Reclaiming Joy

I - Going to Disney world as a kid and my mini existential crisis

You wait in line 3 hours and in 30 seconds its over

You wait all year, and in a weeks its over

and it was so fun, so exciting, so great, but then its over and it could never live up to what you imagined.

Y - It seems like no matter how things are going, joy is hard to find. We are always waiting for that next thing

I dont know about you but I have noticed that in my life too.

The things I was most excited about

That were just going to make my life.

The finish lines never lived up to my expectations.

That pay raise that was going to solve all my problems.

That job offer

that purchase

that vacation that was going to give me all that rest.

That awesome meal

Even those big moments of life. The ones that are supposed to be the best. Your high school or college years

Even, no offence Erin, my wedding

and forget about it when things are going bad.

I hope and pray that this will work out or that this dream will come true and it doesnt.

A bad thing, is followed by a tragic thing followed by a bad thing.

And you think God! Why cant I catch a break, as if one thing working out would make it all better.

and we find ourselves LONGING for joy.

Searching for it everywhere and always coming up short. Enough never seems to be enough.

ANd its funny because what steve shared, you go to places wehre people have nothing, but somehow they seem to find joy better than us who have everyhting.

How do we reclaim that joy, is there a place to find joy that wont disappoint like everything else?

G- Reclaim Joy, by remembering Jesus is God Caesar is not

Transition: The Christmas story and the Christmas season is of course all about joy.

We started hearing about the Hope of Zechariah and the whole world

Read Luke 2:8-10

Read it

When you hear good news that will cause Great Joy what do you think of?

Evangeline slide

They Thought of *this* - Explain (peace, order, worship, hosts of centurions heralding euangellion)

Caesar Augustus

Was called…

“son of God, savior of the world, worthy of worship, Bringer of Peace”

His, “hosts” of centurions would bring “good news”

The Story:

I know this bible verse from Charlie Brown Christmas more than anything else

Luke crafts this story to make a point about that…

Caesar Augustus Census

Joseph and mary - we will talk about them later!

Read Luke 2:8-15

God does something super strange here in Luke

Shepherds see the angel TERROR

This is an appropriate response to God’s Glory. God loves us, but when you are in the presence of his glory it becomes clear you are under dressed. Like if the president showed up and you haddn’t cleaned your bathroom in a while!

Just like M and Z - Do not be afraid...

Good news of Great Joy

what is this good news

What is good news, and why does it cause Great Joy? And 2000 years later is that still the case

When you think of good news of Great Joy what do you think of?

Luke’s readers would have thought of *this*

The Good News of the day

Our Story Starts with this interesting tid bit

Augustus issued a decree.

Augustus

Ended a brutal civil war - Bringing Order out of Chaos/ Peace out of War

Fulfilled the Hopes of romans of a stable kingdom

Brought World Peace

Augustus means worthy of worship

Was called Son of God

After military victories would send his “hosts” of centurions to bring euangelion - Good news to the people in nearby cities

Augustus and the Shepherds

It is in this world that God sends his "hosts/army" of angels to announce the good news of great joy, the birth of a Savior, the son of GOD, worthy of glory, who would bring peace on earth.

This is an attack on the claims of Augustus, a man calling himself the hope, peace, joy, and light of the world. This is our and our God in no uncertain terms declaring a simple, and highly controversial, message.

Jesus is God, and Caesar is not.

As Jesus walks the earth in Luke everyone who encounters him has to deal with this claim. Are they going to trust Jesus as God/LORD, or will they keep looking for hope, joy and peace. In men like Augustus, buildings like the temple, financial security, or political power.

When Jesus ascends into heaven the First church is sustained by this belief

Jesus is God, Ceaser is not.

And becasue of it they manage to find Joy not in Good circumstances, or the next thing, but in the promise that Jesus really does rule the world. And one day he will return and set all thing sright.

to not the powerful but the unwashed shepherds on the outskirts of town.

These themes echo throughout luke and acts arguing subversively that Jesus the poor baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger is God and Caesar is not.

Proclaiming this message,

Great joy, true joy that is possible even in the darkest of circumstances can only be built on that foundation, Jesus is God, Caesar is not.

It is only when we remember who is God, and what is not, that we can begin to find true joy in good times and bad.

The shepeherds experience Great Joy. They joyfully tell all who will listen about what they have seeen.

Because something amazing has happened, and in the life, death, and ressuection of Jesus. God is going to prove to the world onece and for all.

that Jesus is God and Ceaser is not

We can reclaim Joy, when we build our lives on that truth.

