Seek Me: Joy | Matthew 2:1-20
This message was preached at Sherwood Community Friends Church on Sunday, December 11, 2022. You can watch the video in full by clicking below.
Where has joy gone?
Among the nine fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 – that is, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – I can grasp most of these. But the one that always seems to make my brain spin is JOY. As I’ve shared previously, I have a pre-disposition to depression and melancholy.
Different from momentary or conditional happiness, we will consider today what it means to live in joy, even when we have unanswered prayers and difficult circumstances.
Yet this is the season when JOY is supposed to abound! Even if you aren’t holly jolly, suck it up, put on a Santa hat, and smile!
Think back to when you were a child, waiting with anticipation for what will be under the tree Christmas morning. You are giddy with joy, daydreaming of curly ribbons and glittery paper hiding treasures of joy. And early Christmas morning, while the sun sleepily enters the world, you tiptoe from your room and gaze at the pretty presents wrapped under the brightly lit tree. Anxiously, you wait and wait, hardly able to contain your joy, until others come to join you to see the good gifts that had arrived.
So, where did we lose our sense of wonder? Of hope? Of joy? How do we separate joy from happiness? That is, how do we rejoice when our earthly circumstances prove challenging at best, impossible at worst?
Today we will look at some of the minor players in the nativity story for some insight on joy. If you have your Bibles, we will be in Matthew 2 and Luke 2. Both can be found towards the beginning of the New Testament.
My Question About Joy
While you are turning there, I’ll share with you the first question I asked myself as I was preparing for today, considering my own difficulty with comprehending joy:
Who demonstrates JOY when I read the Bible?
If you are following along on the bulletin, you may want to jot these down.
Paul – Joy in suffering.
I think of Paul and those whom Paul spoke of. In 2 Corinthians, we find Paul defending himself to the church in Corinth when they have spoken negatively about him to each other and others.
2 Corinthians 7:2-4 “Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, taken advantage of no one. I don’t say this to condemn you, since I have already said that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. I am very frank with you; I have great pride in you. I am filled with encouragement; I am overflowing with joy in all our afflictions.”
When Paul references the churches in Macedonia in 2 Corinthians 8:2 “During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant JOY and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.”
Paul and the other authors give a final exhortation to the church in Thessalonica.
1 Thessalonians 5:13b-18 – “Be at peace among yourselves. And we exhort you, brothers and sisters: warn those who are idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
The Psalmist expresses Joy:
Psalm 5:11 “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them shout for joy forever. May you shelter them, and may those who love your name boast about you.
Psalm 16:11 “You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.
Psalm 20:5 “Let us shout for joy at your victory and lift the banner in the name of our God. May the Lord fulfill all your requests.
Then I think of Peter, the rock on whom the church was built.
He gives encouragement to the exiles throughout the region in
1 Peter 1:8-9 “Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Or in 4:13 “Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed.”
Wise Men
We could go on and on with familiar verses and examples of Joy in the Bible. But let’s turn to our first text of the day, Matthew 2:1
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”
The wise men were on a journey. They were seeking. They arrived in Jerusalem with expectation. Perhaps they were representing themselves. Or maybe they were representing another ruler. Either way, they needed some direction.
And I imagine they must have been engaged with the Old Testament scriptures or Jewish culture in some capacity. At least enough to have followed a star from a distance for the king of the Jews who was just born. These were men who were expecting royalty and wanted to come with the acknowledgment of such an occasion.
Verse 3
3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.
5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:
Because out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”,
7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”
Herod was greatly disturbed by this news! How out of touch he was! This was his land that he was in charge of, and he knew nothing about the Messiah these wise men were talking about. Herod scrambled to gather chief priests and scribes to give him the details of what was going on with this newborn baby. Who is this king?
Then Herod seemed to be helping out the wise men by sharing this intel with them, but he was manipulative, hoping to use their information so he could kill the new baby out of fear of losing his own position of power.
Verse 9
9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy.
With the help of Herod, they found their way back to their journey. Don’t underestimate the power of God to use what is intended for evil, what seems not of the Lord, for his good! It was through Herod the wise men got back on track with their journey.
And when they saw the star, the star they had been following that they had lost sight of, they were overwhelmed with JOY! Note it doesn’t say when they actually reached the child. It was when they found their path. They were seeking but found themselves lost. They received joy when they found their way again.
Joy comes when we find the direction we’ve been seeking for our journey.
If you have your bulletin and are following along, this is your first fill-in for the day.
Joy comes when we find the direction we’ve been seeking for our journey.
Verse 11
11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
I have always pictured these wise men with some sort of crown with jewels, fine linen, and so on. And perhaps these men were dressed in this manner because they were on their way to visit a king, after all.
But they were not put off by a king being born in a stable surrounded by animals, hay, and feed. In fact, they were so struck by the sight they fell to their knees and worshiped the babe Jesus. They were enamored with what they were beholding. They realized their journey had been a success, and their joy was now complete because they could do what they came to do – to pay homage to and worship the new Christ.
Verse 12
And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.
