“DON’T JUST TOY WITH JOY”
LUKE 9:28-43
28 Now about eight days after these
sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
29 And while he was praying, the appearance
of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.
30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses
and Elijah, talking to him.
31 They appeared in glory and were
speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
32 Now Peter and his companions were
weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
33 Just as they were leaving him,
Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one
for Elijah"--not knowing what he said.
34 While he was saying this, a cloud
came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.
35 Then from the cloud came a voice
that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"
36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus
was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
37 On the next day, when they had
come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.
38 Just then a man from the crowd
shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child.
39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and
all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him.
40 I begged your disciples to cast
it out, but they could not."
41 Jesus answered, "You faithless
and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here."
42 While he was coming, the demon
dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
43 And all were astounded at the greatness
of God.
It’s the
last picture that was taken of my mother and me. The picture was taken at the top of Boarstone
Mountain which is just outside of Monson,
Maine. It was a couple of weeks
before I went to Alaska for for my Outward Bound excursion. I wanted to see what it was like to climb a mountain while carrying a 65 lb. backpack. So, I went to Boarstone
Mountain and my 72 year old mother insisted on climbing the mountain
with me. It was the same mountain that we’d climbed several times when
I was growing up. So, the climb brought back familiar sights and sounds and smells.
When we got to the top of the mountain we experienced a moment of pure joy. We
were standing there at the top of that mountain tired but smiling at what we had accomplished together.
When was the last time you
experienced one of those moments of joy? Now I’m not talking about just
being happy here. I’m talking about your heart being full of joy! We all
need those moments of joy. Without them life would quickly become an unbearable
burden.
You’d end up feeling
the same way a preacher felt one day. It happened shortly after the preacher
was called to a new church. Now this particular church didn’t have a lawn
mower. So, the preacher was looking for someone to either mow the lawn or sell
him a used lawnmower. One day he saw a boy pushing a lawn mower by the church. “Excuse me,” the preacher shouted.
“Are you looking for a job?” The boy nodded his head and explained
that he was trying to earn enough money to buy bicycle. The preacher thought
about it for a moment. “I’ll tell you what,” he said. “I have a ten speed bike that I don’t ride any more. What do you say we trade the bike for the lawnmower?” The
boy thought it was a great idea. In no time at all the preacher had the lawnmower
and the boy was riding the bike around the block to check it out. When the boy
came back a few minutes later he found the preacher standing there wiping the sweat off his brow. “Hey,” the preacher shouted. “I’ve
pulled on this rope a dozen times and I can’t get this lawnmower to start.”
The boy nodded his head. “Well,” he said, “I forgot to tell you that it’s a special kind of
lawnmower. You have to cuss at it to get it to start.” The preacher chuckled for a moment. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve been a preacher for so long I don’t think I remember how to cuss.” Now it was the boy’s turn to chuckle. “Well,”
he said, “keep pulling on that rope and it’ll come back to you.”
We all need those moments
of joy. When was the last time you felt a moment of joy? When was the last time
you felt the way Peter did when he went up that mountain with Jesus. Now it’s
true that Peter was a little overwhelmed when he saw Jesus standing there with Moses and Elijah. It’s also true that Peter was a little overwhelmed when that voice from the cloud said to him, “This
is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” It’s also true though that Pete
felt an overwhelming sense of joy on that mountain. You can see it by looking
at the offer that he made. Peter offered to make three dwellings on that mountain. One for Jesus. One for Moses. And one
for Elijah. In making that offer, it’s obvious that Peter wanted to stay
on that mountain. Why? Because his heart was full of joy and he wanted to make
the moment last as long as he could.
Peter needed that moment
of joy. I need those moments of joy. You
need those moments of joy. The problem though is that we, in the Body of Christ,
don’t always do a good job when it comes to helping people find and experience the joy that Peter felt on that mountain.
In fact, we sometime encourage people not to be too joyful.
That’s the way it was
for a man who went away on a business trip one week. When Sunday morning rolled around the man decided to go to church. It
wasn’t long though before the man realized that this church was very different from the church that he went to back
home. About a minute or so into the sermon the man raised his hands to
the heavens and shouted, “Amen brother.” Everyone stared at the man.
A few people even showed their disapproval by shaking their heads. That didn’t stop the man though. A few minutes later he raised his hands to the heavens again and shouted. “Praise the Lord!” At that point a very stern looking usher hurried up the aisle and whispered to the
man, “I’m sorry sir, but we don’t “Praise the Lord,” in this church.”
