Jeremiah was a Bullfrog (Joy Complete)

Introduction Illustration

In 1971, a song composer by the name of Hoyt Axton was pitching the idea for a melody that he had come up with. As he was pitching the idea, the producers and band members asked him to come up with some words… any words… to go along with the melody. So, leaning over a speaker and sipping a glass of wine, he sang: Jeremiah was a bullfrog Was a good friend of mine I never understood a single word he said But I helped him a-drink his wine And he always had some mighty fine wine

Singin'... Joy to the world All the boys and girls now Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea Joy to you and me

After he sang the song two of the three vocalists from the group Three Dog Night immediately… rejected it. But the third one, Chuck Negron, suggested that a “silly song” might be just what the group needed. So despite a little protest, they recorded it.

Now… they weren’t planning on putting it on a vinyl record… but decided to include it in their album, labelled “Naturally” not as a headliner for the album but to fill some space. As the album came out, radio stations were not playing this new song. No. It was a song largely unheard… unnoticed. And that remained true until a little FM radio station in Seattle was trying to fill a gap in their schedule of songs. The DJ was looking for something new that people hadn’t heard… and when he stumbled on this piece he decided to just throw it in to fill the gap.

Evidently, this song called Joy to the World, filled more gaps than the DJ was expecting. With a nation still reeling from the pain experienced through the Civil Rights Movement and War Protests… this song struck a chord with the people. Phone calls started pouring in. People wanted to know where this song came from. Who sang it. How can they hear more of it. And within a short few weeks it jumped from being an unknown silly song to #1 on the charts in Seattle and soon became #1 on charts throughout the world. Even today it still ranks up there.

Hidden Joy

What I love about this story is that those who originally recorded this song almost dismissed it out of hat because it was “silly.” It had non-nonsensical lyrics about a bullfrog named Jeremiah that evidently was a friendly bullfrog. But what I think drove this song to the #1 was the joy. Sure, we have the words “Joy to the World” in it. But I think it is the joy that is not only written but heard and experienced through the voices and music in response to this strange friendship.

When we get a taste of joy we find we that we want more joy. Joy is addicting… even when we don’t fully understand what we are joyful about.

In today’s text as we hear Jesus in the middle of the High Priestly Prayer, praying for his disciples in front of his disciples… we hear him asking the Father to prepare the disciples for when Jesus leaves them. He has been telling them for such a long time that the time is coming… and now the time is at hand. Judas has left into the night. Now, it’s just a waiting game for the arrest to happen and the events to unfold in front of the eyes of the disciples.

And in all of this, as Peter argues with Jesus about whether or not this is a good idea for Jesus to go away… Jesus says I do this so that their joy… his disciples joy… will be made complete.

But like Danny Hutton and Cory Wells from Three Dog Night initially rejecting the song about joy and a bullfrog, this message that Jesus brings about leaving his disciples and the possibility of joy being made complete through that is rejected. The disciples don’t want to sing this song. They don’t even want to hear this song. This song sounds like TERRIBLE news.

Terrible News for Us

I think about the times throughout my life that seemed terrible at the time but then I found joy through those times. I think about when my grandmother, whom had lived in our house from the time I was 4 years old until I was 7… I think about when she died. How terrible that was at the time. But in the days and years since I have found joy thinking back to the good memories. Joy in the games of checkers that we would play. Joy in watching TV side-by-side with her. Joy in that I had told her “I love you” over and over in the days before she died… even without any knowledge of the heart-attack that was coming. And, I have found joy trusting that she is in God’s care.

Granted, there are some terrible things that as I look back STILL are terrible. Losing my brother to suicide. That’s STILL terrible. When our family, in years past, had the hope of a newborn baby and then experienced miscarriages… those are STILL terrible moments that I grieve… that our family grieves.

We have a tradition in our family of having little ornamental butterflies on our Christmas tree each year for the little ones that we never got to know. And each year, there is some pain as we pull those out and put them up. But there is some joy, at least, in remembering them and including them still as part of our family.

But there are many times throughout our lives when we experience news that is terrible. They are songs that we don’t want to sing… not because they are silly but because they are painful.

I would that for the disciples, in those days after Jesus had been died and sealed in a tomb… but before he had risen and revealed himself to them… they were having a hard time finding joy.

