WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.980 All right, today is joy, and you'll notice on 00:00:03.980 --> 00:00:10.240 our joy banner, our focus is on the magi, the 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:13.240 joy of the magi. And I've just been enjoying 00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:18.960 their part of this story in the Bible, because 00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:21.620 their story is a story of worship. Their story 00:00:21.620 --> 00:00:26.620 is a story of joy. And so we read it at the beginning 00:00:26.620 --> 00:00:31.460 as Carter was lighting our Advent candle. But 00:00:31.460 --> 00:00:34.780 they were a group of people that were traveling, 00:00:34.939 --> 00:00:38.109 weren't they? They were travelers. And that's 00:00:38.109 --> 00:00:41.289 who we are. We are pilgrimage people. And so 00:00:41.289 --> 00:00:45.170 when I'm walking in the woods, I like to walk 00:00:45.170 --> 00:00:48.429 where there's trees and woods. And I usually, 00:00:48.490 --> 00:00:51.070 in those moments, I don't like to listen to things. 00:00:51.189 --> 00:00:55.689 I don't like to listen to podcasts or even music. 00:00:55.710 --> 00:00:59.210 I like it quiet and silent. I think it resets 00:00:59.210 --> 00:01:03.969 my brain and my spirit. But I've discovered every 00:01:03.969 --> 00:01:08.519 once in a while. The Walking Song. Who were the 00:01:08.519 --> 00:01:12.340 pre -Hobbit people? Who were they called? I know 00:01:12.340 --> 00:01:15.099 you all don't know. You're not a nerdy bunch, 00:01:15.239 --> 00:01:19.079 and Rachel's not here. She's my only other, like, 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:24.560 real Lord of the Rings nerd. And so the people 00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:26.980 before they became Hobbits that settled, they 00:01:26.980 --> 00:01:31.900 were a wandering people. Harfoots. Thank you. 00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:42.989 Thank you, Charlene. And they were like a nomadic 00:01:42.989 --> 00:01:45.829 people. And so whenever they were, oh, there 00:01:45.829 --> 00:01:48.430 she is, Rachel. We're just talking about the 00:01:48.430 --> 00:01:51.790 rings of power. Whenever they were traveling, 00:01:52.129 --> 00:01:55.170 they would have walking songs that they would 00:01:55.170 --> 00:01:59.650 sing. And so one day I was walking through the 00:01:59.650 --> 00:02:02.250 woods, and I just had it in me, I need to listen 00:02:02.250 --> 00:02:06.700 to this wandering song. And so I began to play 00:02:06.700 --> 00:02:09.060 it. It was actually the Sunday that I took off 00:02:09.060 --> 00:02:11.259 and said, I'm leaving you all and I'm going for 00:02:11.259 --> 00:02:14.900 a hike in the woods. And I began to listen to 00:02:14.900 --> 00:02:17.539 this song as I was hiking through the woods and 00:02:17.539 --> 00:02:20.520 just felt the presence of the Lord. And it just 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:25.159 simply says, I trade all I've known for the unknown 00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:29.379 ahead. Call to me, call to me, lands far away. 00:02:29.460 --> 00:02:32.539 If I had a voice, I would sing it for you. Of 00:02:32.539 --> 00:02:36.300 drink I have little, in food I have less. My 00:02:36.300 --> 00:02:41.219 strength tells me no, but the path demands yes. 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:46.400 My legs are so short and the way is so long. 00:02:46.780 --> 00:02:50.599 I've no rest nor comfort, nor comfort but song. 00:02:51.539 --> 00:02:56.560 Sing to me, sing to me lands far away. Oh, rise 00:02:56.560 --> 00:03:00.419 up and guide me this wandering day. My friend, 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:03.879 we have a land far away calling to us here today. 00:03:04.659 --> 00:03:11.060 We are a pilgrimage people. This is not our final 00:03:11.060 --> 00:03:15.400 home. There is a land that calls to us today. 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:21.139 There is a path that we are on that demands our 00:03:21.139 --> 00:03:25.500 yes. And as I was listening to that, it was just 00:03:25.500 --> 00:03:28.639 resonating. My eternal home, it was like I could 00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:31.360 just hear it. Even as I'm saying it, I can feel 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:36.419 it. Hearing it call to me. Come on, Cammie. We're 00:03:36.419 --> 00:03:39.860 waiting for you. We're waiting for you. Stay 00:03:39.860 --> 00:03:43.139 on this path. And when I hear the call, I can't 00:03:43.139 --> 00:03:47.219 help but, yes, I got to go. I got to go. Right? 00:03:49.719 --> 00:03:55.840 We are traveling. ever toward our home and so 00:03:55.840 --> 00:04:01.599 my question is what or who is guiding you on 00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:05.120 your journey today we're celebrating the advent 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:10.099 week of joy and in that we are following this 00:04:10.099 --> 00:04:14.419 company of travelers the magi who are on this 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:19.259 journey of joyful worship it was a journey marked 00:04:20.290 --> 00:04:24.129 by joyful worship. And so before we talk about 00:04:24.129 --> 00:04:27.970 their journey, I want you to envision for a moment 00:04:27.970 --> 00:04:32.089 a tale of two kingdoms. I want you to take for 00:04:32.089 --> 00:04:34.550 a moment and just imagine. I think God gives 00:04:34.550 --> 00:04:36.829 us imaginations, and sometimes we just need to 00:04:36.829 --> 00:04:39.910 stop and use our imagination. And so I want you 00:04:39.910 --> 00:04:42.810 just to imagine for a moment the kingdom of darkness. 