Even though Herod meant for evil, God intervenes. What the enemy tries to steal – and he will steal. John 10:10 says “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” But we know it is Jesus who comes “so that we may have life and have it in abundance.”
Someone here needs to hear that today. I don’t know who it is, but there is someone here who, you feel like you have had something or someone stolen from you. And you’ve been blaming God for that loss. You question WHY God? Like the wise men, you have lost your way, and you are searching for an answer to the right path. And God hears you. His heart breaks with yours for your loss. He’s not far away from your pain. He’s sitting right there next to you in the midst of that pain. He’s asking you to share this pain with him.
It is the enemy who steals but it is Jesus who brings life.
Shepherds
Now, let’s talk about the shepherds. Turn with me to Luke 2, verse 8.
8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock.
This was an ordinary night. An ordinary working shift for these men who were out working. There was nothing different about this night from any other night.
Shepherds were typically not the ones to experience good news first. They were out in their fields, keeping the flocks of sheep from predators and often isolated from the rest of their community. There they were, minding their own business as usual, not particularly hopeful or hopeless. Living in the ordinary.
God shows up in the ordinary.
Today. In the day-to-day. In our work. In our home management. In our appointments. In the day-in, day-out, keeping the kids on task, preparing yet another meal, flossing our teeth, sweeping the floor. These are the ordinary moments when God chooses to show up.
Let’s pick up the text in verse 9.
9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
14 Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to people he favors!,,
15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
What was this like? To be caught in the ordinary moment with something so extraordinary? Let’s watch this clip from The Shepherd.
As a child, I didn’t understand why they were afraid. I thought I would never be afraid of an angel! I imagined how great it would have been to have seen an angel choir up in the sky. As I have grown over the years, I understand the fear.
Fear rises when we are faced with God because we know that, after that moment, nothing will ever be the same.
I’ll say that again.
Fear rises when we are faced with God because we know that, after that moment, nothing will ever be the same.
We know we have been given something unique. For the shepherds, there lies a certain amount of pressure to do something with this announcement. They could have done nothing. But they responded with joy and enthusiasm.
Is this how I respond when God clearly meets me? When so clearly He moves in my life and pours out His spirit around me, do I embrace it? Do I believe it?
Or do I walk away in fear, refusing to find joy in what has been given to me and viewing this gift as a burden?
Joy is accessible to all of us. How do I know this? Those fruits of the spirit that I mentioned earlier - that’s for you and me. But it must be a choice for us to walk away from the temporary joy substitutes this world offers - self-satisfaction through lust, pride, greed, cynicism, entertainment, materialism, entitlement, intellectual pursuits and so on - and choosing to walk in love, peace, and joy.
Joy can only be a part of our identity by setting aside our own desires so that our hearts line up with His. This is when we find our path like the wise men. This is when we notice the extraordinary like the shepherds. This is when we find extreme joy in our affliction like the church in Macedonia. This is when we experience unspeakable joy.
Verse 16
16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. 17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.
So…What Happens After?
What happens after that moment is over? After the shepherds experienced the angelic high…after they went to behold the newborn babe…after they shouted through the streets of the newly arrived Messiah? After the wise men returned home, did they give a second thought to their experience? Did they know this joy once the moment was over for the rest of their lives? How many of those shepherds or wise men lived to see Jesus’ ministry thirty years later? Did any of them witness the crucifixion and realize this was the babe they saw a few decades prior?
After the high of the moment, when I believe I have received the answers I have been waiting for, do I embrace the joy I received and carry it into the longevity of my journey? Or do I crash, wondering where the joy went?
The Joy of Jesus
Earlier we talked about the joy demonstrated by people through the Bible. I can’t help but to think about the Joy of Jesus.
Hebrews 12:1-3 – Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up.
How do we express joy when we are facing suffering? This verse indicates that Jesus KNEW what he was going into, yet held his head up high and endured it for Joy’s sake!
JOY is When we endure something painful for the sake of the positive results on the other side. Hope is future. Joy is present.
PAUSE
John 15:9-11 – “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”
Jesus’ joy came from the love of the Father and from keeping the Father’s commands. And Jesus tells us here that if we do the same, we will experience complete joy.
Complete joy comes from remaining in Jesus.
Conclusion
As we continue to seek the Father together, as one body in open worship, we prepare our hearts by holding before him our challenges, our difficulties, our impossible situations. We will honestly give them to God. Maybe you gave them to God yesterday and you are asking Why does it matter? Nothing changes! Ah, but he exchanges beauty for ashes, gladness for mourning and praise for despair! Come with your impossibles and exchange them for the Joy of the Father.
Father, we come with our broken, tired, impossible offerings before you today. Meet us with joy.
Show me how to carry joy in my situation.
How has God brought Joy into my life?
Are all hearts clear? As the worship team makes their way up here, just a reminder that we have the Prayers of Joy for you to take with you this week out on the table.
I’d like to remind us of our scripture reading earlier. Brian read Psalm 32. It reminds us that we all have reasons to be filled with joy today. “How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.”
We are made whole, despite our circumstances. We are forgiven. What a reason to be joyful this week.
