A Heart of Joy
Matthew 11:2-11
December 15, 16, 2007

Do you know somebody like Stan? Larry had a friend named Stan. They both worked at a prestigious company that had clients around the world. Stan was constantly name-dropping and boasting about his fame. One day, Larry couldn’t take it anymore! He said, “Stan, if you’re so famous and know so many important people, call the White House and get the President on the line.” Stan took out his cell phone and punched in a number and handed the phone to Larry. A familiar Texas accent greeted him, “Hello, this is the President of the United States; how may I help you?” Larry was sure this was an accident or a put on. He said, “Well, that was impressive—but if you are really important, call Buckingham Palace and let me talk to the Queen.” Stan took the phone and punched in another number. He gave Larry the phone and a distinctive voice said: “Hello, this is the Queen of England speaking.” Larry was still suspicious. He said, “All right, so you happen to know the President and the Queen of England.” “But if you’re really a big shot, get the Pope on the phone.” Stan said, “I’ll do better than that—we have an upcoming business trip to Rome—I’ll introduce you!” After they landed in Rome, they took a taxi cab to the Vatican. They came into St. Peter’s Square. A large crowd was waiting for the Pope’s afternoon greeting from the balcony—and Stan and Larry lost track of each other. Larry looked around for Stan, but suddenly a reverent hush fell over the crowd. Larry looked up at the balcony—only to see Stan and the Pope side by side. Larry was shocked! But then someone tapped him on the shoulder. He asked, “Hey, who’s that standing up there with Stan?”

Sometimes we have a similar problem with John the Baptist. We don’t exactly know who he is and what his relation to Jesus is. “Who is that standing there with Jesus?” We wonder why he always shows up right before Christmas—and occasionally hangs around for a couple of weeks or more. And some folks even confuse and mistake him for Jesus. Today we continue to reflect upon the theme: “Discover the Heart of Christmas.”
In recent weeks I have suggested that a part of what it means to have a “heart of Christmas” is to have a heart of peace and a heart of hope. May the peace and hope of Christ be with you! (And also with you!”) And the third “heart of Christmas” quality I would like for us to consider is “joy.” Last week we affirmed that John the Baptist is indeed an important part of the Christmas story. His call to repentance is a call to hope! And yes, ol’ John is still around this week.

THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE LESSON FROM MATTHEW 11 HAS CONNECTIONS TO LAST WEEK’S TEXT FROM MATTHEW 3. As someone profoundly observed, “Those whom the gods would destroy, they first call ‘promising.’” Sitting in prison, John wonders if Jesus is the one? John sends some of his disciples out to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come—or are we to wait for another?” We are all too familiar with questions like that, aren’t we? Folks all across the Commonwealth are wondering: “Is Steven Beshear the one?” Beshear actually preached about repentance too: “One of my first proposals to the legislature will be a package of new ethics laws to govern us—we need to get our own house in order before we can be trusted to do the people’s business.”

In his column last week, I appreciated John David Dyche’s call to accountability for our new governor. But I was also thankful for John David’s challenge for all Kentuckians to clean up our neck of the woods wherever we are in the state. People across the country are wondering: “Will he or she be the one?” Presidential candidates are positioning themselves for next year’s election. We’ll be bombarded from now until next November with discussions and dialogue and debates and dogfights. Fans in Fayetteville, Arkansas, are wondering, “Is he the one?” Will Coach Petrino lead their Razorbacks to the national title? There are a few folks in Atlanta and Louisville who have opinions about all of that.

The one they call the “Baptist” wonders, “Jesus, are you the one?” Jesus sends back a “Dear John” letter. Isn’t it interesting the way Jesus responds to John’s question? Jesus doesn’t offer a simple “yes” or “no.” He tells John’s friends, “Go back and tell John about what you hear and see.” “Be good reporters—tell him about what you have witnessed.” Can you imagine how John must have felt when he received the reports from his friends? The blind receive their sight! The lame walk! The lepers are cleansed! The deaf hear! The dead are raised! The poor have good news! What happens when our hopes (for things that really matter!) are fulfilled? Joy! Joy to the world, the Lord has come! As we heard in the first words of the choir program last Sunday night: Sing joy! Wonderful joy! Sing joy! Wonderful joy!

TO HAVE A HEART OF CHRISTMAS IS TO HAVE A HEART OF JOY—BUT THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF JOY-STEALERS ROAMING AROUND. Sometimes we convince ourselves that the right present or the right program or being at the right party or being with the right person will bring us real joy. It is not easy to get ready for Christmas—and we all too often substitute a season that should be devoted to contemplation and reflection with chaos and busyness! These days leading up to Christmas are not only busy—they are nerve-wracking—particularly if you don’t enjoy shopping.

