The Star: The Journey to Joy
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Sermon 3
The Star: A Journey of Joy
[Show Joy Bumper video.]
Here we are in our Third week of Advent, can you ever take it in? Things are moving fast but don’t you feel the anticipation growing? Expectation and purposeful focus as we move towards the celebration of Christmas and the arrival of Christ.
[Optional: Show the Kids’ Advent Series promotional video. If the children in your church will be doing the lessons based on the major motion picture The Star, you may also want to show the weekly movie clip for the whole congregation to enjoy together.]
Today is the third Sunday of Advent, and we are glad you’re here journeying with us through this season. If you haven’t been with us the past couple of weeks, we have been walking through the season of Advent. It’s a season of preparation and expectation and purposeful focus as we move toward the celebration of Christmas and of Christ’s arrival.
Our guiding symbol through the season is the star. The Star means so many things, it guided their path, it was the light of Christmas, and it points to how Jesus is the light of the world and the star of Christmas. Just as that Star of Bethlehem drew the wise men toward the Savior thousands of years ago, the star guides our focus on a spiritual journey of hope, love, joy, and peace that all connect us to the Morning Star, the light of the world, Jesus.
Following the star through Advent, it leads us today to focus on a journey of joy. Joy can be the fuel that brightens our journey, and it is a fascinating concept.
One of my favorite songs by For King and Country is Joy. It is a song that brings Joy to my heart. I rejoice in the freedom I get to celebrate and revel in because of my Jesus. It is a Joy that is better felt that told.
Often times Joy is often misunderstood. It is often confused with happiness. And it regularly shows up in situations where it may be least expected.
Have you ever noticed that just about every time an angel shows up in Scripture, the first words out of the angel’s mouth are “Do not be afraid”?
The phrase is so common in the Bible, you might think it was a heavenly language for hello. In the Christmas story, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds all heard that message.
Those shepherds give us a particularly good picture of the experience. These were no cowardly men. They were a rugged lot used to living outdoors in wild areas. They fought off predators to protect their sheep and would have been prepared to ward off any bandits or thieves if necessary. And in the biblical account, they had strength in numbers that night out on a dark hillside watching their sheep. But when that angel appeared in the night sky, they went weak at the knees with fear.
Here’s how Luke described the scene:
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger’” ().
The angel had good news for these guys—news that would “cause great joy for all the people.” The angel and his group came in peace with the world’s greatest birth announcement, but first he had to help the shepherds get over their fear. And then after he had told them the good news, suddenly the whole sky was filled with angels. They erupted with joy.
The angel had good news for these guys—news that would “cause great joy for all the people.” The angel and his group came in peace with the world’s greatest birth announcement, but first he had to help the shepherds get over their fear. And then after he had told them the good news, suddenly the whole sky was filled with angels. They erupted with joy. Luke continued: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests’” ().
Luke continued:
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests’” ().
This is where we start with our focus this morning on our journey of joy. And as we do, I want us to walk through three aspects of joy:
1. Joy and pain co-exist
2. Joy brings connection with others
3. Joy leads us to worship.
Prayer: Father let us see the joy in this advent season, let us revel in who you are and all you do. Let us not loose the wonder and reverance for all you stand for and all you do!
Joy and Pain
Joy and Pain
There are so many amazing organizations around the world working diligently to bring clean water to locations across the globe. Unsafe drinking water contributes to illness and millions of deaths every year, as well as limiting opportunities for women and children who are most often responsible for hauling water for their families. For these reasons, nonprofits have been working to bring clean water. Have you seen pictures of when a village receives a working clean water source?
Our youth missions projects have worked hard to buy biosand filters so that people can have clean water in areas of the world. One are of focus is with the Rowley’s in Cambodia.
[Cambodia Water Project Video]
We take for granted the things we get to use everyday, for instance this is something we can go to the fridge, turn on the tap and we have loads of it without question. There are some people who have loads of other obstacles to face in the world and in addition to that no clean drinking water.
[Cambodia Water Project Video]
The exuberant smiles on the faces of the people say it all—pure joy! Even though many aspects of their life don’t change, even though they still have to cope with hardships and pain, they are filled with joy because the clean water impacts every part of their lives, bringing safety, health, and opportunity.
It’s a strange thing about joy—it seems the natural reaction for most of us is to think joy could only come when pain is removed. But the truth is, in our fallen world, joy and pain exist side by side.
In fact, there is really no way to separate them. Our lives are a constant balance of joy and pain as we walk through the experiences of life. In fact, it is often the pain or struggle that magnifies the power of joy. And it’s here in this separation that the message of the angel is for us as well: Do not be afraid!
What circumstances in your life are causing you fear?
What do you feel afraid of?
Where is the pain of life seeming to overshadow the presence of joy?