We can reclaim Joy when we remember Jesus is God, and Ceaser is not.

Main point

The bible says, I know where you think the power is.

I know where you think the king is.

but that is not the king.

that is not the savior

that is not the peace

that is not the hope

that is not the joy

Those things are where you would never look

in front of people you would never think of

The utterly radical claim that Luke is making to Jews and Greeks through this construction - Jesus is God, ceaser is not. WHen we belive that, we can take joy that is not rooted in our cirucmstance, in things looking up, or in any of the other Gods/idosl we lift up. But instead in Chirst. that is why we can "Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds."

In luke everyone responds to this statement differently

In luke everyone responds to this statement differently

Some ignore it and continue to pursue the “gods and idols” they have relied on in the past.

Some resist this claim

Some seem to accept it, but go on looking for joy in other places.

Powerful - in priveladge

Religious - in the temple

Zealots - put their hope in violence

Poor - nothing? GOd? who knows? Hopeless

Buts some, usually the poor and the marginalized, the people who the current system is NOT working for, accept it they FIND JOY in that, mostly because they cant find it anywhere else. The news of a baby born in a stable turns out to be Good News of Great Joy for them.

but the poor and the marginalized, the people who the current system is NOT working for, accept it they FIND JOY in that, mostly because they cant find it anywhere else

AS long as we place our joy and hope in THINGS, we dont have much need for Jesus or CHRISTS. But after a while of living life we start to notice things didnt really go how we hoped. Those htings did not fill us up. That person wasnt eveyrhting and couldnt be everything.

And we are left broken, joyless, wondering what God has done for us lately.

God diddnt fail us, and really the people didnt fail us either. We jsut looked for the worng thing from the wrong source

Place your joy in GOD your Hope in CHRIST and in the Resurrection and you wont be let down.

Reclaim Joy by remembering Jesus is god, ceaser is not.

Y - Bring it home

I dont think we are so different from them

We are searching for Gods and saviors any where we can find them, so this applies to us as well

"Ceaser" represents all of those places we might put our hope.

Augustus was a "savior/christ, he was thought to bring PEACE ON EARTH, he was LORD and a 'god' his birth was good news of great joy.

JEsus = God and Emperor LORD and lord"

Joy because JESUS IS GOD and CEASER IS NOT -How do we take Joy in that today?

"Ceaser" represents all of those places we might put our hope. Democracy the future, kids, ect.

Jesus is GOD - TRUMP IS NOT

Jesus is GOD - Your job is not

Jesus is GOD - Financial sercurity is not

Jesus is God - your circumstances are not.

Jesus is GOD - your health is not

Jesus is God - Money is not

Jesus is God - happyness is not

Jesus is GOd- Technology is not

Jesus is God - your parents are not

Jesus is God - our kids are not

Jesus is God - your spouse is not

Jesus is God - your dreams are not

We think when we worship these things when we follow them, when we build our lives around them we will find joy. But that is a lie, we never arrive. There is always more we never make it.

Everything else will let you, and has let you down. You cant count on them to be God, they wont give you true and lasting Joy.

I think we get jaded the older we get because the things that were supposed to give our lives JOY seem to crumble and fail and not work out.

Our dreams fail, or they come true and there still NOT QUITE ENOUGH.

The TV is never big enough

W - We are searching for Saviors all over to give us joy. Why dont we grab on to Jesus.

If this just works out then I will be happy, you wont, it might not.

God if you just give me this then I will trust you. Even if he did you wouldnt.

AS long as we place our joy and hope in THINGS, People, and Events, we dont have much need for Jesus.

But after a while of living life we start to notice things didn't really go how we hoped. Those things did not fill us up. That person wasn't everything and couldn't be everything.

And we are left broken, joyless, wondering what God has done for us lately.

But the thing is God didn’t fail us, and really the people didn't fail us either. We just looked for the wrong thing from the wrong source.

Place your joy in GOD your Hope in CHRIST and in the Resurrection and you wont be let down.

Reclaim Joy by remembering Jesus is god, ceaser is not.

Lets pray,

Y - Jesus is God, Ceaser is not

Do the Cards

Write

I reclaim joy by remembering Jesus is God”

“_____ is not”

W

I know where you think the power is.

I know where you think the king is.

but that is not the king.

that is not the savior

that is not the peace

that is not the hope

that is not the joy

Its where you would never look

in front of people you would never think

lets pray