Body of Christ: Sharing Joy

2^nd Kings 7:3-9; Luke 24:21-35; Philippians 1:15-26

(Sermon in Three Parts)

Rev. Chris Harbin, Rocks Baptist Church—Pamplin, VA

11 April 2004

The first thing we want to do with good news is share it. We talk about the birth of grandbabies, graduations, new jobs, birthday parties, new cars, baby chicks, and sports championships. For some reason, good news doesn’t seem so exceptional when it becomes yesterday’s news. A lot of good news has brought us where we are, but after it becomes “old hat,” we are not as energized to talk about it. It’s about the same with the resurrection.

Too Good Not to Share:

During the time of Elisha, the lepers at the gates of Samaria stumbled onto God’s unexpected blessing of provision and liberation. They had decided that there was no hope for them remaining at the gate with the Arameans besieging the city. There was no food left in Samaria, and certainly none that would be thrown their way. If they remained outside the gate, they would become the first casualties of war upon attack. It was a risk for them to seek food in the Aramean camp, but that was better than certain death by remaining where they were.

They took the risk and went to beg food at the Aramean camp. On arriving, they found the camp deserted, but filled with food, clothes, and other desirable goods. Quickly, they began taking care of their hunger and taking some of the wealth for themselves. Soon, however, they realized that they should be thinking of others, and not only of their own needs. They thought back to the city of Samaria with no food. They thought of the thousands of people believing themselves to be besieged and afraid to leave the city, dying of hunger while food was in reach.

They left the camp and headed back to Samaria. They told the people of the good news and the food that was left at the enemy camp. They shared their joy at Yahweh’s provision for the besieged city in want of food. The people were afraid to believe their news. It was too good to be true! They were afraid, but they eventually accepted the word of the lepers and rushed out to accept God’s provision. The news was too good not to share. As it was shared, the joy of God’s provision was increased, for the whole city could celebrate Yahweh’s gift of new life!

The Best News of All (Children):

Today is a very special day for us. Today is Easter, and on Easter we celebrate that Jesus is alive. You know, we forget sometimes that that is really good news. That is why we have a special day to remember and celebrate that Jesus is still alive.

After Jesus’ death, the disciples were very sad. They did not know what to do. Jesus had told them that he would come back to life, but they did not remember that. Many of them were scared. They thought that since Jesus had been killed, they might be killed, too. So they hid and did not realize that Jesus was alive.

Some of the women went to the tomb on Sunday morning and found that Jesus’ body wasn’t there. When they told the other disciples, no one wanted to believe them. Peter and John went to the tomb. They saw that it was empty, but they did not understand it.

Two of the disciples took a trip back to a city called Emaus. Jesus talked with them on the trip, but they did not recognize Him. After Jesus explained to them again how He was supposed to have died and then come back to life, they recognized Him. That made them really happy. They did not know what to do, because they were so happy that Jesus was alive again! Even though it was night, they ran all the way back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples that Jesus was alive!

They knew that this was really good news, and they wanted to be sure that everyone knew about it. It is good to know that Jesus is alive. Just like those two disciples, we need to remind people that Jesus is alive and loves them. Let’s try to do that this week.

The Joy of Remembering:

When Paul wrote the Philippians, he had lots of bad news. There were countless depressing details to recount of his present circumstances. He had tales of individuals and groups who were hounding him and seeking to end his ministry and life. He chose to remember something else. He chose to look back at the very purpose of his life, mission, and ministry. He chose to recall the purpose that God had for him and the joy of receiving grace in Christ Jesus. He looked back on the best news he had to share, and focused his attention on that.

It is easy to share good news when it is news! It is easy for us to recount the new-found joys to life. We celebrate our victories, accomplishments, and the blessings of daily life. It helps us lift our eyes out of the drudgery and routine of our activities. There are some things, however, that we should never tire of celebrating. It may be harder to recall the joy of old news, but some old events are much more important that the news we so readily share.

Paul found joy in the midst of his suffering and imprisonment. He did not overlook the pain and injustice of his situation. He simply looked beyond it to the reality of older news that gave his life meaning, purpose, and direction. He sought out those things that were really worth celebrating and focused his life on sharing the hope of life in Christ with the world.

If he had focused on his pain, distress, and suffering, he would essentially have been acting as the lepers on finding the abandoned hoard of Aramean wealth. He would have been looking only to his current circumstance and ignored the larger picture of life. The joy of those lepers did not blossom until they had shared their abundance with the dying city. The disciples on the road to Emaus did not receive the full joy of Jesus’ resurrection until they returned to share the news with the others in Jerusalem. By that time, the others had heard the news, but it was only beginning to make a difference in their lives.

Paul allowed the news to take root in his life. He focused on the meaning of the news he had to share. He allowed it to become the central focus of his actions, words, and understanding. He allowed the gospel of Jesus Christ to interpret the other events of life. Will we allow the good news to impact our lives fully? Will we share the joy of Easter with the world? It is too good not to share. If we don’t share it, we miss the greatest blessing—the greatest joy.

—©2004 Christopher B. Harbin

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