00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:46.759 Some of you, that might be a very real, you don't 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:48.899 need to imagine anything. What you came out of 00:04:48.899 --> 00:04:53.980 was just very real. But this kingdom of darkness 00:04:53.980 --> 00:05:00.279 that's characterized by sin, by evil, by lies, 00:05:00.519 --> 00:05:09.300 by misery and chaos, a waste of purpose, death, 00:05:09.639 --> 00:05:19.750 hatred. Spiritual bondage. It's a real kingdom. 00:05:21.129 --> 00:05:24.870 Right? We've seen it portrayed in all kinds of 00:05:24.870 --> 00:05:28.410 movies, good and evil. And even now, in your 00:05:28.410 --> 00:05:30.670 imagination, you might be imagining a scene that 00:05:30.670 --> 00:05:33.790 you've seen that really replicates what that 00:05:33.790 --> 00:05:38.129 kingdom of darkness looks like. It's a real kingdom, 00:05:38.189 --> 00:05:41.620 though. It's not a fictional place. The kingdom 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:46.600 of darkness is real. And it operates in deception 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:54.240 and fear and rebellion. The tale of two kingdoms, 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:58.540 the kingdom of darkness and in opposition, the 00:05:58.540 --> 00:06:03.819 kingdom of light. And it's such a contrast between 00:06:03.819 --> 00:06:07.959 the two kingdoms, isn't it? The kingdom of light, 00:06:08.040 --> 00:06:12.160 which is characterized by goodness and peace, 00:06:12.540 --> 00:06:20.079 eternal life, divine purpose, righteousness, 00:06:20.600 --> 00:06:26.240 joy. It's in such opposition to the kingdom of 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:30.920 darkness. It operates in truth and freedom and 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:35.439 love. Which kingdom would you choose in a tale 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:40.459 of two kingdoms? Right? I love, and Darren made 00:06:40.459 --> 00:06:44.480 me years ago a porch swing, and he had engraved 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:48.879 on the top of it this verse out of Romans 14. 00:06:49.079 --> 00:06:52.319 For the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, 00:06:52.540 --> 00:06:59.550 and joy in the Holy Spirit. This kingdom that 00:06:59.550 --> 00:07:03.209 we are a part of should be a kingdom of joy. 00:07:04.230 --> 00:07:07.370 And we're not talking today about an emotion. 00:07:08.170 --> 00:07:11.930 So often we come into this thinking it has something 00:07:11.930 --> 00:07:16.629 to do with our emotions, and it doesn't. However, 00:07:16.910 --> 00:07:20.769 I want to read to you this. It was a study based 00:07:20.769 --> 00:07:24.240 in Britain. And here's what they found, that 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:27.939 people older than 52, raise your hands. I'm not 00:07:27.939 --> 00:07:30.579 there yet. I'm just turning 51, so I get to keep 00:07:30.579 --> 00:07:33.180 my hand down. I think it shouldn't yours be up. 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:37.839 You're awfully. Okay, let me see them again. 00:07:37.899 --> 00:07:41.519 You're over 52. Okay, here's your statistic. 00:07:43.240 --> 00:07:45.540 Just barely. Doesn't matter. You're over. You're 00:07:45.540 --> 00:07:51.790 over. People older, until I turn 52, and then 00:07:51.790 --> 00:07:54.730 it'll be a different story. People older than 00:07:54.730 --> 00:08:06.870 52 tend to be grumpier than younger people. Linda's 00:08:06.870 --> 00:08:11.949 the exception. People, man, oh, the 52 -year 00:08:11.949 --> 00:08:16.209 -olds are all rising up. I'm definitely not going 00:08:16.209 --> 00:08:21.730 to the seniors group this week. Hey, I didn't 00:08:21.730 --> 00:08:26.089 say this. The study said it. Okay, 52 tend to 00:08:26.089 --> 00:08:30.129 be grumpier than younger people. The poll results 00:08:30.129 --> 00:08:35.370 found that those over 50, so I'm in this group, 00:08:35.870 --> 00:08:42.809 laughed far less and complained far more than 00:08:42.809 --> 00:08:46.470 people under 50. You laugh less, you complain 00:08:46.470 --> 00:08:52.730 more. I can tell you're all loving this study. 00:08:56.070 --> 00:08:59.490 The study found, now listen, it's going to get 00:08:59.490 --> 00:09:03.809 interesting. The average number of laughs per 00:09:03.809 --> 00:09:06.250 day, now I've helped you with this today, so 00:09:06.250 --> 00:09:11.450 here you go. The laughs per day declines as a 00:09:11.450 --> 00:09:16.659 person ages. Infants, we've got an infant in 00:09:16.659 --> 00:09:21.220 the room today. Infants generally laughed up 00:09:21.220 --> 00:09:27.840 to 300 times per day. An infant will laugh up 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:33.899 to 300 times per day. While teenagers laugh an 00:09:33.899 --> 00:09:41.139 average of six times a day. Hey, it just gets 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:45.379 worse from here. Don't be judging them because 00:09:45.379 --> 00:09:49.899 it's getting worse for us. By the time a person 00:09:49.899 --> 00:09:54.799 reaches the age of 60, the laughs per day had 00:09:54.799 --> 00:10:06.419 declined to only 2 .5. Are we talking about being 00:10:06.419 --> 00:10:14.169 a greeter at the Walmart door, Jill? Listen, 00:10:14.269 --> 00:10:19.169 here's the takeaway. An infant laughs up to 300 00:10:19.169 --> 00:10:23.590 times per day. I believe that we were created 00:10:23.590 --> 00:10:29.789 with the capacity for