The Mall of America published a poll that states that 31% of men believe they have a better chance of winning the Heisman Trophy than finding the right holiday gifts for their wives. Only 18% of women feel the same sense of doom about shopping for their spouses. That means that a third of the men here today are under real pressure! Not only that, there are increased demands from our family members because we spend much more time together. Some parent offered this alternative version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” “On the 12th day of Christmas my children gave to me, 12 plumbers plumbing, 11 diaper wipings, 10 Fords a-beeping, 9 songs they can’t sing, 8 ways of belching, 7 tons of washing, 6 teeth decaying, 5 dozen SCREAMS; 4 appalling words, 3 drenched friends, 2 snotty gloves, and a cartridge in a fir tree.” Joy? It can be elusive at this time of the year.

AND YET, JOY CAN ALSO BE AGILE! In the Advent devotional booklet this past week, Dr. Gary Straub describes the “the agility of joy!” “When the word of the Lord comes to us and we do not greet it with faith, it does not produce joy.” “It produces consternation, confusion, chaos, and confounded unbelief.” “All throughout Advent, God’s Spirit is stirring up stuff in our souls.” Gary wonders: “What’s kicking within you these days?” “What sense do you have of the way God is working within?” “Maybe the Spirit is stirring up some gift, some dream, some future hope, some healing, some blessing, or some encouragement?” “Take note—that’s the agility of joy!” “The joy of the season is not rooted in our circumstance, but reflected in our Savior.” “Our faith insists that joy is the heartbeat of Christmas, the unifying reason beneath the season.” Friends, take note—to have a “holly, jolly Christmas” is not the same as having a “heart of Christmas joy.” Joy is not the same as pleasure or happiness or fun or excitement—although we often confuse them. Joy does not guarantee that we will be the life of the party. Joy can even co-exist with pain or loss or heartache or your most serious problems. With joy, the desire itself is experienced as a delight—even when fulfillment seems remote or impossible. Why? Because joy is grounded in God—it transcends the temporary pleasures of this world. C. S. Lewis said, “I doubt whether any who have tasted joy would ever, if both were in their power, exchange it for all the pleasures of the world—but then joy is never in our power and pleasure often is.” That’s why joy often shows up in the strangest places—perhaps in John the Baptist’s prison cell, in the midst of affliction, in a hospital room, in a hospice bed, at a gravesite.

I HAVE HEARD TWO STORIES OF JOY FROM PEOPLE IN OUR CHURCH FAMILY THIS PAST WEEK. The first one comes from someone who has been around this place for a long, long time—he not only goes back to the Van Nostrand days; he has been here since the Lawrenson days. I called Bill Gividen Friday to see how he was doing. He and his wife had gone to Florida to celebrate their anniversary, but he ended up in the hospital—and was very ill. He said, “Leigh, I’ve gotta tell you something—I had an ‘out-of-body’ experience.”
“I was talking with God and said, ‘If it’s my time to go, I’m ready—but I’d rather not right now.” “And I came back—I lost two days somewhere—but I’m back and I feel much better—and I’m so grateful.” “And I have this wonderful, strong voice now—I’ve been singing Christmas carols as loudly as I can.” He even started singing to me over the phone, “The first Noel….” Bill’s daughter told me that they shut his door because he was so loud. He also wandered down to the “Speediatric Wing”—yes, the hospital is near Daytona—because he wanted to sing to the children. Unspeakable joy…from a hospital bed.

The second story comes from one of our littlest angels—the youngest daughter of Joseph and Sylvia Quaye. I recently called her to wish her a happy 4th birthday. No one was home, so I left a message on their answering machine. Sylvia sent me an email: “We got your birthday message for Joelle yesterday and we played it for her.” “She was so excited that she made us play it over and over and over again.” “I have a feeling she thought it was from Santa because she said after about the 5th time of playing your message that ‘Santa is happy with me; I am on the nice list.’” “All this while she was jumping up and down on the bed and clapping her hands.” “I just thought to share this with you.”

Unspeakable joy! Isn’t that what this time of year is all about? A little child shall lead us. This little child—Joelle—whose name even brings together “joy” and “noel”—“Joelle”—“joyful Christmas.” A little child, who has reminded us that we can play that message over and over again… “God is happy with me!” God’s little child…shall lead us to Joy. May the Joy of Christ be with you! (And also with you.)