12/17/23 “Good News of Great Joy”

Good News of Great Joy

Luke 2:8-12

It is officially the 3rd Sunday of Advent.…doesn’t it seem like we just lit our first Advent candle a few days ago?…remember that? it was the candle of Hope.

On that first week of Advent we looked at a prophecy from the book of Isaiah describing in detail some of the characteristics concerning the coming Messiah – including these things:

He will come as a baby, He will be a descendant of King David, He will rule over an eternal kingdom, and that the Messiah will be, in His essence, God.

This prophecy from the ninth chapter of Isaiah, like all of the other Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, were like a fuzzy black & white photograph of events that were yet to come.

Now, 2,000 years after Jesus walked the earth, the completed New Testament provides us with a clear picture of who the Messiah was, the details of His redemptive mission (Which was accomplished on the cross) and a glimpse of His second Advent – His return to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.  

Then, last week (Traditionally understood as the Advent Sunday of Peace) we looked at what the multitude of angels told the shepherds concerning the kind of peace that this baby born in Bethlehem would bring to the world.

It would not be peace between nations….it would not even be peace between individuals…rather, the kind of peace the angels were proclaiming was peace between God and man –

a peace of reconciliation that would only be possible through the life, death, and resurrection of this tiny baby who was lying in a manger in Bethlehem.

Today is the 3rd Sunday of Advent.

Traditionally, the church has described this Sunday each year as the Advent Sunday of Joy.

Now, If you look at our Advent wreath this morning, you’ll notice something different about this week’s candle….it’s not purple like the other 3 weekly Advent candles….today’s candle is more of a pink – or rose – color.

The question always comes up: “Why is the Joy candle a different color than the other candles of hope, peace, and love?” Has it got extra meaning?...Is it special in some way?...what’s going on here?

So, for the answer to this question, we need to travel back in time to the early 4th century when the birth of Jesus began to be celebrated on December 25th of each year.

On a side note, no one really knows the actual day that Mary gave birth to Jesus

December 25th became an agreed upon date within the church for a variety of reasons – One of which was explained by the fourth century theologian Augustine:

“Hence it is that He was born on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us up chose the shortest day, yet the one whence light begins to increase.”

Do you hear what Augustine is saying here?

His point is that it is completely fitting to celebrate the birth of Jesus near the Winter solstice because it is at this time of year in the Northern hemisphere that the days are the shortest – and darkness is at its peak.

This is fitting because Jesus is described as light coming into a dark world – symbolic of remedying the hopeless condition of the sinful heart of man.

Just as days begin to lengthen after the Winter solstice, the arrival of Jesus and the celebration of His birth begins to lift our spirits as well.

So, getting back to the question of why the joy candle is pink rather than purple:

Back around 336 AD, the Holiday of Christmas began to be recognized amongst Christians as a time to celebrate the birth of Christ.

At this time in history – especially with the influence of the Roman emperor Constantine, the church began to become much more liturgical in nature than it had been prior to the 4th century.

Liturgical worship basically means that there were formal prayers, ceremonies, songs, and readings that were observed each & every time Christians would come together….some of these liturgical elements would be specific to the time of year in which they were to be observed.

One of the liturgical observenaces involved a period of time that would be set aside for the preparation of the celebration of Christmas – a time that would eventually be called ‘Advent’.

Four themes were also chosen to be emphasized on each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas…they were:  Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

The thought was that the weeks of Hope, peace, and Love were also to include times of solemn reflection and fasting during the week.

But the 3rd week – the week of Joy – was to be less contemplative, and more celebratory.

Therefore, members of the clergy would wear bright rose-colored vestments and clothing to signify a week of celebration and happiness – a week of JOY… This is why the Joy candle as a different color than the others.

Now, fast-forward about 1,700 years and we still see the influence of these liturgical elements in many worship services today – much more so in Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox churches….

but even in many protestant churches like ours, we have chosen to retain a few liturgical elements of worship from the early centuries of the church; with the Advent wreath and candles being one such example.

Appropriately, our passage for today from Luke chapter 2 is all about a message of Joy.

Verse 8 (Luke 2:8) opens by describing a group of shepherds tending to their sheep in fields just outside the small town of Bethlehem.

(Today, Bethlehem is a suburb of Jerusalem but in the time of Christ, it was just a small town of about 1,000 people…today, the population of Bethlehem is around 27,000 people)

In the first century, the occupation of shepherd was not a prestigious one…

In fact, shepherds were about as low as you could go on the socio-economic ladder of the day…they were on the ‘first rung’ of the ladder, if you will.

According to one description I read, shepherds were just one step above people who had leprosy – and if you know your Jewish history – lepers were completely shunned and closed off from society.

It would be to these lowly, humble people that God would choose to initially reveal the joyful news of the savior’s birth…He didn’t immediately go to the wealthy, upper class, influential people – he went to shepherds.

Today, we would say he went to the small family farmer, or factory workers, or fast-food employees…people who society tends to overlook – they are precisely the people who God has a habit of looking at first!

Think of the disciples: All of them except for Matthew were from meager households, had limited education, and their jobs were anything but prestigious.

This is good news for people like us….ordinary folks in society. Let’s take comfort  in the fact that one’s occupation or income does not place an individual on some higher plane with God….God does not see us (As the world so often sees us) through the lens of our occupation…or bank account…or physical appearance.