great joy. And we have 00:10:29.789 --> 00:10:35.990 let life and circumstances drain that capacity, 00:10:36.250 --> 00:10:41.570 narrow that capacity down. And I believe as kingdom 00:10:41.570 --> 00:10:45.100 people, And I know, and I believe this is why 00:10:45.100 --> 00:10:47.039 some of you are like, no way, no way, because 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:51.639 we're kingdom people. And as kingdom people, 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:55.620 what does it say about our youth in Isaiah? It 00:10:55.620 --> 00:10:59.240 gets renewed. I believe that we can begin to 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:03.620 laugh again as kingdom people, right? As our 00:11:03.620 --> 00:11:07.299 youth is renewed, our capacity is restored to 00:11:07.299 --> 00:11:10.320 laugh and to be containers of joy of the Lord. 00:11:11.149 --> 00:11:14.590 And so today, I just want to say, let's increase 00:11:14.590 --> 00:11:18.950 our capacity for joy. Let's increase and not 00:11:18.950 --> 00:11:22.370 be a part of this world statistics and say, we 00:11:22.370 --> 00:11:24.990 want to be a people that look a little different, 00:11:25.070 --> 00:11:29.350 that are marked by joy. And so today's text, 00:11:29.549 --> 00:11:31.970 we read a bit of it before, but I want us to 00:11:31.970 --> 00:11:35.629 focus in on Matthew chapter 1, verses 10 and 00:11:35.629 --> 00:11:39.409 11. They had been traveling, the magi, they had 00:11:39.409 --> 00:11:44.250 been traveling looking for this child. And finally, 00:11:44.330 --> 00:11:50.070 after their travels, it says they saw the star 00:11:50.070 --> 00:11:57.370 and they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 00:11:58.070 --> 00:12:04.370 Not just joy, not just great joy, exceedingly 00:12:04.370 --> 00:12:09.299 great joy. Why? They've been following the star 00:12:09.299 --> 00:12:12.200 all along. They had seen the star all along. 00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:16.759 But there came the moment when the star stopped 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:24.659 and marked the presence. And as it marked the 00:12:24.659 --> 00:12:28.379 presence, the response that arose up within the 00:12:28.379 --> 00:12:35.240 Magi was that of exceedingly great joy. And when 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:39.139 they had come into the house, they saw the young 00:12:39.139 --> 00:12:43.379 child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and 00:12:43.379 --> 00:12:47.940 worshipped him. These great, distinguished, educated 00:12:47.940 --> 00:12:56.320 astronomers. They fell down at this child's feet 00:12:56.320 --> 00:13:00.389 and worshipped. And then they opened their treasures 00:13:00.389 --> 00:13:03.970 and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, 00:13:03.970 --> 00:13:07.529 and myrrh. Back in the 80s, there was a very 00:13:07.529 --> 00:13:10.710 popular definition of joy, which some of you 00:13:10.710 --> 00:13:13.929 probably remember. And it has stuck with me. 00:13:13.970 --> 00:13:16.669 It used to be, I think, in the women's bathroom 00:13:16.669 --> 00:13:20.970 of Faith Church when I was growing up in Washington. 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:26.019 And it was simply this. Here is a very simplified 00:13:26.019 --> 00:13:35.340 definition of joy. Jesus, others, and you. Right? 00:13:35.399 --> 00:13:41.039 In that order. J -O -Y. Jesus, others, and you. 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:45.559 Would you like to come and sing it for us, Jesse? 00:13:46.919 --> 00:13:50.799 You can sing that to jingle bells, I hear. This 00:13:50.799 --> 00:13:53.799 might be a good bingo night rendition for us 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:57.820 tonight. You're going to get it stuck forever 00:13:57.820 --> 00:14:01.620 in your head. Jesus, others, you. And that might 00:14:01.620 --> 00:14:04.779 seem like that's so 20 years ago. I guess I'm 00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:10.399 older than that. 40 years ago. 40 years ago. 00:14:11.379 --> 00:14:15.370 But there is truth in it. In this alignment, 00:14:15.549 --> 00:14:19.190 there is joy. And so I want us for a moment to 00:14:19.190 --> 00:14:22.429 walk through this. And it begins with Jesus, 00:14:22.649 --> 00:14:30.090 his presence. The joy of his presence. And this 00:14:30.090 --> 00:14:34.950 kind of joy is not anything that is self -generated. 00:14:35.289 --> 00:14:40.340 I am not the originator of joy in my life. I 00:14:40.340 --> 00:14:44.240 am not the source of joy in my life. There is 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:52.139 only one giver of joy, and it is Jesus. The magi, 00:14:52.139 --> 00:14:57.460 exceedingly great joy, came to them as they observed 00:14:57.460 --> 00:15:02.980 the star marking the place of his presence. There 00:15:02.980 --> 00:15:05.759 is something about a life that has been marked 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:12.840 by his presence. It is a life that is marked 00:15:12.840 --> 00:15:17.519 by joy. I want to walk through a few examples 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:20.820 of this because we hear and we even sang it today. 