Unfortunately,
we, in the Body of Christ, don’t always do a good job when it comes to helping people find and experience the joy that
Peter felt on that mountain. Because of that people have gone off to climb other
mountains. They’ve gone off to look for the joy they need on other mountains. They look it for it on the mountain that takes the Patriots to another Super
Bowl victory or the Red Sox to another World Series triumph. They look for it
on the mountain that puts a big screen plasma television in the living room. They
look for it on the mountain where cosmetic surgery keeps you young and beautiful. Some even look for it on the mountain that
takes them to a drug or alcohol induced high.
There’s only one mountain
though where you’re going to find a joy that does you any good.
There’s only one mountain
where you’re going to find a joy that really does you any good. There’s
only one mountain where you’re going to find a joy that lasts. That’ joy is on the mountain with the Jesus whose
life began and ended with shouts of joy. When Jesus was born do you remember
what the angels said to the shepherds out in that field? The angel said, “behold
I bring you good news of a great joy which will come for all the people for unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10) Do you also remember what happened when the women went to the tomb on that first Easter morning? After they saw the risen Christ they left “with great joy and ran to tell his disciples.” (Matthew 28:8) So, there was joy at that
stable in Bethlehem and there was joy at that tomb in Jerusalem.
With that in mind then, doesn’t
it seem strange that we often picture Jesus as a serious and somber man? Doesn’t it seem strange that we often picture
Jesus as a staid and stoic man? That’s not the way Jesus was at all. Not
according to author Lori Beth Jones. In her book, “Jesus, CEO,” she suggests that Jesus was a joy filled man who loved parties and was even born
at one. Lori Beth Jones writes, “I believe any event that has a heavenly
light show, people bearing gifts from distant places and a host of angels singing and giving directions is a dance of major
proportion. It must have made and impact on (Jesus.) One of his favorite miracles was (at a wedding where he turned) water into wine, not vinegar. As his fame and popularity grew, he was constantly invited to dinners (parties at people’s homes)
…When crowds came (to him), Jesus was adamant that no one leave with an empty stomach.
He always managed to locate food for them. He turned one boy’s lunch
into food for thousands. He told stories of a king who arranged a banquet and
then got angry and disappointed when nobody came. He spoke of a father throwing
a lavish party to celebrate a wayward son’s return. When Jesus returned
from the dead, he prepared a fish barbecue on the shore (for his disciples), a sort of team picnic. He came from a very happy place and he knew he was returning to a very happy place.”
All of this is
the reason why I love the picture of the laughing Jesus. All of this is the reason why it needs to be said loud and clear
that there’s joy waiting for you on that mountain with Jesus. It’s
a joy that knows without a doubt that in him there is “forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, courage in the struggle
for justice and peace, his presence in trial and rejoicing and eternal life in his kingdom which has no end.” (UCC Statement of Faith) We, in the Body of Christ, need to do a better job of when it comes to helping
people find and experience the joy that Peter felt that day on that mountain.
You can climb one of those
other mountains if you want but what you’re going to find there is a joy that’s not going to last. The joy will go away when the Patriots loose to the Indianapolis Colts.
The joy will go away when the credit card bills arrive for the big screen plasma television. The joy will go away when the wrinkles come back and the joints begin to ache again. The joy will go away when the buzz wears off from the night of drinking or partying.
The joy that’s
waiting for you on that mountain with Jesus is special because it’s a joy that lasts.
It’s a joy that keeps you going when times are tough. It’s
a joy that makes it possible for you to go back down into the valley and face the real world with a love that “bears
all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.” (I Corinthians 13)
This past week there was
a service here in the sanctuary to celebrate the life and resurrection of a woman who taught science at the Middle School
here in town for over 25 years. While I was meeting with the family of Norma
Stiles they shared with me a quote that she used from a screensaver on her computer.
I think Jesus would give this quote a thumbs up. The quote goes like this:
“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved
body, but rather to slid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up. Totally worn out
and screaming, “Woo hoo, what a ride!”
That’s the way you
live your life when you find the joy that’s waiting for you on that mountain with Jesus.
It’s a joy that see this life as a gift from God and a joy that knows that there’s an even better life
to come. If you agree then let the people say, “Amen.”
Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes
February 18, 2007
