What Joy Has God Revealed To You?

What Joy Has God Revealed To You?

 

Good Morning Friends,

 

Now since God is omnipresent…everywhere… it follows that we might be as likely to find God hidden in the secular and commercial activities of the season as in a worship service. Since God is present even in situations and areas where it is not obvious maybe we need to be looking for God in unexpected places. Of course, we might find sin there too. But let’s not be too quick to judge. What Joy Has God Revealed To You?

 

Scripture: We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

 

1 John 1:1-4 (NRSV)

 

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;

 

John 20:1a, 2-8 (NRSV)

 

Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.

 

Jeremiah 23:24 (NRSV)

 

After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You must say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

 

Matthew 28:12-15 (NRSV)

 

and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire,

 

Revelation 1:13-14 (NRSV)

 

Message: Now that Christmas day has passed, and our attention is turning to the best of 2017 lists and the likes of the Supreme Court Bowl matchup between Georgia and Oklahoma, we are starting to hear a lot fewer Christmas carols everywhere. Radio stations have stopped playing them 24/7. A week ago, we would hear them in the movies and on TV and in shops. A week ago, it was impossible to find any media that did not have Christmas carols playing. Some of these carols have an obvious message that pertains to the Christmas season — songs like Away in a Manger, Silent Night, and Joy to The World all proclaim proudly the true reason for the season. And though Jesus never sang any of them I think there is some enjoyment in singing the traditional ones, for even the Twelve Days of Christmas has meaning embedded. But I wonder about the songs that have no obvious spiritual connection and if they tend to take the Christ out of Christmas. But what if we could read Christ back into them and redeem the message. I think it is possible that they could proclaim the glory of God too because God cannot be limited by the words of the songs we sing. Maybe next year as a resolution we need to claim the territory as God’s from all the commercialism by not excluding what is God’s but instead acknowledging that the joy of the season can be omnipresent. So here on the third day of Christmas we have a scripture passage on the resurrection and I am reminded that Easter is apparently the second biggest retail event of the year after Christmas. And amid the chocolate, fairy tales and commercialism to come I do not want to forget the mystery of the history of how God breaks into the history of the world in the songs we sing. So, we can practice on the secular Easter songs too but humor me for a moment as we look at the secular Christmas songs we might have heard in 2017. Imagine with me, if Santa Coming to Town was a metaphor for the return of Christ? What if I’m Dreaming of A White Christmas is really about Jesus in Heaven dressed in white. What if we replaced “Frosty the Snowman” with “Jesus Christ” and see what happens. Really there are several lyrics here that might reference Christ and His life. People have been saying Jesus is a fairytale for a long time and though he is not made of snow, He in heaven is dressed in the image of shimmering white snow as pictured in Revelation. How appropriate would it be if the resurrection story were being spread by people who did not even believe? Read today’s scripture from Matthew 28 and think about it. And yes, let’s not forget that children know that he came to life one day is scriptural as well. So, friends, in a way it was Jesus Christ that had to hurry on his way, and waved goodbye, saying “Don’t you cry, I’ll be back again someday.” So maybe it is a bit of a stretch for the reality is that, Frosty the Snowman is a song about a snowman. But it is also can be a metaphor for the death and resurrection of Christ if we choose to believe it. Frosty the Snowman comes to life, the children believe. Maybe we need to redeem more things as God’s if they bring us joy.

 

Pray we find Christian meaning in unexpected places. Pray we like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer shine a way for others to see. Pray we realize that saying Happy Holidays does not take Jesus out of them. Pray we realize we are to keep celebrating Christ each day. Pray our holiday sadness turns to joy. Pray we believe that Christ will come again someday. Pray we believe in the power of Christ’s love to permeate all of creation.

 

Blessings,

 

John Lawson