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At Sandals Church, our vision is to be real with ourselves, God and others. This channel features sermons and teaching from Pastor Matt Brown and other members of the Sandals Church preaching team. You can find sermon notes, videos and more content at http://sandalschurch.com/watch
Welcome to the Sandals Church podcast. My name is Celeste, and I'm part of the online team here at Sandals Church. We are so happy to have you join us today as we listen to this message with pastor Fredo Ramos teaching from our advent series. If you've enjoyed our content, consider leaving us a rating to help this podcast reach more people. But for now, let's get into the message.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Just the other day, I'm driving on a main road, near where I live. And in the city I live, Riverside, they decided to hang these Christmas signs all along this main road. And one of them happened to capture my attention. It said, this Christmas, and then in big, like, red letters, it said, share joy. I thought to myself, well that's pretty sweet.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Then of course, the Grinch inside of me said, well where is my joy? And then right at that same time, I happen to be crossing an intersection, and a car is looking to turn right into the lane that I'm in. And I'm like, please don't do it. Please don't do it. Please don't do it.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Of course, they turn into my lane, I gotta quickly get out of the lane, and I pull up next to this car ready to share something that is not Christmas joy. And so I think about that sign, share joy, and then I ask myself again the question, well, where is this joy? Where is mine to be found? Can I locate it? And I share that because one of the realities of Christmas time is that there is a paradox that exists.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Meaning, on the one hand, it's about celebrations and relationships and the meals that we enjoy, but at the same time, the Christmas season is meant for many people with a kind a sadness. So much so that a lot of research is given as to how more people experience sorrow than joy during Christmas time. Which is why I think there are so many, just cheesy but amazing movies that come out during Christmas time that are on Netflix and the Hallmark Channel because there's something in all of us that wants to see these people lifted up out of their slump. And I think, subtly, these kinds of stories have a way of soothing the sorrow that lies within all of us. And so in light of this kind of paradox we face in Christmas, I would say real joy, real Christmas joy comes because of Christ.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:When you read through the gospel of Luke and you see the Christmas story as it unfolds, you see this repeated theme of joy all the time. The the angels are showing up in the field to the shepherds. They announce joy to the world. We're told the shepherds then leave feeling joy. Then we're told the people who are awaiting the baby Jesus encounter joy as they see him.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:You can't get away from this particular theme. The other thing you also notice as you read through the gospel of Luke is that the Christmas story kind of breathes like a musical. And it's almost as if every time that the grace of God and the goodness of God comes along, people can't help but just break out in song. They they start singing. And so me, like the millions of people who recently saw the movie Wicked, you know, where every 3 minutes there's another song to sing, you're reminded as to why something has happened to them.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And you watch a movie like that, and you're like, oh, wow, this kind of reads like the beginning of the gospel of Luke. And then these songs are also catchy, and so I find myself, you know, just moozing around the home, singing about defying gravity once in a while. Songs do something to us, that's the point. And they're all throughout the Christmas story. And so today we're going to focus on a particular song, the song of Mary.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:It's known as the, magnificount, which is a way to describe her her magnifying God. And she sings the song and and listen now, she sings a song of joy. And in this song she's able to locate where her joy is. That's what I think is so profound. Not only do we have this song 1000 of years later, but in this song, this this burst of joy, she also is able to locate where her joy is at.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And so as we begin, I just want to ask you guys, can you locate where your joy is at? Do you know where it's at? Where is your joy right, like right now to be found? As you think about that, I want to invite you to stand with me as we read from Luke chapter 1, this beautiful song of Mary, and then I'll pray for us. It'll be here behind me.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And Mary said, my soul glorifies the lord and my spirit rejoices in god my savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on, all generations will call me blessed, for the mighty one has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm. He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:He has helped his servant Israel remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors. And then it concludes with this. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about 3 months, and then returned home. This is God's word. Let's pray together.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Heavenly father, as we have gathered today in this way, we pause in prayer to recognize that you have gathered with us too. So we ask now that as your word is spoken that you would speak to us, God. And then as Jesus said, you would give us ears to hear today and eyes to see all that you desire us to become in Christ. And would Mary's song become our song. We pray these things in his name.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Amen. Amen. You guys may be seated.
