Joyful Living

May 6^th, 2018     “Joyful Living”      Rev. Heather Jepsen

John 15:9-17 with Acts 10:44-48

         Last year during our Stewardship season I preached a series of sermons on joy.  From compassion and forgiveness to generosity and gratitude, we reviewed several practices that would help us achieve more joyful living.  Jesus’ teaching in our gospel reading this morning is right along that same line of thinking.  In fact, we could have included it in our study of joy.  Love each other as I have loved you, Jesus commands, and in doing so Jesus promises our joy will be made complete.

         Our reading for this morning looks a lot like our text from last week all about love.  This year as the lectionary bounces between Mark and John we will often find that our John weeks get pretty repetitive.  Like a long winded orator, the writer of the gospel of John latches on to an idea and then spends page after page expanding on all his thoughts.  So here we have Jesus in his marathon last supper sermon, continuing to expound on the ideals of loving our neighbors.  Basically a re-hash of what we discussed last week.

         The challenge for the preacher of course is finding something new to say each Sunday about subject matter that we just went over.  Today, of course, I am thinking about joy.  If we follow Jesus’ prescription for life, if we keep the commandments and abide in love, then the joy of the Christ will be manifest in our hearts and our joy will be complete.

         When I think of joy, my first thought is the exhilaration of moments of pure happiness.  I think of holding new born babies, and riding my bike really fast down a hill, I think of the sun on my face and the pleasure of watching flowers I’ve planted bloom, I think of the pride I have in my children and the simplicity of playing music with my friend Lorraine, I think of time spent with friends and the deepening bond of family relationships; all of these things are joy to me.  So how does that connect with what Jesus is talking about?  Jesus suggests that this feeling of happiness and love, this joy in my heart, will grow and spread if I am able to abide in God and follow the commandments given.

         Jesus makes it clear that he isn’t focused on all the rules of the Bible in this search for joy.  For example, this isn’t about following all the Levitical codes to achieve happiness.  Rather, this is about one commandment, the commandment that Jesus gives.  “Love one another as I have loved you.”  And how has Jesus loved us?  “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

         Once again we come to the core of the Christian message.  The gospel we preach and practice is to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to put the needs of others before our own needs.  This is a love that is primarily interested in the well-being of other people, and when we shift our focus in this way, then our joy will be made complete.

         This is a fine sentiment but things get tricky in practice, because of course, loving our neighbor does not come easy.  We see this in our reading from Acts.  Peter is speaking to the crowds in Caesarea and the Holy Spirit falls on all the people, Jews and Gentiles.  The Jews that are with Peter are astounded, amazed, and dumbfounded.  How could the gifts of God be poured out on the Gentiles, on the Romans, on those who would persecute God’s people?  It doesn’t make sense.  Doesn’t God know who the good people are and who the bad people are?

         Peter himself has been wrestling with the idea of what is good and what is bad according to the Lord.  A few days prior to this, Peter had a dream in which appeared before him a smorgasbord of all the worlds’ tasty delicacies that were off limits for good Jews.  God commands Peter to eat of that which had been previously prohibited and Peter is unable, claiming never to have crossed that line.  Then a voice comes from the heavens, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.”  Peter awakes from his dream to be sent to the Gentiles.

         In the book of Acts, we find that the love of God will no longer be limited to a certain group of people.  Through the nature and person of Jesus Christ, all are invited to be the chosen people of God.  God’s promise of grace and mercy is open to everybody and everybody becomes our neighbor.  Suddenly the list of people I have to be willing to lay down my life for gets pretty long.

         There is so much division in our modern experience that it is a lot easier to write certain people off when it comes to this commandment to love one another.  I came across a great story this week about Sally Kohn, a liberal commentator who often appears on Fox News.  She has recently published a book, "The Opposite of Hate: A Field Guide to Repairing Our Humanity" in which she writes about seeking to connect with people with whom she vehemently disagrees, some of whom have written hateful things about her online.

She writes, "I found my answer in my aunt Lucy who lives in the middle of the country and is a conservative Republican.  She loves me and my partner and our daughter and welcomes us with open arms at every family occasion we manage to attend.  The few times we have cautiously talked politics, Aunt Lucy has been curious and kind.  Aunt Lucy watches Fox News, and eventually it dawned on me that most Fox viewers are probably just like her - decent, curious about the news, intending to learn and do something good with the information.  I started to picture my aunt Lucy when I would go on Fox. ... It made it easier for me to think and talk and act from a place of kindness, not hate - not to essentialize the invisible people on the other side of those screens but instead imagine my Aunt Lucy, someone I love and respect."

         This is just one small example of how we can love our neighbors, even those on the opposite side of the divisions in our country.  For Sally, imagining her aunt Lucy who she knows and loves helped her to love all the neighbors who watch Fox news, some of which may respond to her with unfriendly comments.  Her neighbors didn’t change, but the way Sally thought about them did.  The same was true for Peter, the Gentiles themselves didn’t change, but the way Peter thought about them did.

         So too, we can change the way we think about those who are different then us.  I have many friends on both sides of the political spectrum, and though we often disagree we can also find common ground in our friendship.  When I am interacting with those who aren’t my friends who might truly offend me with their political sensibilities, I try to think of these friends who I know and love.  If I can change the way I think about those on the other side of the aisle, then I can recognize my neighbor with love.

         This calls for work on our parts, and it calls us to step outside our comfort zones.  This is how we lay down our lives.  We put aside our opinions, we put aside our desire to win an argument, and we put aside our need to be “right” (whatever that is).  We lay down ourselves and listen to and respect our neighbors.  It doesn’t mean we agree, but it does mean that we go forward with love and not anger in our hearts.

         And here is where we get to the joy.  When we are able to offer others grace, when we are able to make friendships with those across the aisle, then we are able to let go of the anger and negativity that swirls in the climate of our country.  We are able to allow space for more joy in our lives.  When we are able to see and love others, then we abide in God, and our joy is made complete.

         We could call this compassion, this empathy and loving kindness toward others, and I would remind you from our stewardship sermon series that compassion is a root of joy.  Science says that compassion is good for you.  Practicing compassion releases endorphins in our brains and lights our reward centers up just like when we eat chocolate.  Oxytocin is released when we are compassionate, which leads to a reduction of cardiovascular inflammation.  Compassion is literally good for your heart and it feels like joy!  We are most joyful when we are focused on others.  When we are self-centered, thinking only of me, me, me; is when we are the most depressed.  When we are thinking of others, when we are helping others, when we are practicing compassion, that is when we are most joyful.  When we are able to lay down our own life’s desires for our neighbors is when our joy will be made complete.

         So once again this week we have Jesus telling us to love our neighbors.  We also have Peter reminding us that our neighbors will not be what we expect or who we even desire to spend time with.  But, if we are to abide in God’s love, then we will recognize these strangers as our friends.  Jesus has told us to love one another, and in doing so; our joy will be made complete.  This is the secret to joyful living.  Amen.