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:24.340 The joy of the Lord is my strength and that sounds 00:15:24.340 --> 00:15:29.980 so good. But man, how do you walk in that? What 00:15:29.980 --> 00:15:33.440 does that mean when everything around me just 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:38.360 is kind of stinky? Let me just give you a little 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:41.899 bit of inspiration. For what that can look like. 00:15:42.039 --> 00:15:45.139 You've heard me talk about him before. But I 00:15:45.139 --> 00:15:48.519 can't talk about joy in our daily life without 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:53.279 talking about Brother Lawrence. A 1700 monk who 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:56.799 didn't just pray in a chapel. He prayed while 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:00.840 peeling potatoes. He was the chef of the monastery. 00:16:01.320 --> 00:16:05.620 And day in and day out. And it wasn't like today. 00:16:05.700 --> 00:16:08.360 He didn't have KitchenAid, beautiful mixer that 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:11.279 I have, two of them, praise the Lord. He didn't 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:15.440 have a microwave. He didn't have a gas stove 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:19.559 to flick on. He had to go chop the wood to bring 00:16:19.559 --> 00:16:25.059 it in and start the fires, right? And so it was 00:16:25.059 --> 00:16:29.419 this kind of life, the day in and day out monotony. 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:34.519 He didn't worship just during services. He worshiped 00:16:34.519 --> 00:16:38.600 while he scrubbed pans. And here's the key. Here's 00:16:38.600 --> 00:16:41.179 what he said, Brother Lawrence. There was no 00:16:41.179 --> 00:16:47.340 difference to him between the time he spent doing 00:16:47.340 --> 00:16:53.960 business in life, between the time in the soapy 00:16:53.960 --> 00:16:56.279 water, that was his business, and the peeling 00:16:56.279 --> 00:17:00.070 of potatoes. There was no difference from that 00:17:00.070 --> 00:17:03.490 to when he was on his knees in prayer. It was 00:17:03.490 --> 00:17:07.710 all the same to him. He lived life marked by 00:17:07.710 --> 00:17:11.390 the presence of God. God was in both places. 00:17:12.710 --> 00:17:16.109 Susanna Wesley, she was one of my heroes as I 00:17:16.109 --> 00:17:19.190 was raising my children, mother of John and Charles 00:17:19.190 --> 00:17:22.890 Wesley, two of the most influential leaders in 00:17:22.890 --> 00:17:27.859 church history, wrote many hymns. She had 19 00:17:27.859 --> 00:17:34.420 children. This being in the chaos of 18th century 00:17:34.420 --> 00:17:38.279 life. No tablets for her so that she could have 00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:45.160 quiet time. No dishwashers, no air conditioning, 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:51.079 no Walmart grocery pickups. Here's what she did. 00:17:51.660 --> 00:17:54.759 She would sit down in her kitchen. she would 00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:59.559 throw her apron over her head and pray. That 00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:03.279 apron became a holy place. It was her tent of 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:09.200 meeting. Everyone, every child in the house knew 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:12.539 when Mama's got her apron over her head, you 00:18:12.539 --> 00:18:17.980 don't bother her. She's talking to Jesus, and 00:18:17.980 --> 00:18:21.039 she did that every day, often up to two hours. 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:26.200 Not in a cathedral, not on a retreat, not on 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:30.700 a mom's night out, but in the middle of the clatter, 00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:35.440 the crying, and the chores of 19 kids. She made 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:38.700 space. She had been marked by the presence of 00:18:38.700 --> 00:18:43.259 God. In the early church, in the early centuries 00:18:43.259 --> 00:18:46.500 of the church, before Christianity was legalized, 00:18:46.680 --> 00:18:50.339 following Jesus was dangerous. It is around the 00:18:50.339 --> 00:18:55.440 world today. Eyewitnesses recorded stories of 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:58.759 Christians led into Roman arenas to be executed. 00:18:59.019 --> 00:19:03.279 And instead of cursing their fate, they sang 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:11.200 hymns. Not dirges, not laments. They sang songs 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:16.130 of joy. One of the most well -documented examples 00:19:16.130 --> 00:19:20.210 was that of Perpetua and Felicitas, two young 00:19:20.210 --> 00:19:24.769 women imprisoned in North Africa in 2003. Or 00:19:24.769 --> 00:19:29.309 203, sorry. On the day of their execution, they 00:19:29.309 --> 00:19:34.849 marched into the arena in dignity and sang. And 00:19:34.849 --> 00:19:38.230 here's what shook the Roman world. The people 00:19:38.230 --> 00:19:40.690 didn't just see martyrs die, they saw them die 00:19:40.690 --> 00:19:44.329 singing, and many came to faith because of that. 00:19:45.109 --> 00:19:49.750 They were singing songs of joy. The underground 00:19:49.750 --> 00:19:52.549 church in China, one young woman had been imprisoned 00:19:52.549 --> 00:19:56.289 for her faith and said, he was with me in the 00:19:56.289 --> 00:20:01.089 cell, I was never alone. And I'm so happy to 00:20:01.089 --> 00:20:04.960 be with him again in worship. Jonathan Edwards, 00:20:05.259 --> 00:20:10.700 known to be a preacher of great conviction, of 00:20:10.700 --> 00:20:14.240 gravity. You may have heard of his sermon, famous 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:17.240 sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. 