• About Us
    • Our COVID-19 Plan
    • Our Vision
    • Our Beliefs
    • Our Calendar
    • Our Staff
    • Our Missions
    • Keep in Touch
  • Worship
    • Online Worship
    • Messages
  • Grow
    • Growth Groups
    • Lenten Readings Plan
    • Precious Lambs
  • Serve
  • Give
  • Members
    • Member Portal
    • Directory
Gethsemane Church in Raleigh
  • About Us
    • Our COVID-19 Plan
    • Our Vision
    • Our Beliefs
    • Our Calendar
    • Our Staff
    • Our Missions
    • Keep in Touch
  • Worship
    • Online Worship
    • Messages
  • Grow
    • Growth Groups
    • Lenten Readings Plan
    • Precious Lambs
  • Serve
  • Give
  • Members
    • Member Portal
    • Directory

Simple Joy

12/21/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
I remember my first Christmas Program.

I was super excited. I had on a nice little black suit with a shiny, red bow tie – (It matched my sister’s red dress perfectly.) I had my hair slicked to the side. I was missing a few front teeth.

But boy was I excited! I got up front and we started singing our Christmas carols. “Joy to the world.” I was timid. There were a lot of people. I sang kind of quietly.

Then, the Sunday School teacher did something that perhaps she regretted. (She put her hand to her ear.) And I let her have it with every ounce of joy that my 45 pound body could muster. Off key. Sure. But joyful!

Has your Christmas been like that? Have you knocked your socks off, dropped your head back, opened your mouth wide, and belted it out joyfully?

Or has it been more like me as a preteen. You know…when I was way too cool to sing & way too cool to sing in church. When "Joy to the World" sounded more like “Meh to the World.”

Today we’re continuing our sermon series called A Simple Christmas and no matter where your Christmas joy level is at, God wants you to discover from his Word how to have simple joy this year. 

To do that, let’s take a look at Mary. Because, Mary – she didn’t have a simple Christmas. Mary’s Christmas was complicated.
 
Mary was a young lady. 16-17 years old. She was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph. For Mary, life was simple. Plan the wedding. Plan the wedding cake. Plan the wedding roast – duck or chicken cordon blue. Her life was simple. She needed only wait for the appointed day to marry her husband and begin her life.

Then. One day – as she’s hanging her laundry out to dry, while envisioning herself with flowers in her hair and a beautiful dress highlighting her features. She was interrupted.

A light. A bright light. A brilliant, heavenly light.

And an angel appeared to her. The angel said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled. First of all, because he was an angel. This wasn’t an ornament on a Christmas tree. (Christmas didn’t exist yet). Nor was it an eggnog induced vision. This was a real deal, a divine, heavenly angel.

Secondly, the angel had a message from God. God! What could he want? Did God know about the lustful thoughts she had been having about Joseph before they were married? Did God know about the lustful thoughts she had been having about Joseph’s groomsmen? Did God know that she hadn’t exactly been paying good attention at the Synagogue? Was God here to confront her about that time she ate all of her mom’s cookies and then blamed it on her brother?

She was a sinner. God was holy.

But the message was more frightening than that. “You will conceive and give birth to a Son, you are to call his Name Jesus.”
 
But how? I’m a virgin!

“The holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. The Holy One to be Born will be called the Son of God!”

Then, the angel left her. Alone. With her thoughts. Complicated thoughts.

  • How can I be a mother? I’m so young. I’m not ready.
  • What will my parents say? They won’t believe the baby is from God. I’ll have shamed them.
  • The people? They will see me. They will mutter. They’ll call me a floozy (and much worse names.) I’ll lose friends. I’ll lose acquaintance and I’ll lose…
  • Joseph. Joseph, what would he think? What will I tell Him? He’ll surely divorce me. My simple joy is gone.
Maybe you can relate. Maybe Christmas isn’t as joyful as you make it appear to be.

