The fruit of joy The Rev. Dan Rondeau
I Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 | Psalm 16 | Galatians 5:1, 13-25 | Luke 9:51-62
My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; * "Dear God," the letter starts, "Want to hear a joke? What is red, very long, and you hear it right before you go to sleep? Give up? Answer is a sermon." Your friend, Frank [age 11].1 Promise me you won't go to sleep. I promise to be brief . If I had planned a little better I would have discovered that today the Lectionary has the text I preached on several weeks ago: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Gal 5:22) In order to be brief I direct your attention to Paul's teaching that the fruit of the Spirit is joy. With the call and response of Elisha in the first reading, and Jesus' teaching about whole hearted following, singular devotion in discipleship in the Gospel—subjects well worth exploring—I choose to look at Paul and enter into a more playful meditation about joy, a fruit of the Spirit. I do this with a purpose. The last couple of Sundays we have looked with seriousness at self-sacrificing love, today we need a lighter touch. Also, this is the last Sunday our Adult Choir will be singing as a choir until the Fall—they have been faithful, they have been spectacular in their devotion and generous in their sharing with us. The gift of their voices and their ministry has been a real joy. Make time to thank them for their sharing with us. Send a thank you note to John Wright and to the choir to let them know how they helped you into joy—the fruit of the Spirit. Finally, our Vacation Bible School met this past week; over 50 volunteers of all ages shared the Good News with over 90 students. Vacation Bible School at St. Margaret's was another joy. I realize many of you come to worship this morning with burdens of greater or lesser heaviness. I realize many of you come battered and bruised by life and the chances and changes of the week. You come hurting and halt. I pray that in the next minutes you can lay the burden down at the feet of the Lord. I pray that you can find in word, in sacrament, in fellowship, a balm for the wounds and hurts you bear this day. While we are here, lean on the Lord, let the Lord fill you with healing and joy, and take a rest from burdens. Kids and music, kids and the Gospel, praise of God for the beauty and wonder of earth and sky and sea of children and gifted singers and everything that is created—it is a joy to share this with you today. Do you remember what Jesus said? "Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."2 In our Baptism the priest prayed that God would grant us "the gift of joy and wonder in all [God's] works." In our Eucharistic Prayer we pray God to "bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom." And we are dismissed at the end of the Service this way: "go forth into the world rejoicing in the power of the Spirit." The fruit of the Spirit, Paul says, is joy. Do you have it? Do you have the joy of a child that you might enter the kingdom of God? Was the priest's prayer effective—do you find yourself gifted with joy and wonder in all God's works? Do you believe yourself to be in the company of saints already in the joy of God's eternal kingdom? When you leave here today will you leave rejoicing in the power of the Spirit? In the next few minutes, catch the spirit of children and youth and refresh your own childlike approach to the Lord. Renew yourself by praying that God increase the gift of joy and wonder within you. Catch the spirit of our Thanksgiving Prayer and leave here unafraid to rejoice in the power of the Spirit. Receive the kingdom of God like a child. Joy is a key element. Wonder, excitement, curiosity, innocence are all qualities that were in evidence during Vacation Bible School at St. Margaret's this past week. It was a soul inspiring, faith building week, and our children were our teachers. The faith I witnessed during the week has been captured in letters written to God by children and collected by David Heller. Here is a sampling for your enjoyment. "Dear Jesus," the letter said, "Since you retired two thousands years ago what kinds of things do you do? Maybe you should try bowling or you could sing in a church group like my grandmother does." Your friend, Pam [age 9]3 "Dear God, Do angels do carpentry and plumbing in the sky? If you don't have to be too handy. I would like to apply." Yours, Carmen [age 8]4 "Dear God, I learned that when it is 1 o'clock here it is a different time in China. Why? Did you want to keep us guessing?" Sincerely, Ellen [age 9]5 "Dear God, Did you make it so cold in Michigan because you thought we could take it? Or was it a practical joke of yours?" I ain't laughin, Eric! [age 11]6 "Dear God, I saw the Grand Canyon last summer. Nice piece of work." Love Alan [age 9]7 "Dear God, I love you. I love the way you made the sky and the sun. One thing I wondered though. Doesn't it get kind of hot up there near the sun? We are air conditioned so we are O K." Love, Deirdre [age 8]8 Watching our children—draw, play, sing, pray, give to help others, ask questions, share answers, hear stories, tell stories, smile, give and receive hugs, all this—was faith renewing. I believe our volunteers both blessed the children with their ministry, and were blessed by the children in their ministry. It was a great joy to be with Chet, Diana Miller, Barbara Cory, Ashley and Darrin (from our Senior High Group) and the many, many volunteers who participated in our Vacation Bible School. Joy, the fruit of the Spirit, was abundant this past week. One of the verses that the children learned this past week is John 3:16 "For God so loved the world he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." Our children learned this verse in a song that they sang with great enthusiasm. They were having fun. It put me in mind of a story I heard before, and brought it to life—with joy. Doug Vogel of Ft. Wayne, IN tells this story about John 3:16: "One morning at breakfast, I decided to teach my nearly four-year-old Caleb his first Bible verse (John 3:16). I slowly enunciated the words: "For God so loved the world he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." The second time I said the verse even slower, encouraging Caleb to fill in certain words. When I got to "... shall not perish but have everlasting [blank]," Caleb proudly answered, "fun!" I couldn't have said it better myself.9 At Vacation Bible School our children were having fun, and so were we. It was a moment filled with joy. And remember the promise of Jesus: "I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete."10 I look out upon you this morning with joy. I see Christ in you; I see Christ in young and old men and women in boys, and girls, in our teens, and it gives me joy. The grounds of this church, the beauty of the building that lifts heart and mind and soul to God as you enter it, give joy to my heart. I know of the work of the Sextons and volunteers to keep the building in repair and ready for us. I rejoice in the work of the Altar Guild in preparing for worship and gladly received the welcome of the Ushers as I entered the building. I look upon you and see men and women of faith who bring their questions, and their doubts, and their hopes and their understandings to each other and share. I know that you are in a place where you can receive counsel and comfort. You are in a place and with a people where your worship can find inspiration. I see men and women in loving and faithful relationships, some for over 60 years and I am reminded of the Apostle's words that "love never fails." I know of your generosity in sharing time and talent and treasure for the ministry of this church, and for my ministry. Joy abounds in all these things. Joy abounds in the knowledge I have as I look upon you this morning. As I look out upon you this morning I see and remember kindnesses shared with me and my family, encouraging words, faithful giving and faithful serving. I see men and women open to God and God's actions in the world, in others, in themselves with the kind of childlike innocence and expectation I witnessed in the Vacation Bible School. It's great to be playing and learning with big kids like you. There is great joy in being among you. There is great joy in being part of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church and School. It is my prayer that you will find ways this week to taste the joy, the fruit of the Spirit, present here. It is my prayer that you will be refreshed by the Spirit in joy today and throughout the week. The very first prayer in the devotional section of our Prayer Book11 says it well and is my prayer for you and me: O heavenly Father, you have filled the world with beauty. Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that, rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
1 David Heller, Dear God: Children's Letters to God (New York, New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 1994) p. 73 2 The New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989. 3 David Heller, Dear God: Children's Letters to God (New York, New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 1994) p. 69 4 Ibid., p. 91 5 Ibid., p. 95 6 Ibid., p.97 7 Ibid., p. 140 8 Ibid., p. 100 9 From the internet, retrieved 6/26/2004 from PreachingToday.com 10 John 15:11, The New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989. 11 "For Joy in God's Creation," The Book of Common Prayer, p. 814
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