Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We all have the desire in us to be happy. And God wants us to experience a happiness that does not fade away. This experience which comes from God is called joy. It is not based on circumstances and is permanent. It is a gift from God. Often we look for things that do not satisfy us and perhaps kill any possibility of joy in our lives. Some of our joy killers are sins that we nourish and hold on to. This week we want to look at what you and I can do to receive the gift of joy.
In John’s gospel he refers to John the Baptist who is hugely popular at this time and crowds are going out to see him in the desert. John tells those who are following him, his disciples, that the one who is walking by, Jesus, is the Lamb of God. This phrase is loaded with meaning since the Jewish people were saved from the slavery of Egypt because of the blood of a perfect lamb that was put on their door posts. Isaiah, the prophet, forecast that the Messiah or savior will redeem his people by offering himself as the lamb before God. This is why we say in the Mass: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We are holding up the true Lamb of God.
When John said this of Jesus it was a stunning thing to say and this was someone who was really worth following. John and Andrew who had been John’s disciples became the disciples of Jesus that day. Jesus turned to them and said, “What are you looking for?” What do you want out of life? It’s a great question and they did not have a great response and said can we hang out with you? Jesus responded, “Come and see.” Andrew is unable to contain his joy and he runs and tells his brother Simon Peter the news about the Messiah and brings him to Jesus. Joy is something that overflows; it spreads naturally. John and Andrew share their joy of meeting Jesus with others.
One of the worst things that can happen to someone coming back to the church is to run into grumpy Christians who have no joy. But the invitation of Jesus Christ is to come and see! If this is your first time here we are glad you chose us and hope you will return. For those to the Lord, “I want a personal relationship with you. I want joy and I believe you are the only one who can give it to me.” And then repeat that daily in the few minutes of prayer I hope you are making every day.
Lastly, for those of you who are church goers and followers of Christ while your faith is personal it is not meant to be private. If you don’t share it you will not grow. To make that happen we need to have friends who share our faith. Our small groups are about that: sharing our faith and growing in a relationship with Christ. We would like to do this Thursday at 7:30 PM in the cafeteria. If you don’t have a small group come to where you can learn about it. Only God is able to give you joy by following him more closely.