Morgan Teruel:Hey, everyone. My name is Morgan, and I'm a part of the digital media and online team that reaches tens of thousands of people every week through content just like this. In everything our team creates, our hope is to serve you as you grow in your own spiritual journey. Before we end the year, I wanna take a moment to ask. Has this podcast inspired you, challenged you, or helped you grow closer to God?
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Pastor Fredo Ramos:You know, one of the things I love about this time of the year are for sure the songs that we sing. Anytime you're out shopping or driving around, you are reminded, of the season that we find ourselves in. Songs like Joy to the World, you know. And it doesn't matter how often I sing that song or know that it's coming every year, I still love to hear those lyrics. Or, angels we have heard on high, or, oh holy night, or silent night, or who can forget our dear Saint Mariah Carey, and her words, all I want for Christmas is you, right?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Songs do something to us. They they do something inside of us. You know what this is like when the lyrics, or the way it's being performed, resonate deep within you. It's almost as if the song carries a kind of power that you receive. It unlocks something in you, which is why one of the best things that you can do for someone who's just went through a breakup is send them your breakup playlist from Spotify.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Bless them. Help them get through that season and their broken heart. It's the same reason why athletes, when they're going through their pregame rituals, they will listen to music. Why? Because a song has the power to unlock something inside of you that you need, which is why Saint Augustine wisely said these words as he was writing on Psalm 73.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:He said, he who sings prays twice. Think about that. He who sings prays twice. In other words, if you want to double your prayer life, then start singing more. And that's what we see here in this song of Mary.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:It's powerful and unlocks something inside of her. There's a joy that is announced that she's sensing even in the midst of her life, in light of all that she has to process, she's singing joy. Now it's important for us to realize that this is sung by a a teenage girl, Maybe 15, 16 years old. She's poor, she's Middle Eastern, she lives on the margins of society. She is a very forgettable person, but God ensures that we will never forget her.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And I say that fully realizing that many Christians, you know, we're not sure what to do with Mary, especially during Christmas time. If you come from like a Protestant tradition, or maybe some of you maybe come out of a Catholic background, like we have just a strange relationship with Mary. As the old movie said, there is something about Mary, and we're not always sure how to relate to her. But I don't want the question to hang us all up about what we do with Mary, but to really just ask what did God do with Mary here? Because God takes her center stage, and the spirit of God speaks through her song of joy, and I believe she sings to us today.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And we need this song of joy. I want to tell you why, because oftentimes as we go through Christmas, especially in the church, there is a temptation to look at familiar passages, to know a very familiar story, and then in turn to sanitize that story, and to miss out as to what's going on. So I want us to consider about what led up to Mary just belting out the song of joy. You gotta remember, in the beginning of Luke, we're told that she's engaged to a man Joseph. And like any young woman about to be engaged, that there's a lot to process there.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:I'm sure she's with her friends, you know, she's getting her, registry done at Target, and, you know, she got a little money, Williams in Sonoma. We're, you know, let's see what uncle comes through for that. Little West Elm, you know, She's got her invite list going and thinking through all the people she wants there, all the people that maybe she doesn't want there, but family politics, they got to come. Some of you guys understand that. She has her cute little countdown calendar till her big day, right?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And as she's thinking about her future, her new life as a married woman, God interrupts her. Think about that. Has God ever interrupted you? As you're going about your life and you have plans and goals and you got a timeline set, and then boom God just breaks through and shatters everything you wanted to do. That's what happens to Mary here.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And when you think about it, that's what the Christmas story is. God breaks through the world. That's what Christmas is about. God interrupts everything, and he brings with him news. And for Mary, this is news that that you're gonna become pregnant, and you're gonna give birth to the savior of the world.