Everlasting Joy – Sermon 16 December, 2012

Everlasting Joy

Zephaniah 3:14-20, Isaiah 61:1-11

When a new Smart Phone, Tablet, Computer, Game console or a book is on the verge of being released, we see long lines of people waiting for the retailers to open their doors hoping they will be the first to put a hand on the new release. Even many go to the extreme of going to the retailers the day before and anxiously waiting for the opening hour. The same happens when a new movie is being released. But what do people look for when they go and wait? What will that newly released gadget, book or movie will give them for which they wait for hours? Will those things give them satisfaction, happiness and joy?

As we wait in this Advent Season for the coming of Jesus Christ let’s think about real joy.

The theme of the third Sunday of Advent is Joy. The Angel on the night Jesus was born announced to the shepherds saying: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people”. Usually we lose our joy at the most joyous season of the year for different reasons. The Lord Jesus came to the world to bring joy into our hearts, regardless our pain, sorrows and worries. Did He succeed in bringing that joy to us? It is useful to take the time to think and examine our hearts.

When we read the fourth chapter of Philippians, we see that Paul knows the difficulties that the believers face and shows how we can regain the joy that we had lost.

The prophet Isaiah rejoices because the Lord sends him to proclaim the good news of the deliverance to the suffering people of Israel. Joy and happiness, passes from the promise to the reality that God, with His Spirit, anointed someone to give the good news of salvation. It is clear that the relationship between God and His people has been transformed, as our relationship should be transformed today, especially during this Advent season.

The Advent is the time to wait for the Baby Jesus with great excitement. To wait for the One who will be our Saviour. The people of Israel were waiting for salvation and the prophet, in the first verse of chapter sixty-one of his book, refers to an Anointed One, who will save the people.

Today we have the privilege to look to this expression through the lens of Christmas and to see Jesus as the Anointed. But let us not forget that those who were listening to Isaiah did not have that privilege. They were living many centuries before the birth of Jesus. Therefore where is the joy of the people of Israel and ours?

The joy of these words is in the promise that many things will be changed; imprisonment into freedom, mourning into comfort, captivity into liberty, grieving into provision, spirit of despair into praise, ruins into restoration, etc. He gives the details of the change through the Anointed who brings the good news. Not a change of life only, but also promises that this transformation will give power, which is based on the change of heart from sadness to happiness through the right relationship with God.

Only the Anointed could give that joy to us, which also gives us strength for the future. The prophet said that the Oaks of Righteousness will build the ruins and restore the cities. We are the Oaks of Righteousness and the receivers of joy, who know the Anointed. We have the great responsibility to correct the mistakes, restore the broken relationships and stretch a helping hand for those who are in difficulty. We have to stop in our breathless ride, count our blessings and think about the real meaning of Christmas. When we proclaim Christ as the Anointed, we accept that we are the receivers of goodness; therefore we have the responsibility to rebuild and restore. We should do this with joy and gladness. We are happy because God was pleased to send His only Son so that we can have the hope of joyful eternity. Therefore the birth of Christ gives us joy.

The celebrations of Christmas should be the expressions of our joy. These days are days of hope and joy. Come let us pass this joy, our joy, to others, especially to those who do not have it.

Krikor Youmshajekian