What feels like it is spinning out of control?
Those places are exactly where the words of the angel can penetrate the most deeply and powerfully.
This message is for you:
Do not be afraid. You don’t have to fear.
There is good news of great joy.
And it is for you!
In the book of James, James takes this concept a step further when he said we are to consider the trials we face as pure joy:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Really, facing trials is pure joy? This sounds totally contradictory. But it isn’t a suggestion that you fake it and slap a smile on the deep pain of life. It’s an encouragement that even in the midst of hardship there is a longer, broader view, a perspective that shows us that our trials can lead us to grow and become mature in our faith. And while growth isn’t easy, it can be filled with joy. As we walk in relationship with God, we can grow to experience a sense of joy that comes from understanding there is more than the pain we’re facing. There is a deeper reality at work. There is an unseen source of life flowing within us that can nourish and refresh and cleanse and renew us, much like that clean water in a place of hardship, sickness, and death.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” ().
Really, facing trials is pure joy? This sounds totally contradictory. But it isn’t a suggestion that you fake it and slap a smile on the deep pain of life. It’s an encouragement that even in the midst of hardship there is a longer, broader view, a perspective that shows us that our trials can lead us to grow and become mature in our faith. And while growth isn’t easy, it can be filled with joy. As we walk in relationship with God, we can grow to experience a sense of joy that comes from understanding there is more than the pain we’re facing. There is a deeper reality at work. There is an unseen source of life flowing within us that can nourish and refresh and cleanse and renew us, much like that clean water in a place of hardship, sickness, and death.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Really, facing trials is pure joy? This sounds totally contradictory. But it isn’t a suggestion that you fake it and slap a smile on the deep pain of life. It’s an encouragement that even in the midst of hardship there is a longer, broader view, a perspective that shows us that our trials can lead us to grow and become mature in our faith. And while growth isn’t easy, it can be filled with joy. As we walk in relationship with God, we can grow to experience a sense of joy that comes from understanding there is more than the pain we’re facing. There is a deeper reality at work. There is an unseen source of life flowing within us that can nourish and refresh and cleanse and renew us, much like that clean water in a place of hardship, sickness, and death.
What exactly does this joy look and feel like in our daily lives and reality?
Joy and Connection
Joy and Connection
Remember those pictures of the joy on people’s faces when their village received clean water?
Did you notice that nobody in those pictures is alone?
There isn’t just one person who is super excited and filled with joy—it’s the whole village! The same is true about the good news of Christ and Christmas. The good news of great joy is for all people. Life-giving joy is meant to bubble over and touch others. It can’t help itself. Everyone has the chance to embark on a journey of joy because Jesus came to save us all.
There is no better explanation of pure joy then when a person becomes a parent. I know that when we did we felt like Christmas cameearly. The excitement and happiness was real but it was not just happiness it was pure JOY!
There was no way to wipe off the smile, no way to dapen the mood. Our lives were radically changed by new life. The same is true when you are born again, there is pur joy, a fresh start new life and connection to a church of brothers and sisters who love and support you. There is also a connection to a Supernatural God who loves you beyond human comprehension.
Illustration:
Some years ago my husband was conducting a series of meetings in a large country church in Virginia. He preached a sermon on the Prodigal Son, and I never saw so many young men accept the Lord in one service. They did not look as if they were prodigals, but fine, clean young men. However, God had used the sermon to help them to realize their need of a Saviour. As each one came forward, his mother would give a little shout of joy. I had heard shouting before, but never shouting that seemed to well up from the joy in the heart of each mother over the son who had been lost but was found again. This was the only shouting that ever moved me to tears, and I think I saw that day a faint picture of the joy in heaven over one sinner that repent
In fact, the coming of Jesus and the promise of His second coming are the source of joy to all of creation. Jesus came to set things right and redeem the entire world from sin and death. The good news isn’t just for all shepherds or all Canadians or all Christians. The good news is for the world—everyone.
In fact, the coming of Jesus and the promise of His second coming are the source of joy to all of creation. Jesus came to set things right and redeem the entire world from sin and death. The good news isn’t just for all shepherds or all Americans or all Christians. The good news is for the world—everyone. Joy is uncontained and uncontainable by borders or governments or nationalities or races.
Joy is uncontained and uncontainable by borders or governments or nationalities or races.
The psalmist conveyed such resonating joy in
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Fear and pain isolate us, but joy brings connection.
: “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes” ().
Fear and pain isolate us, but joy brings connection. And the joy of Jesus’s coming goes out into all the earth, connecting us to Himself and to each other.
And the joy of Jesus’s coming goes out into all the earth, connecting us to Himself and to each other.
Joy and Worship
Joy and Worship
So what is our response to joy?