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And and really, Mary, your decision to to sit in line with what I'm inviting you to do is gonna dramatically change everything for everyone. What what what a monumental weight for any individual to carry, much less during a season of pregnancy. Right. Now I've never been pregnant, but I know people have, and there's a lot going on there. And she's interrupted, but you know what, here's what you need to consider.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:There's something that comes when God interrupts you, and that's joy. Joy arrives when God interrupts my life. Maybe some of you right now are in a season where you feel like God has interrupted you. God has broken through your goals, God has kind of broken through what you expected, you know, and how you thought life was going to go. God broke through.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And oftentimes those seasons in your life when God interrupts you, there's joy that comes. Why? Because it has to teach you and sometimes remind us that there is only one place that joy can be found, and that is in God alone. Scripture is abundantly clear that God alone is the source of all joy. And so oftentimes his interruptions into our lives are to cause us to see we've been in pursuit of something that will not give us what we want.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And he's in a way of love drawing us back. David in Psalm 16 said it like this, up here on the screen, you make known to me the path of life. God makes known to you the the way that you should go. Listen to this, you will fill me with joy in your presence. Another translation says, in your presence there is fullness of joy.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:There's fullness of joy in God's presence because he's the source of it. And then it says, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. In other words, God is in possession of the kind of satisfaction we long for that has no expiration date. That is an astounding reality to sit in. And so if you are looking to to experience joy, draw close to Him this season, knowing that He alone provides it.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:He alone is is where it can be offered to you. Now Paul develops this idea, later on in the New Testament, because he he's helping us trying to understand what it means to, you know, live life in the spirit of God, to to walk in the spirit, to live as a Christian who is constantly attentive to the presence of God. In Galatians 5, he has these key words for us to say. He says, but the fruit of the spirit now think about this for a second. This is not the fruit of you.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:In other words, you're not producing this. This is not the fruit of your shopping habits. This is not the fruit of you trying hard. It says, this is the fruit of the spirit. Love, joy, peace, and forbearance, and kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Now I have a hunch that all of these things are actually interconnected to each other. In other words, you've never met someone who has self control, but doesn't have joy. Because part of your impulsiveness, when you lack self control, is rooted in a lack of joy. So when you think about this, you know, we we're told there are 9 fruits, but really they're all actually interconnected. They're all being produced in us and through us by the spirit of God.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And this is critical for us to understand, because we live in a world today that will often try to convince you that you can purchase your joy, that joy can be purchased. And the gospel says this Christmas, no, no, no, no. Joy is not purchased, it's produced. It's provided for as a gift. Now that's harder to embrace in our day to day life, especially when you think about the job of marketers for a second.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:You know, part of the the marketer is is is they have this role that basically is trying to create a need within you that you didn't even know you had. And then at the same time, they try to offer you a promise that it can't really deliver on. Alright. That's what good marketing will do. And so there's a lot of marketing today that is solely based on feelings, not just functionality.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? So for example, you know, someone will say, you know, buy this shirt because it's made well. Okay. Maybe that'll convince some of us. But a lot of marketing today says, buy this because you'll feel good about yourself.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:It's all driven about feeling, and so, you know, you'll you'll get a Christmas ad that says, hey, you know, buy this outfit, and maybe you won't be alone this Christmas. And, you know, your singleness will just melt away like the Wicked Witch, you know, and someone will show up in your house. And I'm and I'm curious how many of us are tempted to today believe that joy is something that can be purchased. All the while missing its arrival when God actually interrupts our lives, because that's what's happening here. And it's a tragedy that so many of us believe in Jesus, the source of joy, but never actually experience what he desires to give us inside.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:It's astounding to me. When you think about it for just a moment, it's almost as if you were to imagine someone who dies of starvation inside of a restaurant. Like, bro, you couldn't make a sandwich. Why are we craving something where the very source who has all of it desires to be in us? God's joy is always coming our way, but but the question is, are we in a position to receive it?