00:20:20.220 --> 00:20:24.599 It was reported that as the one local farmer 00:20:24.599 --> 00:20:27.359 wrote, as they were walking home under the stars 00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:32.259 following the service, they did not speak. For 00:20:32.259 --> 00:20:39.619 the joy was too heavy for words. Jerusha, his 00:20:39.619 --> 00:20:42.539 daughter, sitting in silence after a service, 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:46.279 her heart so full of joy, she feared it would 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:52.240 burst. For you sports fans, Reggie White, NFL. 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:56.980 He once said, I believe the joy that comes from 00:20:56.980 --> 00:21:00.420 being with God is better than any victory I've 00:21:00.420 --> 00:21:04.420 had on the field. He was known for encouraging 00:21:04.420 --> 00:21:07.779 teammates, smiling during games, and carrying 00:21:07.779 --> 00:21:10.980 himself with peace and confidence that didn't 00:21:10.980 --> 00:21:13.880 come from stats or contracts, but knowing he 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:18.109 was walking with God. Richard Warmbrand. a Romanian 00:21:18.109 --> 00:21:21.029 pastor in the communist takeover in the 20th 00:21:21.029 --> 00:21:23.890 century. For preaching the gospel, was arrested 00:21:23.890 --> 00:21:27.849 and spent 14 years in prison, much of it in solitary 00:21:27.849 --> 00:21:31.410 confinement. Tortured, starved, and forbidden 00:21:31.410 --> 00:21:34.710 to speak the name of Jesus. And he wrote about 00:21:34.710 --> 00:21:40.269 his time in prison. He began to move into a place 00:21:40.269 --> 00:21:44.650 of such joy that he said, I have danced for joy 00:21:44.650 --> 00:21:48.109 in the cell. where I was kept for three years. 00:21:49.289 --> 00:21:53.569 No music, no light, no Bible. He just danced 00:21:53.569 --> 00:21:56.869 for joy in the presence of the Lord in that cell. 00:21:58.509 --> 00:22:01.750 This man went on to found, you may have heard 00:22:01.750 --> 00:22:05.470 of it, the voice of the martyrs, telling the 00:22:05.470 --> 00:22:10.099 stories of believers worldwide. Listen, Psalm 00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:15.019 1611 says it. It is in your presence that there 00:22:15.019 --> 00:22:21.099 is fullness of joy. It is not for the ideal times. 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:25.180 These are just a few examples. You could go on 00:22:25.180 --> 00:22:28.880 all day. It has nothing to do with your circumstances. 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:34.509 It has everything to do with his presence. And 00:22:34.509 --> 00:22:37.210 I find it interesting that in neuroscience, we 00:22:37.210 --> 00:22:43.609 have this thing called mirror neurons. And so 00:22:43.609 --> 00:22:47.450 in your brain, there are parts that are fired 00:22:47.450 --> 00:22:51.250 not just when you do something, but when you 00:22:51.250 --> 00:22:55.650 see someone else do it. So it's why you see somebody 00:22:55.650 --> 00:22:59.779 stub their toe and you wince, right? You watch 00:22:59.779 --> 00:23:03.240 a sappy Hallmark movie and you start crying. 00:23:04.200 --> 00:23:06.240 Not because of anything that's happening to you. 00:23:06.299 --> 00:23:08.440 You didn't meet the man in flannel and give up 00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:11.619 everything to go live on his farm. But you're 00:23:11.619 --> 00:23:25.779 crying. Gotta love a guy in flannel. That's why 00:23:25.779 --> 00:23:32.009 you wore that today, isn't it? Your brain mirrors 00:23:32.009 --> 00:23:41.990 what it sees. So in a sense, we're wired, literally 00:23:41.990 --> 00:23:48.990 wired for connection. And so when you are literally 00:23:48.990 --> 00:23:51.670 feeling other people's experience in your own 00:23:51.670 --> 00:23:54.990 bodies, when you are around a calm person, you'll 00:23:54.990 --> 00:23:59.289 become calm. When you're around someone joyful, 00:23:59.609 --> 00:24:04.349 you will begin to be joyful. So let's think about 00:24:04.349 --> 00:24:09.430 that now on a spiritual level. What happens when 00:24:09.430 --> 00:24:13.750 you spend time in the presence of the creator 00:24:13.750 --> 00:24:18.970 of the universe? What happens when you spend 00:24:18.970 --> 00:24:22.009 time with our perfect, loving, joyful father? 00:24:23.430 --> 00:24:27.200 You are literally wired to begin to... reflect, 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:33.440 and mirror him. You are wired to emotionally 00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:37.900 respond to the people we're with, and so spending 00:24:37.900 --> 00:24:42.920 time in the presence of God should awaken joy 00:24:42.920 --> 00:24:48.339 in us. He is joy, and we can't spend time with 00:24:48.339 --> 00:24:55.069 him and not begin to experience joy. your brain 00:24:55.069 --> 00:25:00.730 begins to be fired up and responds. It's not 00:25:00.730 --> 00:25:04.529 a forced happiness. It's not an artificial cheer, 00:25:04.710 --> 00:25:10.549 but it's a real soul -deep joy that mirrors the 00:25:10.549 --> 00:25:13.869 heart of the Father. You were created for that. 00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:18.539 And so joy doesn't come from your circumstance. 00:25:18.539 --> 00:25:22.039 It doesn't come from you. It comes as you spend 00:25:22.039 --> 00:25:30.000 time in the presence of our Lord. And so it matters 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:33.359 not what's going on. He is with you. He's with 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:35.559 you in the dark places and the broken places. 