1. Angels from the realms of glory,
wing your flight o'er all the earth;
ye who sang creation's story,
now proclaim Messiah's birth.
Refrain:
Come and worship, come and worship;
worship Christ, the newborn King.
Refrain:
Come and worship, come and worship;
worship Christ, the newborn King.
2. Shepherds in the field abiding,
watching o'er your flocks by night:
God with us is now residing;
yonder shines the infant Light.
3. Sages, leave your contemplations;
brighter visions beam afar;
seek the great desire of nations;
ye have seen his natal star.
4. Saints, before the altar bending,
watching long in hope and fear,
suddenly the Lord, descending,
in his temple shall appear.
5. Though an infant now we view him,
he shall fill his Father's throne,
gather all the nations to him;
every knee shall then bow down.
What do we do when joy interrupts our everyday lives and sets up camp alongside the mundane and the painful?
How do we live in the balance of joy and pain until Jesus comes again?
How do we foster and experience this joy that is offered to us?
Sometimes it’s easy to embrace joy. Sometimes our struggles and hurts are so overwhelming that we are trapped and bound by our fear. Joy can feel so far away, so distant, maybe impossible.
The Bible shows us that the appropriate response to joy is always worship.
I would suggest that worship can also jump-start joy as we fix our eyes on God and His greater reality rather than on immediate problems or the fears we are facing in the moment.
In the Christmas story, the angel announced the good news of great joy, and then the entire host praised God. The shepherds immediately went to see the baby Jesus, worshiped Him, and then left telling everyone they met about what they saw.
Matthew told us the wise men also responded to joy with worship:
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him” ().
Think about all that for a minute.
What might it have looked like?
Shepherds breaking into song?
Wise, exotically dressed sages kneeling and bowing or praying aloud?
As they let God’s message of joy penetrate and sweep away their fear, they were drawn joyously toward God Himself.
It drew them in and lifted them up into God’s life-giving flow of joy.
We can experience the same this season as we journey toward the birth of Christ and live in the truth that the good news of His arrival is the salvation He brings. Peter told us our walk of faith in Jesus brings us a sense of joy:
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” ().
You may be sitting here today thinking,
“That’s all great, but I’m not experiencing any joy in my life.”
That is okay. I get it:
The brokenness of our fallen world stands at odds with Christ’s joy, and in the life on earth, we straddle the tension of our physical and spiritual realities.
This time of year is about good news and great joy that leads to connection and worship can also be a very difficult and lonely time for many of us.
So what can you do when you find yourself there?
I have noticed this time of year it is difficult with all of the noise, to do lists and weariness it is easy to step into complacancy and just coast through. But this morning I’d encourage us all to step into the journey to get back on track in three ways.
I’d encourage us all to step into the journey in three ways.
1. Take the time to connect with others.
Joy can be contagious. And just like the angels were messengers who sparked joy in the various humans, a friend or loved one—or even a complete stranger—can be the spark or bringer of joy.
That person’s experience and sense of joy can rub off on us. Instead of letting your own situation or fear or pain isolate you, allow yourself to step into and connect with the joy of others. This room is a great place to start if you need to find someone to listen, to pray, and to worship.
2. Take time and make the choice to be purposefully thankful.
Gratitude has a way of reminding us of joy and the reasons we have to rejoice even in the midst of pain.
Isn’t that a great word: rejoice?
It’s a verb, an action, and it carries the prefix of repetition. It is joy practiced and repeated.
When has God filled you with joy in the past?
What are His graces and good gifts to you today and in your current life?
Focus on the ways He has and is showing you His goodness.
Make a written list if you need to.
Read and re-read it.
Carry it with you through the day, and let it prompt prayers and expressions of gratitude.
Then don’t be surprised at the growing sense of joy filling and shifting your heart.
3. Let’s worship God for who He is.
The circumstances of life can steal our joy, but even in the darkest times, we can worship God not for what He does but for who He is.
His eternal love and faithfulness never change, despite the ever-changing events of our lives. His goodness and mercy never run out.
Will you continue to journey toward Christmas and open your heart to the God of the universe who came to earth so that we could live in relationship with Him and experience the joy He brings?
Prayer: God, thank You for the good news of great joy that is for everyone—that Your Son, Jesus, has come to save us. Please help us to experience joy alongside the pain of life and to respond to joy in worship. Draw us to Yourself as we draw near to Christmas, and let us be a source of joy to others in this season and every season. Amen
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Benediction: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” ()
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” ()
Sing: Here I am to Worship
Glory to God, glory to God
Glory to God, forever
Glory to God, glory to God
Glory to God, forever
Take my life and let it be
All for You and for Your glory
Take my life and let it be Yours
Take my life and let it be
All for You and for Your glory
Take my life and let it be Yours
Glory to God forever