Longings, Joy - Luke 1

I want to begin this morning with a very simple question - What do you long for? In this holiday season, do you long for happiness? Or does this season fill you with dread? Sadness? Or could it be more complicated than that? Can it be that the same event - the one’s that fill you with the most happiness and the most fulfillment also and at the same time fill you with the most dread? The most exhaustion? I mean, it’s really unfair - what do we even want? We want to fill our schedule and our days with family, but ugh - does anyone drive you more crazy than your family? And we want to spend time decorating all around the house with Christmas music in the background, but is there anything more exhausting than dragging out those decorations again? It’s almost like sometimes the same exact event will give us completely different and even opposing emotions at the same time! What is happening to us? What do we actually want? I want to make gingerbread houses with my children, but oh my gosh do you remember what happens every single time we make gingerbread with the children? I want to do all the things and go to all the amazing events - caroling and light shows, santa visits and parades and somehow at the same time I want to do none of the things, I want a clear schedule, a fireplace, a blanket and some hot coco. I don’t want to be exhausted, but I also don’t want to take anything off my schedule. I don’t want to be overwhelmed, but I don’t want to miss anything. What do we want? What do we long for? Maybe it’s a harder question than I thought.

Back in 2015 Disney came out with a movie called Inside Out, actually the second one came out just recently and that was pretty good too. But in the original movie, if you haven’t seen it, there’s a little girl named Riley who loves playing hockey and her family is moving to San Francisco. And inside her head, there’s a little console, and a funny little array of emotions to run that console. This is the premise of the movie - all the major characters are emotions, joy, sadness, anger, etc. Now moving across the country from Minnesota to California obviously has all these emotions in a tizzy. Joy, the yellow one, is usually in charge - but suddenly the blue one, Sadness can’t seem to stop touching stuff. She’s making all the memories sad. And there’s a part of the film where Joy is trying to cheer up sadness and she asks Sadness, “what’s your favorite memory?” And Sadness says, “Oh, it was the hockey league’s championship game. Riley missed the winning shot and she felt awful.” And Joy gives her this look like “what on earth, how can that be your favorite memory? Yuck” And Joy spends the whole movie trying to put sadness in a box. Just stay in this little circle and don’t touch the rest of our life. Her whole method is in order to have joy, you have to run away from sadness, don’t let sadness touch anything. Now, spoiler alert, it’s been out for ten years guys - fair game. But the big reveal is that joy’s favorite memory, which is the whole hockey team hoisting her up with her parents in celebration. The big reveal is that the joyful celebration comes while her friends and family were trying to cheer her up after she missed the winning shot. One of her greatest moments of sadness gave way to her favorite moment of joy. And I definitely don’t think they did it on purpose, but there was a little bit of biblical truth shining through there. Sometimes the greatest joy we can experience actually begins with deep sorrow and longing. And one of the greatest examples of that truth is the Christmas story. 

Today we are launching a brand new sermon series called LONGINGS. And I’m so excited because each week, we are going to be walking through the Christmas story using the longings outlined in the Advent Candle. Each candle represents a different longing, and we start with Joy.

