Joy to the Word and Such
Gate Pa – Year C 3rd Sunday in Advent,
Readings:
Psalm Isaiah 12:2-6 (God Is My Salvation)
First Reading:
Zephaniah
3:14-20
Second Reading:
Philippians
4:4-7
Gospel:
Luke
3:7-18
What I want to say:
Joy is not happiness. Joy is
a gift. It is planted deep down and there are things we can do to help nurture
our joy.
John the Baptist shows us
how to live lives of joy, unbound for that which takes us away from joy – when we
live generously and compassionately.
How might we practically live
generously and compassionately this Christmas?
What I want to happen:
How might we practically live
generously and compassionately this Christmas?
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
Last week talked
about how Advent reminds us
Christmas is
important
-
not the point
how in Advent we
prepare for
-
Christ of history
– met in Christmas story and in life and ministry Jesus
-
Christ of mystery – meet the Spirit of crucified and risen Christ bringing in reign of
God now in this place
o
see where to
look for this reign by looking at Christ of history
-
Christ of majesty
– our hope in time when God’s reign will fully come
-
however we understand that
o
creation renewed
o
humanity restored
Offered four themes through which to explore all
this
Today is Joy
great theme on
day like today
è day of joy
carol service
tonight – hope invited lots to
for me highlight
after all work choir has done to get to this point
-
experience fruits
of our labours
baptising Angela and
Kayden into people of God
commit to live in
way of Christ
our theme today
is Joy!
how appropriate
2. What is Joy?
Joy is one of the
central themes of our lives as Franciscans
as those who seek
to walk in the footsteps of Francis and Clare
who walked in the
footsteps of Christ
But this joy is
not something we can develop for ourselves
In our principles
it is defined as
“a divine
gift, coming from union with God in Christ. It is still there even in times of darkness and
difficulty, giving us cheerful courage in the face of disappointment, and an
inward serenity and confidence through sickness and suffering. Those of us who
possess it can rejoice in weakness, insults, hardships, and persecutions for
Christ's sake; for when we are weak then we are strong.”
From “The Principles, Third Order, Society of Saint Francis.”
Joy is a gift.
very different
from happiness
It is planted
deep down and there are things we can do to help nurture our joy.
listening to “The
Book of Joy - Lasting Happiness in a Changing World”
By Dalai Lama,
Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams
quote research by
Sonja Lyubomirsky
3 ways to be
joyful
-
Ability to
reframe a situation positively
-
Ability to
experience gratitude
-
Voice to be kind
or generous.
what surprises me
is how often these three ways of nurturing joy keep coming up from the spiritual
traditions Buddhism and Christianity
we pay attention to
joy
we water and nurture
the divine gift of joy
when we
-
reframe a
situation positively
-
experience
gratitude
-
are kind or
generous.
3. Wild John
see these themes
in what gospel writers have given us of the teaching of John the Baptiser
in baptism of
repentance
-
more than saying
sorry
-
changed behaviour
forgiveness facilitates
that
-
sense of being
unbound from how we have seen world and what we have done and
-
those things till
exist in us
-
but we are freed
from their power
-
so that we might
live differently
There is a
warning included
that can’t rely
on things like – “I am baptised” for example
being baptised is
important
not the point
living unchained
from all that prevents us joining with crucified and risen Christ in bringing
in reign of God
that is point
baptism, advent and Christmas.
what that look
like?
4. John’s way
looks lot like
ways we nurture joy
when John asked
that question – what should we do
answer – live generously
and compassionately
reminds us that
poverty exists in world because of
-
greed
-
ongoing desire
for more and better
-
blindness effects
of that on others
-
when we live for
ourselves
-
when, as Dalai
Lama and Archbishop Tutu would say – we lack compassion for the other
è Johns solutions are simple
-
if you have food
and see someone with none – share
-
if you have 2
shirts and see someone naked – share
ð be kind
ð reframe a situation from one of gain for you
to one of compassion
ð be kind or generous
-
if you are a tax
collector or a soldier
ð don’t cause poverty
ð reframe a situation from one of gain for you
to one of compassion
ð experience gratitude for what you have
ð be kind or generous.
think of a world
where this way is lived out
it seems so
simple
think of the joy
this would bring God and us
how might you
live this out this Christmas?
Comments