(An excerpt from my sermon on September 18, 2011)Think about how joyful the Israelites must have felt when God delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh. And think about how joyful each one of us can feel when we understand how we’ve been forgiven and saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. We can truly rejoice! We, too, can sing out loud, and jump up and down for joy just as the Psalmist describes the people of Israel doing.
But how many of us have ever done that? How many of us have gotten so excited about God’s grace that we literally erupted into song and dance? How many times, in our worship service, has the confession and the declaration of forgiveness been a time for unrestrained rejoicing instead of just a recitation of words? And how often in our everyday lives do we burst forth with visible joy because of the mercy we receive in Jesus Christ. Perhaps we’ve had a moment or two in our lives where we were profoundly affected by a realization of God’s grace – but how many of us make true rejoicing a regular spiritual practice?
In our church, and in many Presbyterian churches, we tend to take more of the stoic approach. We often make the argument that highly emotional expressions of faith can be done merely for show, or are the result of getting caught up in a moment. Often, such expressions are not a sign of deep, personal happiness. Jumping up and down and shouting “Praise Jesus” can be just as forced and just as routine as reciting liturgy can.
And neither way is necessarily superior to the other. Both can be authentic or inauthentic expressions of faith. What really makes for a joyful response to God’s grace is not what we do on the outside. It's not what other people see and hear. It’s what God sees and hears. And God pays attention to what is deep down in our hearts, not what we’re doing with our hands or our mouths. So we should express our praise in whatever way opens our hearts and lets God know how joyful we are - whether that involves dancing in the aisles singing “Awesome God” or standing still and reverently singing "A Mighty Fortress."
Which means that in the church, we need to be mindful of two things as we create space for rejoicing. First, we need to honor the fact that different people rejoice in different ways, and be careful not to discourage any authentic expressions. If someone feels moved to wave their hands during an upbeat hymn, that would be OK. And it would be just as OK for someone else to remain still – as long as their hearts are open to God in honest rejoicing. In a time when evangelism is becoming more of a focus, a church that is unable to create such space will limit the amount of people it can reach.
Such a church will also limit the rejoicing of its own people, which brings me to the second thing we need to be mindful of. And this is something the Psalmist reiterates. The joy that the Israelites felt every time God delivered them never lasted. For whatever reason, they were not able to take that intense feeling of excitement in the moment and let it deepen in the lasting joy that lives in the heart. Instead of trusting in God’s continuing love and guidance, they trusted in themselves, in false gods, and in whatever else they could find. In short, they didn’t nurture their joy - and it got them into trouble time and time again.
Which is why it is so important for us to work hard at rejoicing, and rejoicing authentically. We can’t take worship for granted, assuming that it’s good enough just to say the right words and keep the right traditions. We must consistently check ourselves to make sure it is truly rejoicing – that it is coming joyfully from that place deep, deep down in our hearts. And the same goes for the rest of our church life – whether it’s our education programs, our fellowship, our mission work, or our daily devotions. If we authentically rejoice in all those things, we will be able to keep our trust in God and the good things God has in store for us.
But how many of us have ever done that? How many of us have gotten so excited about God’s grace that we literally erupted into song and dance? How many times, in our worship service, has the confession and the declaration of forgiveness been a time for unrestrained rejoicing instead of just a recitation of words? And how often in our everyday lives do we burst forth with visible joy because of the mercy we receive in Jesus Christ. Perhaps we’ve had a moment or two in our lives where we were profoundly affected by a realization of God’s grace – but how many of us make true rejoicing a regular spiritual practice?
In our church, and in many Presbyterian churches, we tend to take more of the stoic approach. We often make the argument that highly emotional expressions of faith can be done merely for show, or are the result of getting caught up in a moment. Often, such expressions are not a sign of deep, personal happiness. Jumping up and down and shouting “Praise Jesus” can be just as forced and just as routine as reciting liturgy can.
And neither way is necessarily superior to the other. Both can be authentic or inauthentic expressions of faith. What really makes for a joyful response to God’s grace is not what we do on the outside. It's not what other people see and hear. It’s what God sees and hears. And God pays attention to what is deep down in our hearts, not what we’re doing with our hands or our mouths. So we should express our praise in whatever way opens our hearts and lets God know how joyful we are - whether that involves dancing in the aisles singing “Awesome God” or standing still and reverently singing "A Mighty Fortress."
Which means that in the church, we need to be mindful of two things as we create space for rejoicing. First, we need to honor the fact that different people rejoice in different ways, and be careful not to discourage any authentic expressions. If someone feels moved to wave their hands during an upbeat hymn, that would be OK. And it would be just as OK for someone else to remain still – as long as their hearts are open to God in honest rejoicing. In a time when evangelism is becoming more of a focus, a church that is unable to create such space will limit the amount of people it can reach.
Such a church will also limit the rejoicing of its own people, which brings me to the second thing we need to be mindful of. And this is something the Psalmist reiterates. The joy that the Israelites felt every time God delivered them never lasted. For whatever reason, they were not able to take that intense feeling of excitement in the moment and let it deepen in the lasting joy that lives in the heart. Instead of trusting in God’s continuing love and guidance, they trusted in themselves, in false gods, and in whatever else they could find. In short, they didn’t nurture their joy - and it got them into trouble time and time again.
Which is why it is so important for us to work hard at rejoicing, and rejoicing authentically. We can’t take worship for granted, assuming that it’s good enough just to say the right words and keep the right traditions. We must consistently check ourselves to make sure it is truly rejoicing – that it is coming joyfully from that place deep, deep down in our hearts. And the same goes for the rest of our church life – whether it’s our education programs, our fellowship, our mission work, or our daily devotions. If we authentically rejoice in all those things, we will be able to keep our trust in God and the good things God has in store for us.