00:25:35.900 --> 00:25:41.500 He is available to you at all times. And so as 00:25:41.500 --> 00:25:45.480 you engage with the Father, joy. awakened. And 00:25:45.480 --> 00:25:49.000 so we begin, always, always, the starting point 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:55.940 is joy comes from Jesus. Now, some of us like 00:25:55.940 --> 00:25:59.019 to just have the joy of others. Some of us think 00:25:59.019 --> 00:26:01.259 we can have just the joy with Jesus and we don't 00:26:01.259 --> 00:26:04.019 have to bother with the others. But the truth 00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:08.369 is, is that there is joy in community. You were 00:26:08.369 --> 00:26:13.890 created. The term magi is not a singular term. 00:26:14.009 --> 00:26:19.710 It is a plural term. This was a group of men 00:26:19.710 --> 00:26:24.809 traveling together. They were a company of men 00:26:24.809 --> 00:26:30.150 on a mission together. We were meant to do it 00:26:30.150 --> 00:26:35.029 together. A diary was found in the home of an 00:26:35.029 --> 00:26:40.910 elderly lady. who had passed away. The same line 00:26:40.910 --> 00:26:43.730 was found for every day for the last years of 00:26:43.730 --> 00:26:46.869 her life. Each day she had written down, no one 00:26:46.869 --> 00:26:52.630 visited, no one called, no one cared. We were 00:26:52.630 --> 00:26:57.730 designed to have others in our life. We were 00:26:57.730 --> 00:27:02.390 designed to be in community. In fact, in the 00:27:02.390 --> 00:27:07.059 words of Hebrews chapter 10, Verse 24, he says, 00:27:07.140 --> 00:27:09.980 and let us consider how we may spur one another 00:27:09.980 --> 00:27:14.059 on toward love and good deeds, not giving up 00:27:14.059 --> 00:27:18.000 meeting together as some are in the habit of 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:22.180 doing, but encouraging one another. And all the 00:27:22.180 --> 00:27:25.259 more as you see the day approaching, the closer 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:29.619 we get in our journey toward eternity, the more 00:27:29.619 --> 00:27:37.660 we need one another. And so how we interact as 00:27:37.660 --> 00:27:41.400 a community is important. We just read what Hebrews 00:27:41.400 --> 00:27:44.160 said. Let me put it in a way that will get this 00:27:44.160 --> 00:27:45.700 in your mind and you'll leave here with this 00:27:45.700 --> 00:27:47.799 stuck in your brain. It's been in mine all morning. 00:27:48.059 --> 00:27:51.940 In the words of Willie Nelson, you were always 00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:58.019 on my mind. Maybe I didn't love you. Would you 00:27:58.019 --> 00:28:03.079 like to come sing it, Darren? Maybe I didn't 00:28:03.079 --> 00:28:08.119 love you quite as often as I could have. And 00:28:08.119 --> 00:28:11.539 maybe I didn't treat you quite as good as I should 00:28:11.539 --> 00:28:16.619 have. If I made you feel second best, I'm sorry 00:28:16.619 --> 00:28:22.079 I was blind. You were always on my mind. And 00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:24.680 maybe I didn't hold you all those lonely, lonely 00:28:24.680 --> 00:28:28.240 times. I guess I never told you I'm so happy 00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:32.400 you're mine. Little things I should have said 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:36.740 and done. I just never took the time. But you 00:28:36.740 --> 00:28:40.440 were always on my mind. See, I wanted you to 00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:44.400 get this stuck to remind you, as it goes through 00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:48.599 your head this week, the little things matter 00:28:48.599 --> 00:28:56.220 with one another. A quick text to somebody. Hey, 00:28:56.380 --> 00:29:00.220 I missed you today. What does this let us know? 00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:05.960 We are seen. We are seen. We are known by our 00:29:05.960 --> 00:29:13.400 community. I love that Paul wrote to the church 00:29:13.400 --> 00:29:16.339 of Thessalonica, for what is our hope and our 00:29:16.339 --> 00:29:20.039 joy, the crown in which we glory, and the presence 00:29:20.039 --> 00:29:22.859 of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 00:29:23.859 --> 00:29:27.680 He's saying this to the church. You. Our joy. 00:29:29.700 --> 00:29:38.000 Indeed, you are our glory and joy. You often 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:41.619 hear us talking about community here and the 00:29:41.619 --> 00:29:45.380 need for the community of Christ. I think, though, 00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:49.160 that one doesn't really believe that until one 00:29:49.160 --> 00:29:53.140 really engages with that. And you suddenly realize, 00:29:53.539 --> 00:29:58.440 wow. I need these people, and these people need 00:29:58.440 --> 00:30:03.960 me. We need one another. It's part of the joy 00:30:03.960 --> 00:30:08.299 we were created for. The Trinity, the Father, 00:30:08.339 --> 00:30:11.480 the Son, and the Holy Spirit had wonderful communion 00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:14.099 with one another, relationship with one another. 00:30:14.539 --> 00:30:18.559 But they wanted others brought into that. We 00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:24.279 were brought into that. And so God himself was 00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:29.400 set up himself for community. We are the image 00:30:29.400 --> 00:30:33.059 of our father, and so also we need community. 