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Psalm 118:1-29
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD was one of the cries that went up as the crowds welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday. Luke 19 records that blessed event. Jesus and his disciples were coming into Jerusalem, the Holy City. He sent two of his disciples on ahead to find a colt which no one had ever ridden. They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen. And here is what they said, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd were offended, probably because they were proclaiming Jesus as king. They said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" Jesus said, "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
It's as if the author of Psalm 118 could see these events unfold in his mind hundreds of years before the actual event. Listen to his words.
The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. (118:27)
Then he adds a final declaration: You are my God, and I will praise you, you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love endures forever. (118:28-29)
The Psalm begins and ends with God's unfailing love. What is the Psalmist saying to us? How can his words help us find the way out when we are trapped in sin, heartache, and doubt?
He's saying to us there's a time to celebrate. There's a time for dancing before the throne of God, for praise, for shouts of joy. According to Kaufmann Kohler in the Jewish Encyclopedia, no language has as many words for joy and rejoicing as does Hebrew. In the Old Testament thirteen Hebrew roots, found in twenty-seven different words, are used primarily for some aspect of joy or joyful participation in religious worship. Hebrew religious ritual demonstrates God as the source of joy. In contrast to the rituals of other faiths of the East, Israelite worship was essentially a joyous proclamation and celebration. The good Israelite regarded the act of thanking God as the supreme joy of his life. Pure joy is joy in God as both its source and object.
Remember how King David danced for joy in front of the ark (2 Samuel 6:13-15). He was so exuberant in his expression of praise that he embarrassed his wife. This is probably not the only time in history that an excited husband has embarrassed his wife.
Remember how Jesus was criticized for not having his disciples fast like John the Baptist. His answer? "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast." (Matthew 9:15) The words of the prophets had been fulfilled. This was not a time to be sad. This was a time of uninhibited joy.
Joy is the Christian's witness to the world of God's love. "The surest mark of a Christian," said Samuel Shoemaker, "is not faith, or even love, but joy." Theologian and philosopher Tielhard de Chardin put it this way, "Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God." A 15th century mystic named Julian of Norwich settled the matter long ago when he said, "The greatest honor you can give to Almighty God, greater than all your penances and sacrifices and mortifications, is to live joyfully because of the knowledge of his love."
Joy is not the same thing as happiness. Happiness is a feeling. Joy is a reality based on a relationship. Happiness can be taken away from us by adverse circumstances. Joy is so deep it can persist under any circumstances. Happiness is in the world, under certain conditions. Joy is in the Lord, under all conditions.
Joy is our primary duty. That doesn't mean we go around with a phony smile on our face. It means we consciously seek to trust God and convey to others our quiet confidence that God is with us.
Many years ago, some men were panning for gold in Montana, and one of them found an unusual stone. Breaking it open, he was excited to see that it contained gold. Working eagerly, the men soon discovered an abundance of the precious metal. Happily, they began shouting with delight, "We've found it! We've found gold! We're rich!" They had to interrupt their celebration, though, to go into a nearby town and stock up on supplies. Before they left camp, the men agreed not to tell a soul about their find. Indeed, no one breathed a word about it to anyone while they were in town.
Much to their dismay, however, when they were about to return, hundreds of men began to follow them. When they asked the crowd who "squealed on them," the reply came, "No one had to. Your faces showed it!"
What is the witness on our face? It's amazing, isn't it, how many of us who follow Jesus, have trouble trusting him? We worry, fret, doubt, and fear. This is a time of celebrating God's love for us. It's a time for celebrating the coming of Christ into the world. It's a time for celebrating God's judgment on the tyranny of sin and death. Joy is our witness of God's love for the world.
Joy can be a powerful force in our lives. Joy can improve our relationships, enhance our physical well-being, refresh our spirits. We read in Nehemiah 8:10, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Suppose we started off each day by reciting, "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it" (118:24)? Then we looked in a mirror and gave ourselves a big smile. It might change our lives, at least, our attitudes. Experts tell us we don't smile because we feel great, we feel great because we smile. It'll make a difference if we start our day affirming our faith in God!
Posture produces performance. Did you know we can affect our attitude by the way we stand. If we slump our shoulders and look at the floor long enough, we'll get depressed. If we look in a mirror, smile, throw our shoulders back and say, "Hello world, it's a great day" and "This is the day the Lord has made," we'll immediately feel better. Our physical appearance may be a reflection of whether or not we really trust that God is with us.
Joy is an introduction to heaven. We were created for joy. Joy is God's will for His children.
Consider what an assistant discovered while working at a home for people with mental and physical disabilities run by L'Arche, the Christian movement. One beautiful summer day the community took a group of children with Down Syndrome to the beach. Everyone was happy and they were playing in the ocean and drawing pictures in the sand, and one of the assistants said to one of the children, "Draw me a picture of a house."
The child drew a big picture of a house. She said to another child, "Draw me a picture of a horse," and the child drew a great picture of a horse in the sand. Finally, she said to a third child, "Draw me a picture of joy." The child looked up at her, then looked all the way down the end of the beach, then looked back at her, then looked all the way down the other end of the beach, then looked back up at her and said, "There's not enough room for joy!"
And it's true. There's not enough room for joy. Not here anyway. But one day there will be. That's God's plan for creation. To wipe away all pain and suffering to make room for unadulterated joy in His presence for evermore. As the Psalmist said, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good his love endures forever." (Psalm 118:29)
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Rev. Charles Eldredge is a member of Maitland Church of the Brethren. He has a Facebook page and can be contacted by email: ce1133 @verizon.net.