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:As the story goes on, this is what we begin to see about Mary. She's, you know, invited in by this angel, Gabriel, to say, hey, you're you're gonna give birth to the savior. The spirit of God's gonna come upon you. You're gonna be pregnant, and then you're gonna give birth to the Messiah. And then she has these astounding words that I hope you guys all meditate on this this Christmas.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:She ends this exchange and he says, she says, it may it be done according to your word. It is maybe one of the most profound and beautiful places of declared obedience that you will ever see in scripture. May it be done according to your word. Think about the act of, you know, surrender there. Releasing control and outcomes may be done according to your word.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And I say that because we should not miss the weight of those words in light of the scandal that's going to follow in our life. You know, in our in our world today, there are millions of teen pregnancies out of wedlock, as we will say sometimes, and there's some scandal that comes with that, but how much more so in in her day? Like, imagine the conversation with Mary and her mom and dad, or with Joseph, you know, trying to tell him how things are going. And then, you know, they kinda at the end, oh, this is God's plan, you know. Like, he needed his own vision from the angel to get straight about that.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? Because she's risking her future, and her own life is at stake when she's just there saying, men may be done according to your word. And it's after that that we're told that she goes and visits her relative, Elizabeth, here in Luke chapter 1. And this is a unique scene between 2 pregnant women. One commentator has said it like this, one pregnant woman, Elizabeth, who who's carrying the baby John the Baptist, meets Mary who's carrying the baby Jesus.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And this commentator said, one woman who's pregnant is too old with no kids, the other one is too young with no husband. And yet, in this this this is this profound exchange of joy and grace for them. And and I think about that because, you know, in our day and age, again, as I observe women who go through this season of pregnancy, it is so hard for you to find someone who can relate to you and understand where you're at. In other words, a lot of our relationship today, especially for women who are pregnant, you know, it's met with comparison and competition. Am I doing this right?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:You know, and then to be carrying the savior of the world that comes with, you know, an additional set of weight, I would imagine. So like, this is not easy, and yet we're told as Mary encounters Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth's womb jumps for joy. And then Elizabeth confirms God's word to Mary. This is this is a beautiful picture of of what it's like to have someone confirm and and encourage you in the direction that God is calling you to go, and then Mary just breaks out in song. Why?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Because listen, sometimes when the grace of God and the goodness of God come your way, you can't do anything else but just break out in song. You just gotta sing about it. There is a time to sing. When food arrives on Thanksgiving Day, on my table, I'm singing. I'm breaking out in a song.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Because because the goodness of God has shown up on this plate, and I'm gonna enjoy it. And and there's a there there's some points in this song that I think we need to draw out to understand the joy that Mary is experiencing here. There's 2 truths that I wanna kinda draw out for us as we think about how to position ourselves to receive the joy when it arrives in our life. And the first has to do with her phrase there when she begins, because there's a bit of Hebrew poetry at work there in Luke chapter 1, starting in verse 46. Notice the phrase, my soul glorifies the Lord, and then she almost repeats that same thing by saying my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:That's the same thing, but it's a form of repetition so that she can intensify the sensation of what she's feeling in the moment, and to get the reader to draw attention. This woman is in a significant state of joy. But it goes on. She grounds the joy in something. She says, what?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:For god has been mindful of my humble state. In other words, Mary declares that god is aware of every detail of her life, her humble state. In other words, her lowly state, her impoverished state, the the state of life that she's living that no one else is paying attention to, God is fully aware of all the details. And then she goes on to speak about this theme of mercy. He has shown us mercy.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:I've received it. Generations will receive it. And then she goes on to connect her pregnancy to this historical promise that God gave all the way back to Abraham and says, man what is happening now in my life is a part of a larger story, a story of God's mercy. You see joy arrives when I remember how God has been merciful to me. Can you think about the last time you specifically experienced god's mercy for yourself?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Now the word here is really important. It's the word, elios. Elios in Greek. Now when we think of mercy, you know, sometimes we think of, like, just relief from suffering, which is I think an important way to think about it. You know, I grew up playing sports, and so we had, like, the mercy rule growing up, you know.