00:30:35.400 --> 00:30:40.779 A story comes to us of long ago of a king who 00:30:40.779 --> 00:30:44.200 organized a great race within his kingdom. All 00:30:44.200 --> 00:30:46.740 the young men of the kingdom participated, and 00:30:46.740 --> 00:30:48.980 a bag of gold was to be given to the winner. 00:30:49.640 --> 00:30:52.380 The finish line was within the courtyard of the 00:30:52.380 --> 00:30:56.099 king's palace. The race was run. The runners 00:30:56.099 --> 00:30:58.680 were surprised to find in the middle of the road 00:30:58.680 --> 00:31:02.079 leading to the king's palace a great pile of 00:31:02.079 --> 00:31:06.059 rocks and stones. But they managed to scramble 00:31:06.059 --> 00:31:09.119 over it or to run around it and come to the courtyard. 00:31:09.900 --> 00:31:12.319 Finally, all the runners had crossed the finish 00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:17.059 line except one. But still the king did not call 00:31:17.059 --> 00:31:20.779 the race off, and after a while one lone runner 00:31:20.779 --> 00:31:23.920 came through the gate. He lifted a bleeding hand 00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:28.480 and said, O king, I am sorry that I am so late, 00:31:28.539 --> 00:31:33.279 but you see I found a pile of rocks and stones, 00:31:33.380 --> 00:31:38.160 and it took me a while, and I wounded myself 00:31:38.160 --> 00:31:43.990 in removing them. Then he lifted the other hand, 00:31:44.230 --> 00:31:48.230 and in it was a bag. He said, but great king, 00:31:48.470 --> 00:31:51.630 I found beneath the pile of rocks this bag of 00:31:51.630 --> 00:31:55.569 gold. The king said, my son, you have won the 00:31:55.569 --> 00:32:00.329 race. For the one runs best, who makes the way 00:32:00.329 --> 00:32:06.730 safer for those who follow. We weren't meant 00:32:06.730 --> 00:32:10.089 to make a wild dash toward our eternal home by 00:32:10.089 --> 00:32:14.509 ourselves. As we read in Hebrews, we were called 00:32:14.509 --> 00:32:16.869 to say, come on, let's go and do this together. 00:32:18.890 --> 00:32:21.990 I'm going to kind of wade back here and catch 00:32:21.990 --> 00:32:24.849 this person that's kind of having trouble, and 00:32:24.849 --> 00:32:28.410 I'm going to help them along. There's joy in 00:32:28.410 --> 00:32:32.690 the others. And what you begin to find when you 00:32:32.690 --> 00:32:36.289 engage in the others, in the community, is the 00:32:36.289 --> 00:32:41.049 treasure. The treasure that God has for us and 00:32:41.049 --> 00:32:46.910 the one another. And so there's joy in the community. 00:32:47.910 --> 00:32:52.569 So there's joy in Jesus, joy in community and 00:32:52.569 --> 00:32:57.329 others. And finally, there's joy in you. And 00:32:57.329 --> 00:32:59.329 Darren said it, didn't he, earlier. Sometimes 00:32:59.329 --> 00:33:03.029 we have a hard time believing that God would 00:33:03.029 --> 00:33:08.539 desire us. That God would care about my worship. 00:33:09.920 --> 00:33:15.039 But the Magi, what did they do? Then they began 00:33:15.039 --> 00:33:17.539 to open up their treasures and lay them at the 00:33:17.539 --> 00:33:20.779 feet of Jesus. Listen, they traveled together. 00:33:21.680 --> 00:33:25.500 They got to the presence together. But there 00:33:25.500 --> 00:33:29.200 came a moment when they each had to bring their 00:33:29.200 --> 00:33:34.740 own gift and lay it at the feet of Jesus. The 00:33:34.740 --> 00:33:37.180 truth is, as much as we need others, nobody else 00:33:37.180 --> 00:33:40.299 can stand in for you. Nobody else will stand 00:33:40.299 --> 00:33:43.180 in the judgment seat, before the judgment seat. 00:33:43.700 --> 00:33:49.160 It's just us and him, individually, right? And 00:33:49.160 --> 00:33:55.660 so it matters. You matter to him. And we live 00:33:55.660 --> 00:33:58.420 in this time. They traveled together, the Magi, 00:33:58.420 --> 00:34:00.400 but in the end, they brought their own worship. 00:34:00.740 --> 00:34:05.569 And we live in this. We say this term often because 00:34:05.569 --> 00:34:08.309 I think it's an interesting one. An upside down 00:34:08.309 --> 00:34:11.489 kingdom. It doesn't make sense to this world. 00:34:11.710 --> 00:34:14.710 Because in this world we're all about self -care, 00:34:14.809 --> 00:34:18.989 right? Putting self first to take care of self. 00:34:19.530 --> 00:34:23.590 When John 15, what does it do? It calls us. It 00:34:23.590 --> 00:34:27.369 says no greater love has anyone than this that 00:34:27.369 --> 00:34:31.710 they lay down their life for their friends. And 00:34:31.710 --> 00:34:36.170 so. In the end, here's the power of joy, is that 00:34:36.170 --> 00:34:43.309 this circles back around to his presence. Because 00:34:43.309 --> 00:34:47.369 it begins and ends with his presence in your 00:34:47.369 --> 00:34:54.010 life. Self -care begins with your relationship 00:34:54.010 --> 00:34:59.969 with Christ. So here's what I want us to do. 00:35:01.579 --> 00:35:08.139 We are in this Advent season. I love Advent because 00:35:08.139 --> 00:35:12.460 it makes a lot of space for us. It kind of forces 00:35:12.460 --> 00:35:16.360 space into what can be a very crazy, chaotic 00:35:16.360 --> 00:35:23.320 time. But my prayer for you in this Advent season 00:35:23.320 --> 00:35:26.699 is that it would be a time for you to re -engage 00:35:26.699 --> 00:35:34.500 with his presence. That it would be a time that 00:35:34.500 --> 00:35:37.760 remembering that like the Magi, we're on a worship 00:35:37.760 --> 00:35:41.619 journey. We're looking for something else, something 00:35:41.619 --> 00:35:45.380 to come, the lands that are calling to us. Come 00:35:45.380 --> 00:35:54.039 on, the path is demanding our yes. We're on this 00:35:54.039 --> 00:35:56.820 worship journey that can only be a worship journey 00:35:56.820 --> 00:36:04.960 if his presence. has marked our life. And so 00:36:04.960 --> 00:36:08.380 as the team comes back up, I want to just conclude 00:36:08.380 --> 00:36:13.480 by this reminder that we are a pilgrim people. 