When considering mankind, God looks at the heart….he looks at our soul, not these other inconsequential characteristics.

In Verse 9 (Luke 2:9) we are introduced to an angel who appears to the shepherds.

Now, we don’t know the name of this angel, but many speculate that it may have been the angel Gabriel - on account of the fact that he had already delivered messages to Mary and Zechariah, as well as to Daniel in the Old Testament.

The shepherds were terrified at the sight of this extra-terrestrial being…they were scared out of their minds - and believe me, you would be too!

Daniel 10:5-6 provides us with a description of how an angel can appear to man: “I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.”

Yeah, we would all be afraid at the sight of a being like this – in fact – I like how the King James translation describes how the shepherds reacted to seeing this other-worldly being – it says that they were SORE Afraid!...

Now, If someone is SORE afraid, I’m assuming they are way beyond regular afraid…it sounds painful, doesn’t it!?!

Then, in verse 10, the angel begins to speak.

After calming the Sore shepherds down a bit, he informs them that he has been sent to bring them “Good news of great joy”….and that it will be “For all the people.”

Here we have JOY – our Advent theme today.

Besides being represented by a different color of candle, joy itself is a bit different from the other 3 themes of the Advent season.

For one - Joy changes us…Joy settles deep in our soul…Joy is personal!

Not too long ago, Lisa & I were at a Badger basketball game and a couple seats over from us was a young boy about 10 years old.

We could tell by the smile on his face that this was probably the first Badger game he’d ever been to.

He had a sign with him, and at every time-out, he’d stand up and hold his sign above his head – hoping that one of the cameramen would notice it and display it on the jumbotron for the roughly 10,000 people in attendance to see.

Well, sure enough, just before halftime, a camera operator noticed his sign and for the next few seconds, this young fella was larger-than-life on the jumbotron in the Kohl Center.

Now, this little boy was happy before his 3 seconds of “fame”, but there was a completely different look of happiness on his face after seeing his mug on a screen the size of a U-Haul truck!

For those brief moments after his 3 seconds of jumbotron fame, he was different… he was existing in a state of euphoria !

Eventually, his euphoria wore off and by the second half of the game he was back to slurping his beverage and being just “regular happy.”

So, what happened?...why didn’t he remain in that state of euphoria for the rest of the game?...or the rest of the day?...or the rest of the week?

Because experiences that make us happy are also….temporary….they are unable to permanently change our temperament.

But what if I told you this morning that there is something much better than happiness that can cause a permanent change in you…

It can take you from being in a chronic state of sadness, or depression, or anger, or boredom, or apathy, or fear, or cynicism…and deliver you into a chronic state of satisfaction and deep, soul-gratifying contentment.

This thing that I’m describing to you is called spiritual JOY.

…And when you gave your life to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit came to dwell inside of you – and, guess what -  He brought something with Him when he moved in.

He brought Joy – spiritual JOY.

Now you may say, but Pastor Andy, I’m a Christian – I’ve given my life to Jesus - but I’m just not experiencing the kind of deep-seated, Joyful contentment that you’re describing….

Why do I only experience temporary happiness from time-to-time, why am I not experiencing genuine, permanent Joy?

Well, instead of me answering that question, let’s allow the Bible to answer it for us.

As many of you remember, last month, we wrapped up a long sermon series on the book of Philippians…also referred to as the “Epistle of Joy.”

In the fourth chapter of Philippians, Paul talks about how he has “Learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…”(Philippians 4:12)….in other words, he has a deep-seated Joy that doesn’t go away regardless of what’s going on around him.

How does he maintain this level of contentment and joy?

I believe he gives us the answer in the verses leading up to this statement about being chronically content…

Take a look with me at Philippians 4:4-9 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Folks, the secret to experiencing permanent JOY in Christ is found in these 6 verses.

These 6 verses are more valuable than anything money could ever buy….these 6 verses are more valuable than any experience the world could ever offer you.

Look at what this passage tells us to do in order to have lasting joy: (7 things)

1)     Praise God daily

2)     Treat others well

3)     Stop worrying…trust God & His perfect plan for you

4)     Pray Continually

5)     Be thankful

6)     Think righteously

7)     Put your faith into action

I guarantee if you are a believer in Jesus Christ and you are practicing these 7 disciplines – YOU WILL EXPERIENCE PERMANENT JOY IN YOUR LIFE !!

No longer will the idea of Joy be some vague concept, but it will become real to you…it will become personal.

Like that little boy at the basketball game….he was in attendance, but the game  wasn’t personal to him until his face was projected on the jumbotron.

How about you? … when it comes to your faith, are you just attending the game, or have you become an active participant?

Is your faith just an obscure part of your life, along with a bunch of worldly pursuits…or have you decided to devote every facet of your life to Jesus Christ?

JOY happens when you completely buy into being a follower of the savior…

The savior who came to earth as a baby in the little town of Bethlehem…

The savior who loved you enough to die for you and take away your sins….

The savior who still would have gone to the cross if you were the only person on earth….

It is through His sacrifice that true JOY can be found…

This is indeed “Good News of Great Joy”  !!

Let’s Pray.