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:So when one team is smacking the other, it's like there's mercy. And and then I, you know, I remember this as as Eli started to play soccer, you know, there's a mercy rule just in case there's like a little 7 year old Lionel Messi out there scoring 12 goals. You know, put him in the goalie, and and there'll be some mercy. Right? And what we're saying there is, like, Lord, give us some mercy from this game.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Like, relieve us from the suffering of the score right now. But then I realized when he got into club soccer, there's no mercy rule. And so they just keep playing. So it's like 14:1, and you're, like, this is terrible. I can't believe we're paying for this.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:This is bad. But that's one way to think about mercy. This just a relief from suffering, but this word, elios, gets at something much deeper than that. It gets at this reality that God is compassionate and loyal. Stay with me.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:He's compassionate and loyal. In other words, to be compassionate is not just that God relieves you from your suffering, but he steps into your suffering with you. And in stepping into suffering with you is loyal to you to the very end. That's what Mary is singing about. That word, elios, actually is an old old Hebrew word called hesed, which is the word that communicates God's committed love or his faithful covenantal unfailing love.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:It is the same exact word you find here in Psalm 69. Listen to these words, but as for me I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. There's the word. Each morning I will sing about your mercy.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And then the rest of this verse, I mean Mary could have sung this herself, for you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. How many of you are grateful for the mercy of god today? Grateful for the mercy of god. In light of, like, how inconsistent you are, and in light of how inconsistent you will be this Christmas season, despite your best attempt to create, you know, all these wonderful memories and perfect scenarios, you will, like me, find yourself driving down a road where you know you're told to share joy and then you're not ready to give it. Asking the question, well where is my joy?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Where is it? I am so grateful that God is merciful to us. Moments when you will fail God, he will not fail you. He he actually can't fail any of us. It's not possible.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:You will fail him, you'll fail yourself, you'll fail other people this Christmas season, but god will not fail you. He will be loyal to you, and this, friends, is cause for great, great joy. His mercy will continually come to you every single day. Now we need this because I would imagine for some of you today, you've come into church wondering, is there a mercy for you? Carrying with you a kind of condemnation, carrying with you a kind of shame, and I'm here to tell you that Christmas says, yes, there's mercy for you.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:There is absolutely mercy for you because as as deep as your sin might run, the mercy of God runs much deeper. And so there is joy for you to have today because there is mercy over your sin and mercy over your inconsistencies, and that is good news for us to receive today. We need to receive that. The second reality that I think is so important out of this passage is the way that Mary processes the difficulties of life. This is what I want us to consider.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Joy arrives through the struggles of this world. Joy arrives through the struggles of the world. In other words, notice the language that Mary begins, to use here. She says with God's strong-arm, he scatters the proud, and he lifts up the humble. He removes kings and rulers, and then he he lifts up the needy.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:We're told that he cares for those who are going hungry, and he fills them with good things. What is Mary describing here in the song of joy? She's rooting her joy in the fact that God is gonna make all things right. Like one day he's gonna make all things right, and Christmas is the beginning of that happening, where justice will come. God is going to flip the script.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:As Jesus said, the least will be the greatest, the last will become first, the meek will inherit the earth. This is the reversal of all things, and this is what is so important for us. Joy is possible not when you avoid struggle, but when you go straight through it. That's exactly what she is singing. There is still something to be joyful about, to to rejoice in, because God is going to make all things right one day.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:He will make all things new, we're told. In Revelation, what is Jesus doing today? We're told he is making everything new. One day at a time, one act at a time, through one person at a time, he is making all things new. And so when we sing about joy, we're singing about joy not because we're avoiding what is hard about life, but because we're willing to walk straight through it.