There is a story about a young pastor of a strict
fundamentalist church in the south, who
was preparing for Sunday morning worship.
It was a severely cold winter morning.
He discovered that an overnight snowfall had made the road to church
impassable, so he decided to skate down the river to church on the ice. He arrived just in time for the worship
service, but he faced the church elders' disapproval, because he had
participated in a sporting activity on the Sabbath.
After being questioned by the church leaders, the pastor was
finally allowed into the pulpit.
Why? Because the pastor had
assured the elders in no uncertain terms, that though he had skated on the
Sabbath, he had not enjoyed it.
When do you feel joy?
Where do you feel joy? Is joy a
part of the Christian Life? Is there joy
in following Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
I believe the answer is yes!
Because at the core of the Christian faith is the gospel, the good news,
glad tidings. Good news is at the heart
of the Christian religion. Jesus at the
beginning of His ministry preaches: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in
the good news.”
That's why we experience joy in our faith in God. This is glorious news. The God of creation, the author of life, is
for us and not against us. God is not
an impersonal, capricious and hostile force, but a personal being, and God's sacrificial
love , enlivens and transforms . God's
salvation, God's saving love in Jesus is astonishing news.
Recall some upbeat praises from Scripture: “Make a
joyful noise all the lands, serve the Lord with gladness, come into his
presence with singing.” “This is the day which the Lord has made, let
us rejoice and be glad in it.” “Sing
joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise
him.” “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances.” The apostle Paul was in a prison cell in Rome , when he wrote: “Rejoice
in the Lord, always, again I say Rejoice.”
Now what is that all about? How
is that even possible in prison?
In our O.T. Lesson we find ourselves at a spectacular event,
the dedication of the temple built by King Solomon. He organizes a national festival and offers
sacrifices to God on behalf of the people of Israel . And after seven days of celebration, we
read: “Solomon sent the people away to
their homes, joyful and in good spirits, because of the goodness that the Lord
had shown to David and to Solomon and to his people Israel .”
Yes, the people knew that the reason this temple was being
dedicated, was because God had made it possible. The Jews were filled with joy because of the
goodness that the Lord has shown them.
Joy arises when we know, when we recognize, when we praise God for His
goodness.
Joy is a response to God's goodness in our lives. Are we speaking of escapist joy, a joy which
pretends that there is no tragedy or suffering, no disappointment or failure in
life? Or a joy that depends upon our
circumstances, that everything around us must be perfect? No.
Mother Teresa speaks of deep joy in her ministry of mercy to the poorest
of the poor on the streets of Calcutta .
Joy is the assurance that sadness, tragedy is not the last
word. Joy means that the resurrected
Savior holds out his hand and offers a new beginning for every disappointment
in life. We can rejoice even in a world
where there is pain as well as happiness.
The late author Lewis Smedes writes:
“Joy is the feeling that it is
all-right with us, even when everything seems all-wrong.”
Joy is a gift to faith from God's Spirit. It is an aspect, a dimension of faith, that
comes from the Holy Spirit. Joy arises
when we experience Christ's promises fulfilled.
Joy is heartfelt delight, gladness in God. Joy comes when we experience the
awe-inspiring presence of God, that is, when we encounter God. Joy is that realization in your heart that
you truly belong to God, today and forever.
Joy is knowing that our salvation is God's gift of grace. Christ has made us acceptable before God and
clothed us in righteousness so we can indeed stand before the holy God. Joy is any moment which opens our eyes and
ears, hearts and minds are open to the amazing surprises of God.
Joy means we do not have to look to the future with dread,
or with a tragic sense that we will never see our loved ones again, because we
live with the knowledge that the future belongs to God and that the victory has
already been won, the assurance of resurrection and a destiny in glory. The joy of faith is a foretaste today, of the
eternal joy to come, when Christ's welcomes us into His eternal Kingdom.
I think these are amazing words from Jesus when he
says: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may
be complete.” The joy we experience
is the joy which enters our hearts through the Spirit at our conversion.
But there is more.
We experience spiritual joy not only from encountering God and hearing
and accepting God's good news, God's word of forgiveness, love and
acceptance, but further, joy comes in
generously sharing that gospel, in embodying that gospel, and reaching out with
that good news, by the power and grace of God in the world. Is that possible?
There was a front-page article in the San Francisco
Chronicle about a metro-transit operator named Linda Wilson-Allen. She loves
the people who ride her bus, learns their names, waits for them if they're late
and makes up the time later on her route.
A woman in her eighties named Ivy had some heavy grocery bags and was
struggling with them. So Linda got out of her seat to carry Ivy's grocery bags
onto the bus. Now Ivy lets other buses pass her stop so she can ride on Linda's
bus.
