Joy Is Our Serious Business

Luke 17.11-19; Psalm 66.1-12; 2 Timothy 2.8-15


The National Consumer Safety Board recently did a study of lightweight trucks in Texas. They installed a black box type device that would record the audio in the truck before a crash. They would interested in what they would hear before the crash. They were not surprised to hear exclamations and screams, but what they were surprised is the number of times that last words they heard before a crash was, “Here, hold my drink, we’re gonna try somethin’.”

That story has little to do with our text today, except that the joke made me laugh as deeply as anything in awhile. And laughter has very much to do with Joy, and so, I guess, that joke has a lot to do with our text today. Because Joy is our serious business and is the natural attitude of all who love God.

Dallas Willard writes that the Psalms are the best expression of who God is and how God relates to us. Immerse yourself in the psalms and you come away knowing so much about God and about yourself.

“Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name;
Give to him glorious praise. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!” Psalm 66.1-3


Are these just religious words, or do they actually describe a reality that people can and do participate in? Do you make joy?

It’s a legitimate question. I know that we often make sadness, make hurt, make anger, make trouble. We don’t like our lives. We are miserable and we want to make others that way too. And we do!

Is joy so scarce? Is life really this bad? Jesus says no. Life is full of the glory and richness of God. Is there much more to be joyful about than sad over. The difference lies in seeing and responding.

Jesus is traveling in the border country between Jews and Gentiles. It’s a mixed bag of people in the border towns and villages. And as He is going into a village he meets ten lepers. They call out to Jesus for his pity and help.

Jesus sees and hears them, which is a different response than these lepers are used to. Most people pretend they don’t hear and they don’t see. But Jesus sees better than most people. Jesus notices a lot. And this is the first key to rediscovering joy in your life.

Begin to notice the good things and good people you have learned to ignore.

A life well lived is about paying attention to simple gifts and unearned pleasures. We all the ask question probably once a day, “Why did this have to happen to me?” And when we ask that we mean, why did this bad thing happen. We should be asking probably ten times a day, “Why did all this good come my way? Why all this pleasure? What did I do to deserve this?”

In Sunday school the class I’m in is talking about the Beatitudes of Jesus. Dallas Willard points out that they only make sense when you consider the audience he is speaking to. They are a mass of raw humanity. Their lives are in the “down position.” They are poor, bankrupt, disease-ridden, socially inept, morally perverse, spiritual zeroes. And yet, Jesus points to them as he speaks, “Blessed are you when you are poor . . .blessed are you the ignored, the outcast. . .Blessed are you who have no friends but God.”

You are blessed not because you’ve earned it but because God is so good He gives it to you. He gives it because you need it.

“The gospel of the kingdom is that no one is beyond beatitude.”

As you may know, the Samaritans were looked at by the Jews as an inferior race of people ethnically and spiritually. But low and behold, that tenth leper that was healed came back to thank Jesus. It is noted he was a Samaritan. He is the only foreigner in the group.

“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan.”

What the Samaritan saw was what the others missed. He didn’t deserve this great thing. It was totally unexpected. And he wept for joy. There was no containing his praise. Thank you God! Thank you Jesus! Thank you God!

We teach our kids to say thank you for simple gifts whether they feel thanks or not. It is a basic step of growth and maturity. Aunt Edna may bring that horrible tuna casserole she always makes for dinner. You may want to say to her, “Aunt Edna, that is worst sort of dish that I have ever tasted. The way you have tortured those noodles – you ought to be locked up.” That’s what you want to say as a kid, but what you, in fact, say is, “Thank you, Aunt Edna, for this good meal. Thank you.”

It’s not about faking gratitude or joy. It’s about growing up to be able to see that nothing is owed you in life. Isn’t this the difference between maturity and selfishness, a loving child and a spoiled brat?

This life can be for you a life of long, bitter pain or it can be a life rich beyond measure of purpose, joy, and love. The difference is not in the circumstances that come our way but in what we choose to see and or ignore. How many times do we need reminded of this lesson?

Those who see blessing don’t have to be told to say thank you. It comes automatically.

Say thank you more often and then, more often than that.

Bill Hybels encourages pastors to be “thanking machines.” I have tried to be better at this and you know what? The more I say thank you the more aware I become of all the other unearned blessings I have received. On Sunday morning we all have opportunity to say thank you God and share the praise. Frankly, I’m a little disappointed sometimes in how little we thank God. Take a little quiz with me now.

If someone got up and danced in the aisle during our singing, how would you respond to that? Would you: A) get up and dance with them B) say, you go ______, nice moves! C) Smile at them with bemusement and pity, and think, “that is so weird.” or D) Get angry and vow never to return to this Holy Roller Church

Could I suggest it wouldn’t hurt for more of us to “get a little weird” with our passion and praise once in awhile? Raise your hands, clap, bob your head. Maybe an extravagant act of praise would help us rediscover a sincere thank you, help us rediscover our joy. Maybe many of us have become so familiar with the routine of our lives and our church that we have stopped seeing what we used to.

Joy is our business. Joy is our strength. True faith produces joy and this joyful faith will make us well.