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:The hardships you are facing right now, the the the difficult relationships you're navigating, the loss that you're still trying to process even during Christmas time, there is an invitation of joy for you, not because you're trying to just escape those things or act like they don't exist, but you know that through them something is coming for you, and that's joy. And and and that's what Advent is inviting us to consider. Advent, we we remember the first coming of Jesus, and we learn to wait as Christians for his second coming. We live between these two advents. And in the waiting, we are encouraged to receive the joy that arrives through the struggles of your life.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:That's what we're invited to do, realizing that the worst thing that could ever happen to you will always ultimately result in joy. And for a lot of us, that will take our entire life to actually understand and embrace. Because it's very easy for me as a pastor to just toss that out as a pad answer to you. But it's another thing to learn to walk in obedience through Christmas time, believing that to be the case. But I think about these words from Isaiah 9, where where this becomes just a little bit easier for us to picture.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:These well known words that we remember during Christmas time, where we're told that a child is born, to us a son is given, the government will be on his shoulders. The government will be on his shoulders. No one will rule like this man. We're told he will be called wonderful counselor. There will be no one who can quite listen, encourage, and walk with you like this counselor.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:He's the mighty god in in the sense that there is no power that's quite like Jesus' power. He's an everlasting father. There's no relational love quite like the love that you experience in this particular person. He's the prince of peace, meaning his reign is not marked by tyranny, by abuse of power, by cheap politics, by one liners, by nice looking suits. His reign is marked by peace, by genuine peace that all believers are invited to receive and live in.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And then we're told that of his reign of the government, or the greatness of his government and the peace, there will be no end to it at all. This is incredible. His reign will have no end. And so this this joy is rooted in the fact that no politician, no human strength, no great human plan, no amazing gift, no perfect holiday experience, can right the wrongs of your life quite like the savior can. He alone will do it.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:He alone will do it this Christmas. And our our world, I think, longs for this kind of joy, which is why it's so important for us at this moment to realize the difference between joy and happiness. Because happiness for a lot of us is this external emotion you get based on circumstances. Like, you're happy. You bought that new fit.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Happy. Left wicked, feeling happy. Didn't get in that car accident, a little happy, relieved. Right? It's an emotion genuinely tied to a particular set of circumstances or situations, but joy is much more than an emotion.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:It's not less than 1, but it's far more of 1. Meaning, joy is realistic despite the scenario you find yourself in. Mary sings this song of joy. It doesn't change anything about the road that she has ahead of her. It doesn't change any of that, yet it's still possible because it is not tied to a circumstance.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Kay Warren's words, I think, are immensely helpful to us here. Listen to Kay. She had she had this to say, joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details in my life that results in a life of celebration. Joy is the settled assurance that God's in control of every detail of my life that then results in a life of celebration. Can it be said of you right now that you have a kind of assurance that like Mary, God is mindful of your situation right now, to the point that all of its details are under his control.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Do you know God in that way? And if so, is it creating a kind of joy that leads you to a life of celebration? That's the hope here, because again this joy is an invitation to sing, to rejoice, not because you have no problems, but because there is something that's coming through those very problems, through the struggles, which is why in James, we're encouraged that the half brother Jesus gave us these words real easily, but hard to embrace. Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. Great joy.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Again, easy to embrace, I think a lifetime to learn to work out. But here's how I think we can begin to do that. As as we close, I want to offer us a few thoughts as to how we can maybe position ourselves to receive joy this Christmas and throughout all of our lives. As we think about the arrival of joy, not just coming through the interruptions of God, and not just coming through mercy or believing that it actually comes through the struggles of this world. Listen now, joy arrives as I practice the discipline of celebration.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:As I practice the discipline of celebration. Now I intentionally put discipline and celebration together because the last thing I think about when I hear the word discipline is celebration. You know, being told by my mom that my dad's coming home to discipline me did not lead to a place of celebration. He had a big Mexican hand, but there is something to be said about what it means to have a life that's marked by the practice of celebrating on a regular basis. So what does this actually look like?