Jesus’ words that he was leaving them so that their joy would be made complete probably rang pretty hollow for them. Jesus -was- their friend. Jesus -was- their mentor. After his death all of that seemed to be past tense. He -was- their savior and he -was- their hope. But now he IS gone. Joy made complete? I can just imagine Peter muttering to himself about Jesus’ words about joy in those days when the tomb still had a body in it.

In those terrible moments and in the time afterward, it can be hard to find joy.

Ascension Text

This last Thursday, was Ascension Day. It is celebrated every year, on a Thursday, 40 days after Easter Sunday. For whatever reason, we don’t talk about it a great deal in the Lutheran church in this era. We tend to focus more on the cross… and the resurrection. We like our big Easters… but we don’t talk alot about our ascension days.

Why is that? Well, I don’t think it’s intentional. But I do think there is a part of the story that we might struggle with on the surface. Here’s how I remember thinking about the story of God as a child.

God became a baby in Jesus. He became one of us. We bring gifts, we sing songs, we celebrate Christmas.

Then Good Friday comes. Jesus dies on a cross. And it’s horrible. But he dies for our sins and we know that we haven’t reached the end of the book. It’s like reading a thriller when all seems lost but you still have about 10 chapters to read.

And then… the rest of the story… Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! He comes back to us… he is present with us again. He walks and he talks and he speaks words of hope and new life to us. And so we celebrate Easter because… holy cow Jesus is back again!

But then after 40 days, he goes away again.

Grieving the Ascension

Now our instinct might be to assume that when Jesus ascended that people were upset that he was leaving again. One could almost imagine Peter arguing with Jesus… “Lord, you just got back from the grave. Can’t you stick around and keeping showing yourself to people? You died for our sins, great. Now stick around. We like having you here… there’s no reason to leave.”

Remember what happened the last time Jesus left them? Remember how the people responded? Let’s look at at Luke 23:44-49

Luke 23:44–49 NRSV

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

How would you describe their response to Jesus leaving them as he died on the cross even though he had said he was doing this willingly?

So what is said as Jesus ascends? How do the people respond as Jesus gets ready to leave them yet again? Let’s flip the page to the chapter 24 and read verses 51-53

Luke 24:51–53 NRSV

While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

So… how do you hear the people respond to Jesus leaving them this time? What’s different?

People are going to Jersulem with “great joy” not sorrow

There is hope

People are excited

Why is it different? Jesus is gone either way, right?

The promise of God is being fulfilled in front of their eyes.

Right, so as Jesus is leaving them this time he is not dying but being lifted up. The promise of God is being fulfilled in front of their eyes. If they had any lingering doubts or questions as to whether or not God was with them… those doubts were GONE.

And what we see in the days that follow Jesus’ ascension gets us back to that Jeremiah was a Bullfrog line. Jesus is the Son of God? What does that mean??? We don’t know! But it seems like its good news. Great news, even!

God is real and true. Jesus… wasn’t lying when he said he was sent by God. All of Jesus’ teachings about forgiveness and grace… repenting from that which causes division… loving one another… the hope of new life… all of THAT must be true too!

Joy Rising

This Ascension Moment is something that changes the course of the world because it declares to all of us in our terrible moments that the reality that Jesus spoke to the world of new life 2,000 years ago is indeed the reality that God creates for us.

That even in the wake of terrible moments, even as I think back to the loss of my brother or of the miscarriages we had or some of the other painful points in my history… I can look forward to the hope of a joy reunited and inspired with new life. That doesn’t necessarily stop the pain of the loss… but it gives reason for joy in the future.

And I think that is the reality that the people of that Ascension Day realized. Even as they perhaps were sad to see Jesus leave… their joy of KNOWING that they would be reunited was complete. Their joy of KNOWING who God was and is and forever shall be was complete.

Because they came to know that God was indeed a God not of taking… but of giving. That’s why, in our Gospel reading from John today, that we heard all of that hard to follow stuff:

John 17:6–8 NRSV

“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

Today we stand in awe of the God who gives. And while we might sometimes not understand it all… we don’t have to in order to know that JOY that God has given to the world through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord and Savior.

May YOUR joy be complete with this knowledge and hope as well.