Harvest of Joy

Sermon for 3rd Sunday of Advent at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville, NC.

A Harvest of Joy

We are here on the 3^rd Sunday of Advent to celebrate joy.                     

Joy is one of my favorite words;

I believe we are all on a joyful journey,

full of surprises, celebrations, challenges, and adventures. 

The journey is filled with love, grace, mercy, and faith, All of it being guided by God.                                                        

The Psalm today is Psalm 126.                

It is referred to as a Harvest of Joy.           

What a place to start the conversation….

The Book of Psalms is a prime place to find joy and thanksgiving,   

                              rejoicing and giving thanks.

Of course, the Book of Psalms also contains psalms of

lament, sadness, and prayers asking for help.

At first glance, Psalm 126 seems to be a very straightforward psalm of praise. 

So let us see how Psalm 126 may lead us into thanksgiving.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.

The Israelites are celebrating their return from captivity in Babylon. 

It seems too good to be true...they are home!

God has ‘restored their fortunes’, they are more than happy, they are joyous!

This is right in line with the dictionary definition of joy:

Intense and especially ecstatic happiness.

Yes, that is a good definition of how the Israelites must have felt. 

Amazed –like being in a dream. 

Filled with Laughter!            Shouting with Joy!

They were ready to praise God and proclaim to all what God had done for them.

 Have you ever experienced that intense feeling? That level of joy?

Let us stop and think a moment about that overwhelming joy….

            This is more than being happy, more than having a good day….this is

            wanting to shout from rooftops, or mountaintops,

            laugh ‘til your side hurts, and

            a desire to share this feeling with everyone you meet.

What makes us joyful? 

How do you and I show joy?

How can we embrace joy?              

We each find joy in our own unique way;

what makes me joyful may be different from what brings you joy.                                     

Let us look at a few ideas:

Joy: may be found with family,

in friendships,

            In celebrating new life,

whether it is a newborn child,

a tail-wagging puppy,

or being surrounded by God’s creation,

In learning, teaching, or discovering,

            In exploring or embarking on an adventure,

In silence,

            In prayer, in solitude, in meditation,

In celebration,

In laughter, in fellowship, in worship.

Joy can be anywhere and anything!                                    ~~~

 However, what about the question of embracing joy?

Do you ever feel guilty when you are happy?

I know I have felt that way sometime…

            How can I be enjoying this gathering when my friend had to work? 

How can I be having a nice evening when a family member is dealing with an illness? 

How can I celebrate while another may be suffering?                            

Let us go back to the Psalm…

The Israelites are overjoyed to have been returned from exile.  But there is more….

Only some of them have returned,

others are still in Babylon, still in exile. 

Those who have returned cannot believe their good fortune,

but they also remember their friends and families who are not yet home.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
    like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears
    reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
    bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
    carrying their sheaves. 

This is a prayer for God to again do great things; restore those who are not there, who are still suffering.

They know God can and will do this! 

They know the power of God!

They have seen how the dry river Negev overflows when the seasonal rains come,

refreshing the waters, giving life anew.                                 

They have experienced the sowing of seeds

in hope of the coming harvest,

and seen the results

in a harvest of sheaves of plenty,

an abundance of blessings.                                  

The Israelites are praying for those who are still suffering;

they know of no other way to help, so they pray.

The people of Israel have seen and experienced God’s blessings on them time after time…

            God’s promises to Jacob when he dreamed at Bethel…

            God being with Moses as he led the Israelites out of Egypt…

            God guiding them through their wanderings in the wilderness…           

They have their faith!

They know what God has done, what he will do!

What are you and I doing in our faith, with our blessings, to show our joy and to help those who are suffering?

Yes, we pray. 

As individuals

            –silently with God, as we are driving to work, when we need a moment in our busy day, 

or when we come here into this sanctuary to pray prayers from the prayer box.                    

As a congregation

            –together with each other, with the prayer of confession, in the prayers of the people, including  the list in the bulletin of those who are in need.                                        

And there is doing.

This congregation does for others. 

The church’s local and global missions aid those in need in our community and those far away. 

            Giving a ‘can when you can’ for Interfaith Assistance Ministry, helping with scholarships to students at Fuenta de Vida in Guatemala, and giving financially to countless local organizations.

As individuals, there are always volunteers.  So many of you work with local organizations –Hospice, The Free Clinics, the Rescue Mission, IAM, Council on Aging, Mainstay, and the list goes on….         

We as the church universal proclaim our joy and our faith in what God has done for us.

            With praise and worship,

            With singing and laughter,

            By praying and  by doing.

We are all blessed.

You and I know the Joy of the Harvest.                             

We are on our journey through Advent.

Psalm 126 is found in the lectionary for both Advent and Lent.  Both are seasons of preparation heading to a time of fulfillment:

            -Advent to Christmas, preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth.

            -Lent to Easter, preparation for the celebration of the resurrection.

The sowing/ the preparation

in the anticipation of hope of the harvest / of  God’s blessings.

And in this journey, when we celebrate Jesus’ birth, we are also looking forward to the fulfillment of Jesus’ life –the resurrection of Easter morning.                       

This is where you and I live now, on this journey,

In this harvest;

            living in the knowledge of what is to come and living in the joy of discipleship.

The joy

Of what God has done for us in the past,

Of our salvation through Christ,

Our doing for others guided by the Holy Spirit,

and we look to the future with joy of what is to come.

Christ is our Harvest of Joy!