that destination and accomplish that goal quicker and easier when we fly in formation, when we encourage one another, and stand by each other. A harmonious church—united by our love for Christ and each other—is a happy church.
So, solidarity is the first joy-bringer that Paul mentions in this chapter. Another is selflessness.
• SELFLESSNESS
Leonard Bernstein was once asked which instrument was the most difficult to play. He thought for a moment and then replied, “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm—that’s a problem.” None of us like to play second fiddle, do we? But the truth is—putting others first can be a tremendous source of joy.
Believe it or not, you experience an actual chemical reaction whenever you do something nice for another person. Dr. David Hamilton, Ph.D., has studies the side-effects of kindness and he found that when we do something kind for someone else it causes elevated levels of dopamine in the brain (which is sort of like the brain's natural versions of morphine and heroin) and so we get a natural high, often referred to as "Helper's High." Put simply: doing something nice for another person makes you happy. You think God wired our brains that way on purpose? I do. And I think Paul would agree.
In the next couple of verses Paul writes, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Philippians 2:3-4 NLT).
One of the greatest players in NBA history practiced this verse throughout his entire basketball career. When Erving Johnson was in Jr. High School, his basketball talent was already obvious. He was so much better than the rest of the team that he would score 50 points a game while the others would score 5. And they won every game.
But the other players weren’t so happy. And neither were their parents. So Erving decided to change his role on the team. Instead of shooting every chance he got, he would become an enabler, passing the ball to others and making them look good. This became a passion of his that he carried with him into the NBA where he became known as Majic Johnson.
In 1984, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the chance to break the NBA’s all-time scoring record, which had been held by Wilt Chamberlain. On that night when it appeared that Kareem Abdul Jabbar might have the chance to sink that record breaking basket, Magic Johnson got off the bench, put himself in the game, and told Kareem, "You can do it, and I want to be the guy who passes you the ball when you make that basket." With less than nine minutes left in the game, Magic Johnson passed the ball to his 7’2? teammate and Abdul-Jabbar scored his 22nd point of the night and 31,420th point of his career. The game came to halt as Abdul-Jabbar’s teammates rushed to congratulate him, the fans gave him an extended standing ovation, and Magic Johnson leapt into Kareem’s arms. And if you look closely at the tape you’ll see tears streaming down his cheeks. Coach Pat Riley said of Magic, “He’s the most unselfish basketball player I’ve ever seen.” And you know? He was happy that night.
It’s a paradox, I think. The more we focus on the joy of others, the more joy we have ourselves. So solidarity and selflessness are two sources of joy. But Paul offers one more way to experience more joy in life—shinning.
• SHINNING
I’ll let Paul explain, himself. He writes, “Do everything without complaining or arguing. Then you will be innocent and without any wrong. You will be God’s children without fault. But you are living with crooked and mean people all around you, among whom you shine like stars in the dark world. You offer the teaching that gives life. So when Christ comes again, I can be happy because my work was not wasted… I will be happy and full of joy with all of you. You also should be happy and full of joy with me. (Philippians 2:14-18 NCV).
Paul knew that when Christ comes again, the Philippian church would be joining him in heaven. Because he shared Jesus with them, they were eternally saved. That knowledge filled Paul’s heart with joy and happiness. And Paul wanted the Philippians to experience that same joy and happiness with him. How would they do that? How do we do that? By shinning like stars in a dark world and offering the teaching that gives life.
In other words, through our own Christian life and testimony we can share Jesus and salvation with the people we know and care about. Jesus spoke about shining. “No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:15-16 GWT).
One of my favorite old hymns is a song titled Let the Lower Lights be Burning. It’s a song with a story behind it. Dwight L. Moody was preaching and he told the story of a violent storm on Lake Erie. On a dark stormy night, Moody recalled, when the waves rolled like mountains and not a star could be seen, a boat neared the Cleveland harbor, rocking and plunging in the waves. The Captain and the pilot were able to see the light from the light house, but the lower lights along the shore had all gone out. They didn’t really have any other options though, so with a strong hand and a brave heart, the old pilot guided the boat, but in the darkness he missed the channel and crashed into the rocks. The boat was slivered and the entire crew lost their lives that night.
Sitting one of the pews that night, was a composer named Phillip Bliss. Inspired by that true story, Phillip wrote the enduring hymn, Let the Lower Lights be Burning. The opening stanza proclaims, “Brightly beams our Father’s mercy from his lighthouse evermore, but to us he gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.” Jesus may be the everlasting light, but we are no less the light of the world—the lower lights, guiding people to him.
When we live our faith and share our faith with those around us, we become those lower lights, those stars shinning in a dark world—guiding people to Jesus. And honestly what could bring greater joy to your heart than knowing you helped guide someone you know and love into the arms of Jesus and life everlasting?
Conclusion:
We all have bad days and bad moods from time to time. I think we could all use a little more joy in our lives. So I’m thankful that through solidarity, selflessness, and shinning a light for Jesus our hearts can be joyful in the Lord.
So I want to encourage you again this week to choose joy—look for opportunities to be selfless and to shine for Jesus. And if you are not a member of the Grove, I want to invite you join our fellowship and experience the joy that comes through solidarity. Next week, we’ll delve a little deeper in Philippians and see what else we can learn about joy.
Invitation:
In the meantime, maybe you could use a little injection of joy. Since joy is a fruit of God’s Spirit, one of the best ways to experience asking God to fill you with his Spirt. So as we stand and sing, I want to encourage you to stand and pray. Let’s sing church.
