Gospel Joy Defeats Worldly Sorrow – by Pastor Chandler

  Posted on November 1, 2016  by   No comments

I was eighteen years old when my Nana passed away.

My brothers and I were all very close to Nana. We’d spend weeks at her house during the summer. I remember those humid summer days in the rolling hills of Kentucky. The air was so thick you almost had to swim through it, but we loved every sweat-drenched minute playing with Nana at her house. If I pause, close my eyes, and imagine, I can almost smell her house.

In the early days of winter, the whole family would pack in the van and travel snow-laden Highway 65 through the flat plains of Indiana to Louisville for Christmas. I distinctly remember pulling into Papa and Nana’s driveway well past dark thinking, “They’ll already be asleep.” But they never were. Nana was always sitting on the floor in front of the couch with the newspaper in front of her face reading while Papa sat in the chair watching some form of evening news. Nana waited up for us. She’d offer us a snack – Honey Nut Cheerios – before bed, and then we’d enjoy a week or two celebrating Christmas with the family.

Nana was the true matriarch. She brought the family together, served the family tirelessly, and kept the peace in the family beautifully. No reason to argue or be grumpy when Nana was around. The joy of Christ was so manifested in Nana that it radiated out into the room and had an enormous effect on all who gathered around. She loved Jesus with an undying love and that love forced its way through my Nana’s life into the hearts of her family and friends daily.

When we got the news that Nana had passed away we were all terribly saddened. The drive to Kentucky that evening was vastly different than our Christmas trip adventures. Instead of the great anticipation of being embraced by Nana’s warmth we drove seven tear-filled hours only to cry more. The darkness of the night sky seemed to ooze into the van and cover each of our hearts in sorrow.

In preparation for the funeral, we all gathered in a circle at the dark colored funeral home to talk with the Pastor and the Funeral Director. The question was simply asked: Can you tell us some cherished memories about Bettie? I remember specifically thinking in that moment, “How can we possibly share happy stories when we are so sad?” But, in that gloomy moment, bumbling through tears and sobs, the stories began to slowly work their way out.

As the stories poured forth, something very exciting, genuine, and hopeful began to take place. The room began to fill with laughter, joy, and smiles. Though tears shimmered on our cheeks, they rolled down to smiling lips. Though sorrow had gripped us at our core, something was rattling in our hearts and pushing the darkness away. Light was truly bursting into the room. The darkness of the sky that night we drove down began to seem a very distant memory as we enjoyed talking about the love my Nana showed and the servant’s heart my Nana possessed.

Though tears shimmered on our cheeks
they rolled down to smiling lips

You see we all had an amazing hope. My Nana loved Jesus. Man, did she love Jesus. She had given her heart to the Lord and Savior of the world. And as we began to share stories of Jesus’ friend, the one we knew as Nana, our hearts began to beat to the sound of the gospel. Hope was dawning in our hearts again! Though Nana had died she would surely live. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25, ESV). Nana is with Jesus and in Jesus. That was the joy that began to fill our hearts and minds. That joy began to manifest itself through smiles and laughter.

We’ve recently studied in Mark 5 together. Therein, Jairus, a leader of the Synagogue, had experienced a great loss. His daughter had died. Even in the presence of Jesus, Jairus was utterly hopeless. His little girl was gone. The twelve-year-old laughter of his daughter would not fill the house again. He wouldn’t role around on the ground with her playing silly games. He wouldn’t teach her or learn from her again. He would not hold her in his arms, kiss her on the cheek, and tell her how much he loves her again. He wouldn’t see her grow into a woman, marry, and bear children of her own. It was all gone. It was robbed by death’s devastating sting.

Well, that’s maybe what he thought. Jesus had a different picture in mind and he simply told Jairus, “Believe.”

Jesus took a couple disciples and went to Jairus’ house. Mark said it like this: “They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.” There, in the streets, outside the home the mourning of a little girl filled the air. Shouts of grief and sadness echoed through God’s world. But, Jesus amazingly turns their weeping into laughing. Mark continues, “And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him.”

But, Jesus amazingly turns their
weeping into laughing

Now, of course they were mocking him with this laughter, but Jesus paid no attention to this. Instead he pushed forth to His daughter and called her, “Little girl, arise.” And there she was beaming with life. The twelve-year-old that was lost in the shadows of death was suddenly and joyfully up.

Jesus said in John, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.” You see, the disciples would mourn the loss of their Rabbi, but when they fixed their eyes upon Jesus once more as the risen Messiah, all of their grief and sorrow would be gone in a moment.

When Jesus is in the picture joy defeats sadness, laughter breaks through tears, and dancing overwhelms the heart; for where Jesus is there is life and there it is abundantly.

I miss my Nana. I wish she could have met my wife and known my children. More so, I wish my children and my wife could have met her, but Jesus is present. Nana is hidden with God in Christ. In that funeral home and in Jairus’ home the King of Heaven spoke powerfully, “Even though you die, so shall you live.”

Fix your eyes upon Jesus and watch the world’s sorrows grow strangely dim.

Blessings in Christ Jesus,
Chandler