  • Maybe there isn’t enough money to get your kids the presents you want. In fact, you might not have enough to keep the lights on.
  • Maybe there won’t be any holiday parties. You lost your job a few weeks ago and all you want for Christmas is a good lead.
  • Maybe there won’t be any getting together with your family this year – that thing you said was too awful. Grudges and hurt feelings are all that remain.
  • Maybe the Merry just doesn’t seem to be there because Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special is getting interrupted by updates on ISIS latest threats.
  • Maybe this is the first time you’re spending Christmas alone. The first time without loved ones, without a child, without a spouse.

Alone. Guilty. Sad.

In spite of all the grinning emoji on our last Christmas text message – really – we aren’t joyful.

Psychologists say that when you are stressed, you should take a walk. So Mary walked. She walked to the house of her cousin. Along the way, I’m sure her thoughts tormented her. She could get to her cousin and complained. That's what I would expect her to do!

But she didn't. 

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

Did you see that word? Rejoice. That means “To be joyful.”

How could Mary be joyful? The time was so confusing. It was frightening. Things weren’t not as she pictured them.

It wasn’t the presents. It wasn’t the Gingerbread houses. It wasn’t a new iPhone.  It wasn’t Christmas caroling. It wasn’t a Christmas Special. It wasn’t even a beautiful Poinsettia from her cousin’s garden.

“My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

And you know what? I used to always think of Mary looking up as she sang this song. “Praise be to you, heavenly Father.” And she could have. But....

…what’s to stop her from looking down?

“My Spirit rejoices in you, my child. My spirit rejoices in you my Savior.”

Are you looking for joy this Christmas? Look no farther than Mary’s baby boy. That boy is born in a manger – the kid’s will tell you that soon. But then, he grows up. He lives perfectly when you can not. Then, he dies an innocent death in your place. Then, he rises triumphantly that you might join God in heaven.

He says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only and only Son (Mary’s son – Jesus) that whoever believes in Him, has eternal life!”

If you are looking for joy in presents this year, it won’t last. The presents will fade.
If you are looking for joy in music, the music will stop. Eventually.
If you are looking for joy in family, it may happen. But even then, there will come a time when family ends.
 
But if you look for joy in Jesus, it will be there. Jesus means forgiveness. Jesus means peace with God. Jesus means you are loved with a compassionate love.

Jesus means life.

Ethyl knew that. Ethyl was my friend when I was a junior pastor in Milwaukee, WI. Ethyl loved ceramic figurines. She had a lot of them. I would sit and listen to the histories of those ceramic figurines for a few hours. All while munching on a few sugar cookies.

One time I went to visit Ethyl. But not at her house. In a hospital.

Ethyl was breathing very heavy. Her eyes were blank. Ethyl couldn’t move much. She was in pain and grimacing.

I sent down by Ethyl. I grabbed her hand. “What am I supposed to do?”

Her nephew was there. “It’s too bad. She loves Christmastime. She always loved the decorations. She loved the songs. She loved the Christmas service, too.”

Really?

Joy to the World. The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King!

​
And Ethyl? A tear formed in her eyes. The curves of her lips smiled. She had her joy.

That was Ethyl’s last Christmas. At least on earth. Now – Ethyl sings that song, totally on key, with thousands of angels in heaven.

Joy to the World. May Jesus be that joy for you. Amen.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Picture
    Pastor Phil Kiecker and his wife, Julianna love serving the community of North Raleigh.

