Nehemiah 8:8-12
John 15:9-11 1 Thessalonians 5:14-9
“A ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH DAY”
One summer, when our kids were little, we took them to Walt Disneyland. Such fun! The first night, with the girls absolutely spent, I took Chris back in and by his request we wound up going on one ride after another on Splash Mountain, as there were no lines. Over and over again we heard the theme song for the ride, so we began to sing along:“Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay! My, oh my, what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine headin' my way, zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!”
Once back home, the song was sung during bath time. As Claudia washed each of the three, it was my job to dry them off and get them into their pajamas. One night, little Melanie, who'd been on the ride as well, couldn't contain her joy. Bouncing around the bathroom, dressed in nothing but her original birthday suit..., she sang the song and danced about...! “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!”
One night, feeling a bit tired, I got a little irritated. “Melanie, come here! Would your hurry up please?” So she did, running in circles even faster than before, chirping out the song like the bluebird of happiness...! “No, Melanie, that's not what I mean! Stop with all that dee-doo-dah stuff, and get over here so I can dry you off! Now!” That's when she asked a profound question: “Why?”
That's when those dreaded words came out of my mouth – words that my own parents had said countless times that I swore I'd never say: “Because I said so!” They are the words a parent says when they don't have a good reason or response to the question, 'Why?' And I didn't. I had nowhere I had to be, no meeting I had to attend, no sermon to write. I was just used to hurrying, and preoccupied with the importance of my time, I was in danger of missing one of life's precious moments, an op to share the joy being expressed in front of me, a proverbial invitation to enter into the dance of life.
Ever find yourself caught in such a moment? Ever get so focused on the next thing that you're in danger of missing the moment in front of you? Ever get inpatient, or distracted, or disillusioned?
Author Walker Percy describes it as “the fiefdom of boredom: when the self is stuffed with the self.”
(Walker Percy)
Melanie seemed free of that. Taking a bath was a dee dah moment, and being dried by dad was another, and after that was likely to be another. Oh, she had her share of other moments. Being a proverbial tree climber resulted in plenty of cuts and bruises and tears, but each moment was pregnant with the possibility of entering into another dee-dah moment. Her twin is like that too. I'll never forget her sitting on my shoulders as one Walt Disney princess after another disembarked from their carriages and Nicola letting out a shriek of pure delight: “Yippee!!” It gave me Goosebumps – in a good way!
Those two have taught me a lot about living life joyfully! To do so, puts us in sync with God, for joy is at the heart of God's plan for us. Jesus even identified it as one of the reasons he came. In one of his last discourses with his disciples he said: “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy, so that your joy will overflow!” (John 15:11) It's an amazing statement! He's saying that his heart was full of joy and that he wanted us to exhibit and experience the same!
Jesus came as the ultimate joy-bringer! To be a grumpy Christian is an oxymoron than, isn't it?
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G.K. Chesteron put it this way: “Because children have abounding vitality they want things repeated and unchanged. They're always saying, 'Do it again! Do it again!' And the parent tries to do so until they drop in exhaustion or refuse altogether. After all, grown-ups are not strong enough to exalt in monotony, but God is. I think it likely that God says every morning to the sun: 'Do it again!'; and every evening to the moon: 'Do it again!' God never tires of making flowers bloom and the stars to twinkle. We have sinned and grown old, but the Ancient of Days, is younger at heart than we are.” (G.K. Chesterton)
Now, to be clear, it is not that God is not well acquanted with grief. The Old Testament repeatedly pictures God as a hurting husband to his unfaithful bride, Israel. Paul speaks of how our sin grieves the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is identified as “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”
(Isaiah 53:3)
Even still, joy is a basic character trait of God and God's intent was that his creation would mirror his joy. As the psalmist puts it: “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad. Let the fields be jubilant; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord.” And again: “You will make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with your joy as I stand in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 96:12-13: 16:11)
As C.S. Lewis poignantly and ironically put it: “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”
(C.S. Lewis)
Some times a brush with death grants us fresh perspective. My Dad had such an encounter and on the flip side told me that things that had bothered him before had faded into insignificance. Such folks as these remind us that each day is a gift. As John Ortberg puts it:“We don't earn it, can't control it, and thus shouldn't take a moment of it for granted. Each tick of the clock is a gift from God.”