00:36:14.199 --> 00:36:17.880 And Psalm 84, more and more and more, has become 00:36:17.880 --> 00:36:21.599 a life verse for me. Blessed is the man whose 00:36:21.599 --> 00:36:28.179 strength is in you, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. 00:36:29.360 --> 00:36:32.000 Can I just ask the question, what is your heart 00:36:32.000 --> 00:36:37.440 set on today? Is it set on this life? Or is your 00:36:37.440 --> 00:36:40.780 heart set on the pilgrimage from where we're 00:36:40.780 --> 00:36:45.860 going, our eternal home? It's up to us. We get 00:36:45.860 --> 00:36:51.440 the power to set things in our life. Whose heart 00:36:51.440 --> 00:36:55.780 is set on pilgrimage? And we refer to Nehemiah 00:36:55.780 --> 00:36:58.960 8 .10 that said that the joy of the Lord is your 00:36:58.960 --> 00:37:02.039 strength. And so when I take that and I go back 00:37:02.039 --> 00:37:06.039 to Psalm 84, the man whose strength is in you, 00:37:06.260 --> 00:37:12.079 I'm convinced that it is joy, the joy of the 00:37:12.079 --> 00:37:16.519 Lord, that is what gives you what you need for 00:37:16.519 --> 00:37:21.460 your pilgrimage. That without it, you will lose 00:37:21.460 --> 00:37:26.519 heart. And when you lose heart, you will step 00:37:26.519 --> 00:37:33.420 off the path. You will disengage from the journey 00:37:33.420 --> 00:37:38.780 toward the Lord. And so today what we want to 00:37:38.780 --> 00:37:42.820 do is we want to re -engage with his presence 00:37:42.820 --> 00:37:47.920 in joy. Maybe, I know we laughed about it earlier, 00:37:48.039 --> 00:37:51.400 maybe you found yourself grumbling a little more. 00:37:52.139 --> 00:37:56.679 laughing a little less. Today, I want to encourage 00:37:56.679 --> 00:38:02.059 you to make the choice to be a person marked 00:38:02.059 --> 00:38:05.460 by the presence and the joy of the presence, 00:38:05.500 --> 00:38:09.760 that you are going to be a kingdom person, marked 00:38:09.760 --> 00:38:15.679 by presence, marked by joy. And you're not going 00:38:15.679 --> 00:38:19.639 to let this world determine your joy level. You're 00:38:19.639 --> 00:38:23.739 going to, in the presence, You're going to let 00:38:23.739 --> 00:38:29.559 him determine your joy level. Amen? And so it's 00:38:29.559 --> 00:38:33.840 nothing that is belittling your pain, nothing 00:38:33.840 --> 00:38:36.760 that is belittling the struggle for where you're 00:38:36.760 --> 00:38:40.079 at. That is real, and joy is not saying that 00:38:40.079 --> 00:38:43.480 that is not real. Joy is saying it's in those 00:38:43.480 --> 00:38:50.179 places that joy of the Lord becomes a very real 00:38:50.179 --> 00:38:56.559 reality. Right? Nothing else makes sense that 00:38:56.559 --> 00:39:01.880 I have this joy. I know it doesn't come from 00:39:01.880 --> 00:39:05.119 the circumstance, because all I know is pain 00:39:05.119 --> 00:39:09.400 and sorrow. But there's this abiding thing in 00:39:09.400 --> 00:39:12.880 me, and it just gives me the strength to keep 00:39:12.880 --> 00:39:17.599 going, to keep walking, and to not stop. It's 00:39:17.599 --> 00:39:22.420 the joy of his presence. And sometimes we just 00:39:22.420 --> 00:39:26.800 need to stop, stop bemoaning the pain, right? 00:39:26.920 --> 00:39:29.940 We need to stop grumbling about the circumstance. 00:39:30.599 --> 00:39:33.920 We just need to lean in and let the joy of the 00:39:33.920 --> 00:39:38.940 Father. We need to start to mirror. Let those 00:39:38.940 --> 00:39:43.219 neurons in your brain get fired up by His joy, 00:39:43.440 --> 00:39:49.800 renewing your strength. Amen? And so here's what 00:39:49.800 --> 00:39:52.539 we're going to do today. I've asked the team, 00:39:52.579 --> 00:39:56.579 I just want us, that the altar response is going 00:39:56.579 --> 00:39:59.320 to be as we just stand and we begin to celebrate 00:39:59.320 --> 00:40:02.880 in joy. And as we do that, this is, remember, 00:40:03.039 --> 00:40:07.219 nothing to do with your emotions. This is rejoicing 00:40:07.219 --> 00:40:10.780 in the presence of God. This is rejoicing that 00:40:10.780 --> 00:40:13.300 we're doing it with one another in community, 00:40:13.360 --> 00:40:17.929 right? This is the joy of knowing that the God 00:40:17.929 --> 00:40:21.090 of the universe sees you and takes joy in you. 00:40:21.190 --> 00:40:25.480 And we want to reflect back joy to him. And so 00:40:25.480 --> 00:40:27.400 this morning we're going to stand and we're going 00:40:27.400 --> 00:40:31.500 to conclude our service time with a song of rejoicing, 00:40:31.500 --> 00:40:34.840 a song of praise. And in a way, you're going 00:40:34.840 --> 00:40:38.179 to have to disengage yourself a bit from your 00:40:38.179 --> 00:40:41.380 circumstance. In a way, I need you to kind of 00:40:41.380 --> 00:40:45.940 let loose your footwear. You got to kind of get 00:40:45.940 --> 00:40:50.019 some lightness to your feet so that you can rise 00:40:50.019 --> 00:40:54.420 up to where God is. and his great presence full 00:40:54.420 --> 00:40:58.260 of joy. Amen? And so as the team leads us, this 00:40:58.260 --> 00:41:01.239 is your declaration that I'm going to be a person 00:41:01.239 --> 00:41:04.679 of joy. I'm going to be a kingdom -minded person. 00:41:04.820 --> 00:41:07.639 I'm going to be a person marked by the presence 00:41:07.639 --> 00:41:11.280 of the almighty God. Amen? So let's just worship 00:41:11.280 --> 00:41:12.900 in joy for a few more moments.