Now, to teach us this lesson, we’re going to dive into the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. If you want to open up your bibles, or find it on your bible app, we’ll be in Luke chapter 1. If you brought your bible, that’s amazing - you can find the book of Luke in the table of contents in the front. Chapter 1 is the very beginning of the book of Luke. Otherwise if you’d like a physical bible, you can grab one off the rack in the back or just look it up using a bible app. There’s a lot of good bible apps, the youversion one is free and pretty handy. So, we’re in Luke chapter 1, and we’ve got this lovely couple Zechariah and Elizabeth. Elizabeth is Mary’s cousin - and they have no babies. It says in verse 6, [read v.6-7]. So they’re getting on in years, which is the nicer way to say what the bible says which is “old” - but what that means is that they are getting to the age where babies really aren’t possible anymore, and they WANTED kids. They’ve been praying about it, but they are starting to assume that God’s answer is no. It keeps going in verse 8 [read v.8-9]. Now, in order to understand that, we need to back up a little bit to explain what’s going on here. In the temple, in Jerusalem, up front, there used to be a room. It was called the Holy of Holies. This place was so sacred, only one man was ever allowed to go back there - a high priest chosen at random on a rotation. Only one man was allowed back there, and it was very exclusive and intimidating. There were some who believed if you went in on the wrong day or did it in the wrong way - you might even be struck dead by the presence of God. The Old Testament belief in God left people terrified of the presence of God. In the Holy of Holies was where the presence of God dwelled, and there was a big curtain covering that room. So that’s how they understood God. He was in this room, that was his dwelling place and that curtain separated humanity from the raw and terrifying power of the Almighty. SO that’s what’s going on here. Zechariah gets chosen to be the guy who goes into the Holy of Holies. And he goes in there - I don’t know about you, but I’d be SO careful if I was the priest hanging out in God’s special secret room. Then in verse 11, [read v.11-12]. Now, imagine this, if I’m hanging out in a place where everything has to go perfect, and the raw power of God is all around, and you’re, like, tip-toeing around trying to be careful and then an angels shows up? I would freak. Right. Out. DUDE! What’r’you trying to give me a heart-attack? What are you thinking!

But the angel has some good news for him. Your prayers have been heard, your wife is going to get pregnant. Verse 16, the angel is telling Zechariah about his baby boy. [read v.16-17]. Basically the angel is telling Zechariah - your kid is going to do some really awesome stuff. He’s gonna be John the Baptist! And what does he say in response? [read v.18]. A literal ANGEL just said your kid is going to turn parent’s hearts to their children, and turn disobedient back to wisdom and make people ready for God - and all Zechariah can say is… “but my wife is really old!” The angel said this is an answer to your prayer, but Zechariah can’t believe it - which tells us that he was praying for something but he never believed he would get it. He was not prepared for God to say yes. I wonder - have you ever had a moment like that? Zechariah and his wife had all but given up. They were in a place of deep sorrow and longing, and they had been in that sorrow for so long - maybe they had started to give up. They figured - Joy just isn’t for us. And they convinced themselves of the bad news, and so when the good news is standing like a miracle right in front of him, Zechariah can’t believe it. So let me bring it into today, is there an area of your life where you have convinced yourself - joy just isn’t for me? I know a lot of people who walk away from God, and they think - nah, not me. I burned that bridge. I went to church as a kid, but I walked away from that a long time ago. There’s no way they’ll let me come back. I’m too far gone. Have you ever had a longing go unfulfilled for so long that you started to give up on it? And then some preacher boy comes in with good news of forgiveness in Jesus Christ, salvation and freedom from your past - and you just sort of figure, nah - that can’t be real. That’s Zechariah with this angel. 

So then we get my favorite part of the story, the angel comes up with the BEST punishment. [read v.19-20] Do you notice how the angel doesn't answer the question? Zechariah asks, “how are you going to do this with an old guy like me?” And the angel says, “I’m Gabriel, you idiot. I stand in the presence of GOd - don’t worry about the how.” So Zechariah is struck mute, and he can’t talk at ALL. And then he comes stumbling out of the Holy of Holies, and he’s waving his arms and motioning, but he can’t speak a word. And his wife gets pregnant.