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Well, for starters, let's hear these words from Philippians 4, where where Paul offers us actually a command to worship. Listen to what he says. Rejoice in the Lord always. Rejoice in the Lord always. And then he says that, I will say it again, rejoice.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:In other words, it is a moral obligation for Christians to choose joy. At every moment of your life, you are obligated and commanded by the Lord Jesus to choose joy, And the ways that we can begin to do this is through a practice or the discipline of celebrating. Choosing ways in which you will make the decision, you know what, regardless regardless of what's going on right now, I'm gonna choose to celebrate. Now here's some ways practically, this is like maybe like, you know, Fredo's top five list of celebrating. It's not an exhaustive exhaustive list, but I think it's a it's a decent start.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:First thing, singing and worship. Singing and worship. It's easy to overlook in this passage that that Mary makes the choice to sing in front of Elizabeth. Like if that was me I probably would have been, you know what, let me step out and then sing. But this is a act of corporate worship that we can easily overlook.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:She just breaks out in song with all this joy in front of Elizabeth. This is corporate worship. And you know when we gather each and every week as the church, as the people of God, we are training our minds and our hearts to choose to rejoice regardless of what's going on around us. And so you walk into church, you know, it's not your song, but guess what? We didn't ask you if it was your song.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:So sing the song anyways. Why? Because you are choosing joy today. So just sing the words and just maybe you will position yourself to receive the joy God has for you. Because oftentimes, like those Amazon packages that are just waiting at the door, joy has arrived, but you are not there to get it.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And so singing and worship is a powerful way where we position ourselves to receive what God has for us. Have you ever thought about that? All out of all the major religions in the world, why is it that Christianity has built within its life that the part of growing into becoming a Christian is the command to sing? I don't know of a lot of other religions where singing is such a vital part of you actually growing and maturing. Why do we sing so much?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:It's built into our life. You can make the case that Genesis 1 is a song of Moses. He's not just trying to give us scientific evidence, he's singing about creation. Because the Jews have been in slavery for 100 of years being told about all the gods that made everything, and Moses says no, God is far more artistic than that. Let me sing you a song about what he did.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Singing is built in to who we are as the people of God, and it's it's important that we recover this act as we practice celebration. Secondly, because my time is going, you got to spend time with children. Spend time with kids. Studies show that kids on average laugh 400 times a day, while adults laugh 15 times a day. Right.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Now if you're sitting in one of my sermons, you've got plenty afterwards, right, because we're a little bit more dry here. But there is something healing about laughter, and I've heard Stephen Colbert talk about this a few times where he talks about laughter is a way to resist the urge to to surrender to the evil of the world. Bono, if you 2 said it like this, joy is an act of defiance. So when you choose to be joyful, you are resisting and rebelling against the the dark powers that are at work in this world that would have you believe this is how it's going to end. To choose joy is to resist that urge and get around children because they have this wonderful view of the world that that we are just dead to as adults sometimes.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:You know, just yesterday, I'm picking up my kids from school. You know, we're going through the normal. How was it? They asked me about my day. I said, it was pretty good.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:You know, I was prepping for this message, and they said, oh, how's it going? I said, good. But at one moment, Jordy just got up and walked away. And then Eli says, well, maybe because your message was boring. And I'm like, well dang, maybe he's right.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:I gotta fix this thing. But, ultimately, I'm like, that's that's a wonderful way to view the world. That, like, my dog Jordy actually speaks English and understands what I was saying, you know? But you got to get around children. There's a reason why Jesus, whenever he was around, kids wanted to be around him.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Why was that? Because he was a joyful person. We typically think of Jesus as the man of sorrows, which he was, but he was also, we're told in Hebrews, for the joy set before him, he endured the cross. In other words, he endured a life of sacrifice because he has joy in us, you guys. Jesus is full of joy.