Hold Fast to Joy

This Sunday will be a day of celebration at St. Johns!  WE WILL RETURN TO THE SANCTUARY!  We are calling this a “soft start” because we are still tweaking the technology and some things about the space.  While these things are small, they will need adjustments moving forward.  The narthex and balcony will also receive a few adjustments.  This is the reason for the soft start!  However, we hope the renovation will impact you visually and spiritually as you come to worship.  Beauty is generally inspiring, whereas shabbiness not so much!  We continue our series, Hold Fast, with a sermon that fits the occasion: Hold Fast to Joy.  Joy is powerful and transformative for our lives, but it is not always simple or easy.  Our scripture is Nehemiah 8:10-17.  Nehemiah has led these people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in record time.  It has been a team effort, but it has also been exhausting.  They are having a celebration of the completion of the project, which includes the reading of the Law (the first 5 books of the Bible).  As they listen to the words of the Law, they realize how far they have fallen from truly honoring God.  Many begin to weep because their hearts are broken, but Nehemiah and all the other leaders tell them: “This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” These words are encouraging, and they give us a path to connect with the power of this joy!   As you read these words, we pray that God’s joy will overcome your sorrow, lift your spirit, and fill you with an inexpressible joy that is full of God’s glory! 

Nehemiah 8:10-17: Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” ¹¹ The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.” ¹² Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them. ¹³ On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. ¹⁴ They found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month ¹⁵ and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”– as it is written. ¹⁶ So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷ The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.  (NIV)