Then the story continues, Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist - they didn’t call him that back then, but you get the idea. She’s pregnant and then Mary comes over for a visit. Now, Mary - meanwhile - has gotten her own visit from an angel. Where she also was told about a miraculous pregnancy. Mary just found out, Elizabeth has been pregnant for a little while and it says down in verse 44. [read v.44]. The word they use is “leaped.” That baby leaped for joy - and as painful as that probably was to have a baby jumping around in there - there’s no mistaking the key message. When we hear that the Lord is coming, the response is joy. But let me ask - why is it so joyful? I don’t know about you - but for me, when I know the boss is coming in to look over my shoulder, that’s not joyful - that’s stressful! I’ve talked about this before - but my very first job, way back in high school was TCBY - this countries best yogurt, slinging that ice cream. And I remember, we hated it when the boss was around. He wouldn’t let us goof off and eat all the toppings. Big time kill joy. Why would it be good news that the boss is coming? But then one day - I remember, one of the ice cream machines broke, and the register went on the fritz and my replacement didn’t show up just as a whole pile of customers walked in the door - all at the same time. I was completely overwhelmed and terrified, and I didn’t know what to do. But the boss swooped in, took charge, problem solved. You handle this, you cover this area, he organized the customers, fixed the broken machine, got the register working. When it was overwhelming, having the boss around was great news. I was so joyful that the boss had arrived. And what I realize, both from Elizabeth and TCBY is that the level of joy at the approach of the coming king is directly related to the level of mess in our life. Now this is a key teaching that will come up again. On the good days, a lot of us think - maybe we should be the lord of our own lives. We should be the boss, we got this. 

But it is in those moments of sorrow and sadness that we realize just how good the good news is. It’s kind of like - you know how it gets dark at three o’clock in the afternoon these days? That’s super annoying - that drives me crazy, BUT the one good thing about things getting dark so early is that I have more time to enjoy the Christmas lights. You know what I’m talking about? The lights shine brighter in the darkness. I love Christmas lights. I like to drive around with my family, bring some hot coco in a thermos or something, park somewhere and just look at the light show. There used to be a park close to our old house that would have a whole light show set up on timers, and you could tune in to the radio station and the music would match up with the light show - have you ever seen those? So fun - but my point is this. The lights shine brightest in the darkness, and the joy that comes with Jesus is the most obvious when rising out of moments of sorrow and longing. That baby in Elizabeth’s belly leapt for joy, and honestly? With some of the stuff I know you guys are going through - for some of us, the darkness for has been so deep, that the good news of Jesus Christ the son of God and savior of the world, the idea that he is coming like a light to drive out all the darkness? Makes me want to leap for joy too. 

 So Mary visits Elizabeth, and then we need to take just a second and close the loop on my man Zechariah. Mary returns home, and eventually Elizabeth has the baby. Now remember, he has been SILENT for the entire pregnancy. Stuck mute by an angel. And so we get back into this story in verse 57 (this is a LONG chapter y’all). [read v.57-60]. Now I don’t want you to miss what’s going on here. The angel TOLD Zechariah that the baby’s name was going to be John - but then he was struck mute. So he never told Elizabeth what to call this baby. Verse 61, [read v.61-64]. Elizabeth names the baby, which is super rare, and she goes with a name from outside the family, which is even more rare and when Zechariah agrees, and ONLY when he agrees with his wife - is he able to speak again. Now, I’m just a simple pastor trying to figure out the bible and explain it all to you wonderful people - so I could be wrong, but I think what we have here is a biblical precedent for husbands to shut up during pregnancy and agree with your wife if you ever want to speak again.

The good news I have for you this morning is that God is coming. And I think this is so key because sometimes when we’re in the darkness searching for the light, when we are in the valley and we don’t know how to climb out - sometimes it feels like God is hiding from us. But we don’t have to find God, God comes to us. Whatever you’ve got going on in your life - God is coming to you and nothing can stop him. Like Jack mentioned last week - there are no threats to the gospel. There is nothing out there that can overcome the unbreakable truth that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and savior of the world. If you turn to God, if you call on the name of Jesus - nothing can stop him from getting to you. Some of you might think that the shame you are carrying is too much for God. You think your brokenness makes you unworthy to give your life to Jesus. But the power of the joy of Jesus is that it comes out of deep sorrow and longing. If anything, the deeper the darkness, the more the light shines through. 