(John Ortberg)
How does that work though? What if joy doesn't come to you naturally? What if you've been dealt so much pain and loss in life that you're inclined to see your glass half empty rather than half full?
Consider three biblical approaches to help you get on the same page with the author of Joy. One, practice praise; Two, develop an attitude of gratitude; and Three, strategically celebrate!
Jesus himself models for us how to practice praise when he taught his followers how to pray. The prayer we repeat here weekly as part of our celebration of Communion begins with that focus. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name...” (Matthew 6:9) He taught us to begin our prayer by celebrating who God is, as our creator and father, and how holy he is – worthy of our praise. Starting every prayer with a word of praise helps us keep in mind who God is. Praise celebrates His character.
Thanks to modern technology we can now see the person we're talking to. I love that when my son, Christopher and I talk, I can see his face in front of me. When Claudia and I dated, you couldn't do that. Such a concept was limited to Dick Tracy movies and comics. Knowing that I would be talking to her I would put a favorite photo or two of her to remind me of her beauty as we talked.
That's what practicing praise is like. It's putting before you mind's eye the amazing beauty of God, reminding yourself of his loving, creative, parental, caring attributes. Praise puts God's image before you so you can delight in Him, revel in him, fall in love with him just as He is in love with you!
Do you want more joy in your heart and in your life – practice praise!
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Second, develop an attitude of gratitude! Remind yourself of the times and ways that you've experienced God's goodness and generosity to you or those around you. The Book of Psalms is full of not only hymns of praise but also of thanksgiving. Reading it aloud can help you....
Have you ever noticed how good it makes you feel inside when you take the effort to thank someone who has helped you in some way, or when you are thanked for doing likewise? There's a profound connection that occurs between people when appreciation is articulated for each other.
My father gave me some wise advice years ago. I shared with him that a couple in my intern-ship church regularly gave me token gifts or put money in my pocket and that I struggled to accept that. In the same way, I have trouble receiving a compliment. He told me, 'Don, I know how you feel, but I'd urge you to fight the urge to reflect that gift or compliment and just simply say thank you. I think you'll find that this helps the other person feel appreciated and affirmed and you'll both be blessed.'
So it is with your relationship with God. By regularly articulating your gratitude for the good things in your life, the evidence of God's love for you thru people and events, the more gratified you will feel and both you and God will be blessed by it, and your joy will increase. No one embodied this more beautifully than Ann Louise. She was constantly expressing praise and gratitude, evident in her favorite verse from the Bible. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circum-stances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus!” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
So practice praise, develop an attitude of gratitude and third, strategically celebrate! This is what Nehemiah is up to in the passage we read earlier. The people's hearts are heavy. Their future is uncertain and the task at hand is full of inherit risks and danger. They're grieving deep loss.
It's in this context that Nehemiah urges them to strategically celebrate. This is what he says: “This day is holy to the Lord your God so do not mourn or weep. Go and celebrate with a feast of fat foods and sweet drinks, and share with those who have nothing prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord! Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:9-10)
Celebration generally involves gathering with people we love, eating and drinking, singing and dancing. Spiritual celebration means doing them while focusing on God's goodness and grace.
Our word, 'holiday'', comes from the practice of 'holy days', times that were set aside to revel in God's goodness and generosity, as a discipline for personal and communal transformation. We expect a prophet to talk about eating locusts and brussel sprouts but here we see Nehemiah handing out the equivalent of steak and lobster! When we celebrate, though we do not do so with hedonistic motivation, to do so more and more for personal gratification, but as a form of supplication, acknoweledging how God loves to bless us and dote on us. When we take delight in something we might not have even noticed in our grief or hardship, our capacity for joy increases.
Would you like to be more full of the joy of the Lord? Would you like to know what Ann Louise's secret was? Practice praise; develop an attitude of gratitude; and strategically celebrate, and you too, will come to know and embody how the joy of the Lord is your strength!