    Categories

    All
    500
    ACTS
    Adiaphora
    Advent
    All Powerful
    Alone
    Anger
    Anxiety
    Ascension
    Ash Wednesday
    Atheism
    Attitude
    Authority
    Back To Church
    Backwards Thinking
    Baptism
    Barabbas
    Battleground
    Being Selfless
    Believe
    Betrayal
    Bible Study
    Blessed
    Bold
    Bread Of Life
    Breathe
    Building Project
    Caiaphas
    Caring
    Chapel Hill Shootings
    Charleston
    Chosen
    Christian Living
    Christmas
    Church
    Clean
    Combative
    Comfort
    Commission
    Commitment
    Compassion
    Complete
    Complicated
    Confession
    Confidence
    Confirmation
    Confusion
    Counter Culture
    Courage
    Creed
    Crucifixion
    Danger
    Dark Arts
    Dear Church
    Death
    Debt
    Deep
    Demons
    Depression
    Disappointment
    Disciple
    Diversity
    Divorce
    Don't Be Afraid
    Doubt
    Drowned
    Easter
    Education
    End Times
    Enough
    Entitlement
    Eternal Life
    #EternalLivesMatter
    Evangelism
    Everyone
    Evil
    EYEWITNESS
    Faith
    Faithful
    #FaithTest
    False Teachings
    Family
    Family Matters
    Father
    Fear
    Fighting Temptation
    Firsts
    Fixer Upper
    Follow
    Forgiven
    Forgiveness
    Foundations
    Freedom
    FRESH
    Friendship
    Fufilling
    GIVE
    Giving
    God
    God & Country
    Godly Wisdom
    God's Family
    God's Great Exchange
    God's Not Dead
    God's Will
    God's Word
    Good
    Good Friday
    Good Shepherd Sunday
    Gospel
    Grace
    Greed
    Grow
    Guilt
    Hallelujah
    Hallowed
    Healing
    Heart
    Heaven
    Heavenly King
    Hell
    Help
    Holy
    Holy Spirit
    Homosexuality
    Hope
    Humility
    Hurt
    Idolatry
    Impossible
    Inclusive
    Intimacy
    Jesus
    Joy
    Judgment
    Last Day
    Leaders
    Lent
    Life
    Light
    Love
    Love One Another
    Lust
    Marriage
    Martin Luther
    Maundy Thursday
    Meditations
    Mercy
    Messiah
    Messy
    Ministry
    Miracles
    Mission Work
    Nehemiah
    NEW
    New Life
    New Year
    North Raleigh
    Opportunity
    Outreach
    Palm Sunday
    Parable
    Patience
    Patriotism
    Peace
    Peer Pressure
    Pentecost
    People Of God
    Plan
    Pontius Pilate
    Popularity
    Pornography
    Prayer
    Prepare
    Present
    Priorities
    Promise
    Prophecies Of Isaiah
    Psalms
    Punishment
    Purity
    Race
    Racism
    Raleigh
    Reformation
    Rejection
    Renewal
    Repentance
    Rest
    Resurrection
    RETURN
    Revelation
    #RiseUp
    Runaway
    Salvation
    Satan
    Savior
    Seriousness
    Serve
    Sex
    Sickness
    Simple
    Sin
    Sola
    Son Of God
    Special
    Stand Firm
    Stranger
    Submit
    Substitute
    Suffering
    Surprising Grace
    Thankful
    Thanksgiving
    The Crowd
    The Joshua Program
    The Kingdom Of God
    The Lord's Prayer
    The Lord's Supper
    The Word
    Time With God
    Transfiguration
    Trapped
    Trinity
    True Heart
    Trust
    #TrustGod
    Truth
    Unfaithfulness
    Unity
    Urgency
    Valentine's Day
    Value
    Victory
    Visions Of The End
    Voting
    Walking Together
    Wisdom
    Work
    Worship

    RSS Feed

Gethsemane Lutheran Church
1100 Newton Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27615
(919) 539-2218
pastor@gathertothegarden.com
  • About Us
    • Our COVID-19 Plan
    • Our Vision
    • Our Beliefs
    • Our Calendar
    • Our Staff
    • Our Missions
    • Keep in Touch
  • Worship
    • Online Worship
    • Messages
  • Grow
    • Growth Groups
    • Lenten Readings Plan
    • Precious Lambs
  • Serve
  • Give
  • Members
    • Member Portal
    • Directory