In verse 68, Zechariah sings this song about his son John and he says, [read v.68]. God does just come to boss us around. He is here to save your life. God is coming TO REDEEM US. See, here’s the thing - when we do something wrong, we feel shame. And for some people that shame we feel causes us to run back to God. We realize what we did wrong and we come back to God. But for others, shame can cause them to give up on God. To give up on themselves. Sin and shame is like a stain on our soul. Think about thanksgiving - you ever get that cranberry stuff on your shirt? I’ve got a 2 year old who wears most of his meals, and a ten month old who thinks she’s the next Jackson Pollock. I know all about stains. At the beginning of every meal we try to keep them clean. Don’t hold the spoon upside down buddy, don’t lean over the plate when you reach for something. Half the time I just give up, alright take the shift off, finish the meal tarzan style. And I think we do the same thing in our lives. We think about sexual sin (lusting after someone who is not our spouse, pornography, adultery), or other stuff like greed, lying - whatever our personal shame is based on and we see the stain, this thing that we have done, and we think - it’s too late. My shirts already dirty, might as well keep it up. But when I say that God is coming, he is coming to wash us clean. Whatever you got going on in your life - it’s not too late to come back to God. It’s never too late in this life to seek forgiveness. Jesus comes in and redeems us. He washes us clean, scrubs away the shame and gives us a second chance at life. 

God is coming, and what that means is that JOY is coming. Let me show you one last thing. We talked about Zechariah, and how back then they had this separate room - the holy of holies, and God was in there and we were out here - separate and apart from. But with the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus - there is no more holy of holies. Some of you have probably heard this before, but I think there’s a couple folks in the room who have never heard this part of the story - and I’m really excited to share it with you. The holy of holies was in the temple, and it was covered with a curtain. And that curtain was woven in such a way that it would never rip top to bottom. It would only ever rip sideways, just because of how the fabric was woven together. The holy of Holies was separated by this curtain, sometimes they called it a veil. But at the end of his life, when Jesus hung on the cross, the moment he died this is what happened - I’m in Matthew chapter 27, verse 50 [read v.50-51]. There is no more holy of holies. God is not hanging out like back up in the darkness behind the drum kit. The curtain was torn, the barrier between God and his people was destroyed. And now because of Jesus, you have access to God. God is coming. God is with us. The beauty of the Christmas story is that it is the beginning of joy. It is the beginning of the end, of ripping down the veil and having nothing separate humanity and God ever again. God is coming, Jesus - the baby is coming. There is no separation. There is no holy of holies anymore, the world is God’s holy of holies.

So here’s what I want you to do with that this morning. My challenge to you this week. I want you to look at your life and ask, “Where do I need Jesus to uncover joy in my life? Where is Jesus inviting you to let his joy break into your life? Or maybe I can ask the question another way - you remember the movie inside out that I mentioned earlier, yes? Where sadness gives way into joy - are there places in your life where you are stuck in sadness, and you need help while you are waiting for it to give way into joy. Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed for years for a child - only to find themselves old and without children. Or maybe you have prayed for years for the spouse of your dreams, and you’re starting to believe that maybe the person isn’t even out there. Or you’re praying for the perfect job opportunity to come along, and you’re starting to feel like it’s just never going to happen. Or you’ve got some family drama, and you’ve prayed for years for peace in those relationships, and now you’re stuck thinking that this family member will just never get their life together. Prayer after prayer after prayer - where do you need Jesus to uncover joy in your life? Where do you need to let the good news that Jesus is coming get into your soul and light up your life?