Linda saw a woman in a bus shelter. She could tell the woman
was new to the area and she was lost. It was almost Thanksgiving, so Linda
said: "You're out here all by yourself. You don't know anybody. Come on over
for Thanksgiving and kick it with me and the kids." Now they're
friends. Linda has built a little
community of blessing on that bus. They bring her potted plants and floral
bouquets. When people found out she likes to wear scarves to accessorize her uniforms,
they started giving them as presents to Linda.
Driving a bus can look like a thankless job: cranky
passengers, engine breakdowns, traffic jams, gum on the seats. How does Linda have this attitude? "Her mood is set at 2:30 A.M. each morning
when she gets down on her knees to pray for 30 minutes. There is a lot to talk
about with the Lord,' says Linda, a member of Glad
Tidings Church
in Hayward .
When she gets to the end of her line, she always says, ‘That's all. I love you. Take care.’ People wonder, Where can I find the Kingdom
of God ? I will tell you
where. You can find it on the #45 bus riding through San Francisco , behind the wheel of a metro
transit vehicle.”
God in Jesus brings joy to our hearts and Christ calls us to
share our Joyful Hearts, which is our stewardship theme for this coming
year! I am filled with joy as I reflect
upon our ministry here at PBPC. We honor
God by sharing in the work of His Kingdom through the ministries of our
congregation. Like our mid-week Youth
and Kingdom Kid’s programs, where children and youth from the preschool,
community and our congregation are growing in their Christian faith, like we
heard from their testimonies at the youth service this summer. This program is led by Robert Gerow and his dedicated volunteers. And our wonderful Pre-school under the
capable leadership of the director Brigitte together with her dedicated
teachers. Our Preschool now has an
enrollment of over 50 children and babies.
It provides a healthy spiritual, intellectual and social foundation for
children and builds community among the preschool families. Some of those families have joined the
church.
We rejoice in our Sunday Evening Roots worship service and
ministry, reaching young adults in our community under the leadership of
Grant. Some of these young adults have
joined our church. We celebrate our
music program, the Sounds of Worship and our Chancel Choir, under the talented
leadership of Esther Jordan and our organist Anne Bay . We enjoy the music of handbells from our
Crusader's and Silver Bells which enhance our worship under the leadership of
Esther and Tammy McEuen.
We see God at work in our prayer and healing ministries in
worship with Helen Sterling and in our congregational care ministry under the
compassionate leadership of Mavis Qualsett, which brings Christ’s love to
members and friends. We offer Bible
study and Christian education opportunities for all ages during the week and on
Sunday mornings. We have faith-filled
and committed leaders – deacons and elders, who enthusiastically serve Christ
in our church.
It is a joy as a congregation to reach out in the community
as we participate in events such as Pacific beachfest and Graffiti Day
dedicated to cleaning up Pacific
Beach . What a joy to see young families and children
enjoying Friday Pizza and Movie Night ministry, which for over 6 years has
reached families in our preschool and new families in our community including
military families.
God has long blessed the community through our congregation's
Sunday Night Ministry, by providing means for nearly 100 homeless people each
week for over two decades under the leadership of Dolores
Shoemaker . We also
serve nearly 300 homeless people through our mail service, where we provide our
address and a way for homeless people to receive anything from checks from the
government to personal mail from families.
I often hear people say: “God bless you, thank you for this mail
service,” as people pick up their mail under the direction of our office
manager Meri Murch and the office
volunteers.
I know people experience the joy of the Lord through the
mission projects we support as a congregation.
We provide clothing and food, volunteers and financial support for CCSA,
Meals on Wheels, Voice of the Martyrs, Urban Youth Collaborative, Baja Presbyterian
Ministries, Military Outreach Ministry, Intervarsity, Heifer Project,
Presbyterian Urban Ministry, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and
international missionaries like Esther Wakeman in Thailand . We are greatly blessed by your generous
giving to our Endowment Fund which annually contributes money to our ministry.
God’s Spirit is among us, guiding us and empowering us and
inspiring us. It is a joy to serve and
God is bringing joy to others through our service. I want to both personally and on behalf of
the elders, thank you for your generous commitment and support this year. God's love is generous and God calls us to
give generously. We are asking for your
prayerful and generous support of your time, talents and money for this coming
year, as together we reach people for Christ's Kingdom.
Jesus Christ cares deeply about your life, your growth in
faith and your participation in His Kingdom.
And be confident that Christ will continue to use you for His work and
glory in this church, and in our community and world. Every pledge, every donation, every gift,
every offering, God honors. Commitment Sunday
is Sunday, November 8. Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it
is fitting for the upright to praise him.
Amen!
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