“You have filled my heart with greater joy, than when their grain and new wine abound” (Psalm 4.7).
A sermon by João Soares da Fonseca
Why humor is so important?[1]
Did you know....
- Studies have pinpointed 18 different kinds of smiles? The most common and recognizable is the smile of enjoyment. Who does the research for this sort of thing? Wouldn't you love to have his job? I could see his college transcript. Freshman year he takes classes like Upturned Mouth 101. Later he studies the Abnormal Psychology of Smiles, like The Smirk: A Smile Gone Wrong. Finally, he'd graduate to courses such as Advanced Guffawing. Where do I sign up?
- Thirteen muscles are used for our smiling mechanism, but 50 muscles are required for frowning? Want to preserve your face value? Smile! You have to frown nearly a quarter of a million times to make one wrinkle. As someone has said, "Let all your lines be laugh-lines."
- Laughter lowers the levels of cortisol in the body? Cortisol suppresses the immune system. Lowering these levels enhances the work of the immune system and may help prevent disease.
- That you can stimulate your heart and lungs, elevate your blood pressure, and temporarily improve breathing capacity--by laughing? In terms of exercise, you can get the same benefits from laughing 100 times a day as you can from 10 minutes worth of rowing? Why sweat when you can laugh?
- Charles Darwin believed that one's facial expression can actually influence one's moods? Studies in bio-feedback confirm Darwin's belief. We smile so that we may feel good, not just because we already feel good. Want to feel better? Even on your gloomiest day, walk around with a silly grin on your face. Of course, people will wonder what you've been up to.
- Laughing for 15 seconds adds two days to the life span?
So if you smile, you can improve your health, your mood, your friendships, and your love life!
From our today’s text, we are going to learn some truths about the joy of the children of God:
1. The joy of the Christian comes from God
“You have filled…”. It was an action of God. He is the agent of true joy. Therefore, the Christian joy comes from above, from God.
Do you remember the words the angel said to the shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem? He said: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).
Atanasius, one of the first leaders of the Church, wrote: “The saints, while in this world, were always happy, as in a continuous feast” (Pascal Letters). Paul said that “…the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17).
“The kingdom of God does not come visibly, nor will people say, ‘Here it is’, or ‘There it is’, because the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). This is evidently a joy that springs from the Calvary, it comes from the open tomb.
2. The joy of the Christian irradiates from within
“…my heart…”, says the psalmist. The Bible tells us the story of the eunuch, an Ethiopian officer who went to Jerusalem to worship God. He was returning home when the Holy Spirit instructed the deacon Philip to approach him and explain the Bible to him. Philip talked about Jesus, and the officer asked to be baptized. The narrative ends this way: “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39).
Why rejoicing? Because his heart had been changed. His trip back home was made in a different mood. When we have Jesus as a companion, our trip through existence is incredibly buoyant. The hardships of the daily life will continue to assault and assail us, but there is a difference: we will face them with a joyful spirit.
3. The joy of the Christian does not depend on external success
Our text talks about grain and wine. The farmer of the Old Testament usually made a feast at the harvest. Much grain would mean to him much money, therefore, happiness. However, a meager harvest would imply want, therefore, sadness. That is precisely the background behind Habakkuk 3:17,18, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior”.
The joy of the Christian does not depend on financial stability. Jesus said to the scribe who came to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matt. 8:20). Jesus was poor and had no money, but he said “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). His joy is proof that your day can be sunny, even if you do not have any money.
The joy of the Christian does not depend also on physical health. You should know Ormindo, a man who lived in Rio de Janeiro and was confined to a bed for more than 13 years. After several decades of disobedience and procrastination, he accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and finally gave his profession of faith. But some days before being baptized, he was violently struck down by a car. His spine was irreversibly damaged. He never walked again. His baptism was performed in the swimming pool of a wealthy man’s home. He was immersed in a chair held by some strong men. Never was a baptismal ceremony so moving to me! Baptism did not make him physically better. He died later on without being healed. But – do you know what? – it was a real celebration to visit him. He lost his ability to walk, but not his ability to smile. His spine was dead, but his faith in Jesus was alive. His good humor was an additional blessing God gave to him. He had a good selection of jokes and funny sayings. It was an inspiration to be with him. His joy came from above. He was happy because he had Jesus in his heart.
Even a good marriage is not a guarantee of a being joyful. You can be single and satisfied, or married and miserable. A family can be helpful, but the real joy does not come from our dear ones. It is a gift from God.
Jesus also said that the Christian joy is not affected by persecution. It was not without reason that he concluded his Sermon on the Mount by saying, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…” (Matt. 5:11,12).
One evening in 1808, a gaunt, sad-faced man entered the office of Dr. James Hamilton, in Manchester, England. The doctor was struck by the melancholic appearance of his visitor. He inquired:
— Are you sick?
— Yes, doctor, sick of a mortal malady
— What malady?
— I am frightened of the terror of the world around me. I am depressed by life. I can find no happiness anywhere, nothing amuses me, and I have nothing to live for. If you can’t help me, I shall kill myself.
— The malady is not mortal. You only need to get out of yourself. You need to laugh; to get some pleasure from life.
— What shall I do?
— Go to the circus tonight to see Grimaldi, the clown. Grimaldi is the funniest man alive. He’ll cure you.
A spasm of pain crossed the poor man’s face as he said: Doctor, don’t jest with me; I am Grimaldi.[2]
Would you like to drive away melancholy from your heart? Come one now, receive Jesus in your heart.
[1] This text, circulating in the internet, was originally issued by an American hospital, Ball Memorial Hospital, Muncie, Indiana.