So first I want you to ask that question, but my second challenge for you today is that I want you to choose Joy. Because the truth is joy is a choice. God has made joy possible, all that stuff I just said - the veil being torn, Jesus giving us access to God and forgiveness of sins, God has made joy possible - but you still need to choose it. Joy is a choice, and that’s a choice we need to make every single day. Let me give you an example of this. I’ve told this story to some people personally, but I don’t think I’ve talked about it a lot from up front. Some of you know that I grew up in the United Methodist Church, born and raised - a generational pastor’s kid. My father is a UMC pastor, my mom’s dad was a UMC pastor, her mom’s dad was a missionary from Germany to China. Generations of church leadership. And I fought my call to ministry for a long time, and I remember my dad never wanted to pressure me or push me into ministry. But he was so excited when I became a pastor. He was so proud when I got ordained and they prayed over me. I really loved serving alongside my dad, sitting next to him at conferences. And I did that for 8 years. Served two amazing churches. Played in the worship band, led life groups, served our community. But a few years back the United Methodist Church went through a major rift, and they divided over the issue of human sexuality. There was a lot more to it, but that was the big headline. The denomination was heading in a more progressive direction, and while I have all the love of Jesus in my heart for LGBTQ people - they are created by God and loved just like you and me - but in my very in depth study of the scriptures I find that sex is meant to be reserved for marriage and marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman. I couldn’t get around that, and that made me a lot more conservative than some of my people. And to make a very long story short, I ended up resigning from my church, I couldn’t compromise my principles.  And I left the United Methodist Church. And then, a church that had been vibrant and growing, even during the pandemic was ripped in half by this fight. There was a transition time, but I knew at the end of it I would lose my home, my health insurance and my paycheck. And even forget all that other stuff, at the end of it - I was going to lose my church. Even the people I completely disagreed with, I still loved them a lot. I still do, years later. And I’m not going to lie, I carry a lot of guilt, a lot of self-blame for what happened. And it wasn’t my fault that the denomination had this big fight, but sometimes I wonder if there was something I could have done… something that would have been better. And I remember I went to pastor at another church, and there was a lady there who would update me on my old church. And I think she thought it would make me feel better, to tell me how poorly the church was doing. “Oh I heard they’re just falling apart without you.” But I had to ask her to stop telling me that stuff, because my heart couldn’t handle it. You guys know Sara and I, our kids - we really believe all that stuff about the church being a family. We take that stuff really seriously. But I never had any ill will towards that church. Because even when I was losing my church, I still loved my church. And the reason I tell you guys this story is because that may have been the worst time of my entire life. And there were days, even weeks, where I was in this funk. A deep sorrow, a place of hopelessness and grief. And it was in those days, when I had nothing but Jesus to cling to. In those months of transition and loss, there are interviews and disappointments, opportunities and let downs. But every single day, when I was walking through that valley, I had to choose joy. You have to choose joy. When you wake up and life confronts you with darkness, you have to come to the realization that if you have Jesus and nothing else, you have enough. For a while I had Jesus and nothing else, and that was enough.

I love the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, and visiting Mary and the baby leaping for joy. I just love how the story of Joy is so intimately connected to an older couple who had a dream of having a baby, but they had sat in the darkness for so long they had started to give up hope. They had assumed that joy wasn’t for them. I mean, I love the Christmas season - and I’m one of those optimistic weirdos for whom joy comes really easy. And if you’re like me - all chipper and cheerful, we might look around at all the Christmas cheer and think that this season was built for us. I’m like buddy the elf with a little more Jesus. But the truth is that Christmas is not built for the already cheerful. Christmas is for the brokenhearted. The downtrodden. The weary. The light shines brightest for those living in darkness. The greatest joy in the world arises out of moments of darkness and sorrow. And so if you are walking in darkness this morning. If you’re feeling separated from God, far away from his presence - I know a pregnant old lady and a mute old man who have really good news for you. The veil has been torn, there is no more separation, Jesus is coming. Coming to bring joy, coming to bring healing, coming to bring redemption. Sorrow and longing are actually the best place to start. At the end of chapter one, Zechariah is still singing his song, and I just want you to hear these beautiful words. Verse 78, [read v.78-79]. Let’s pray.