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:So I would encourage you, you know, if you're struggling to pray, go on Google and just look up a picture of Jesus smiling for once, because we all have we all have these stoic looks of Jesus. Were he serious or he's sad? Imagine in your mind's eye, in in the eyes of your heart, a smiling Jesus who is full of joy. Because kids love to be around them. Thirdly, holiday traditions.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:The church, gave us this word from holy days. Alright. So the church for 1000 of years actually scheduled into their calendar days for joy, days to celebrate. They scheduled in joy and celebration, and we call them holiday traditions. Right?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:You have Easter, we have Christmas. For nerds like me, we have May 4th. It's a holy tradition, right? But also in my family, we have, we have tamale day. Every December, my wife's family, we get together and we have tamale day.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:It's an important day, where we make tamales that day, and then we wait a few weeks and we'll eat them on Christmas Eve. It's the only time I eat a tamale. So if you invite me to eat a tamale, it better be Christmas, because I'm not gonna eat one. But this is a this is a joyful time for us, it's a joyful time for us, and listen, it's actually birthed out of, something painful. My wife and her cousins, her sister, all the women in the family, they put on their grandma's aprons, who passed away.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And they they follow her recipe, they make it just as she would make it, and it it's a joy that's birthed out of, the loss of their grandma and the matriarch of their family. And it's been immensely beautiful to watch, how sorrow and the struggles of life actually can still bring genuine joy in certain moments. Even through the simple act of just spreading masa. So I never thought I'd get emotional over tamale, but and I share that because I know I'm not alone in that. All of us carry with a sorrow.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:All of us have a Christmas season that is marked by the reality of the people who we don't have anymore. But if you're a Christian, you're invited to still rejoice, because there is a life beyond the death that has taken who we love. And that's what we look forward to. And and that's why we have communion, you guys, at church. Communion is a is a holiday tradition when you think about it.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:It's a meal. Like, imagine if Jesus just gave us water and carrots. Like, even the vegans would be upset about that. Right? But he gave us bread and wine.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Bread and wine, that's a feast. It's a true it's a holy tradition literally scheduled in, now at Sandals, every weekend for us to remember and feast and celebrate and receive joy. It's a practice we give ourselves to to position ourselves for joy, you guys. We need these days. So find days, find traditions that will cultivate and stir up your joy.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And then lastly, you need to slow down for gratitude. You need to slow down. I came across these words as I was preparing for this message, and I have just been thinking about them constantly. The spiritual writer, Evelyn Underhill, she said this, the spirit of joy and the spirit of hurry cannot live in the same house. This Christmas, our homes will be filled with Christmas decorations, lights, the smells of Christmas.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:But if our homes are filled with the spirit of hurry, I have a hunch that there will be no spirit of joy in that home. Slowing down to contemplate for prayer, for silence helps you become more attentive of the things you need to be grateful for. And gratitude has a way of unlocking joy as you realize how fragile and beautiful life still is. So slow down. Find ways to slow down, because the spirit of joy and the spirit of hurry cannot live in the same house.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:As I as I think about, the end when our Christmas traditions will go away, because we will be living literally with the king of kings, and every day will be Christmas, I imagine maybe a first conversation with God won't be so much, Fredo, why didn't you abstain from more sin? But what if it's why didn't you answer more of my joy? Why didn't you enter more of my joy? Why'd you starve yourself? Because after all, if my patterns of sin are rooted in my inability to be happy in God, Maybe it's not just about cutting off bad things and us being upset at a world because they do bad things, but maybe Christian life begins in a place of joy, and out of that joy comes obedience.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Out of that joy comes Mary's words, may it be done so according to your word. May we as a church position ourselves for joy this Christmas, So then we might open our hands and, like Mary, start to offer that, even if it's through song. Let's pray together. Heavenly father, we are so grateful that this Christmas, there is joy to be had. And God we ask now that you might help us by your holy spirit to sift out the ways that we have missed that joy, not been ready for its arrival.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And so with humble hearts, God, we want to think about all the ways that you are attentive to the details of our life, and you're in control. And so we we surrender ourselves to you. May you produce joy in our hearts. We pray now in Jesus' name. Amen.
Morgan Teruel:Thank you so much for tuning in today. If you want more content from this series, we have a YouTube playlist linked in the description. And if you want more information about who we are and what we do, you can go to sandalschurch.com.