The Crown of Life
If
you will give me a moment, I want to do something I’ve never done before. (Put on hat)
There
– that’s better! I’ve never preached from the pulpit while wearing a hat. But I think Joy would be delighted.
This
hat thing found its inspiration is a Bible verse that the apostle Paul wrote to
the Corinthians. He was addressing the
issue of hair length, specifically that the length of men’s hair should not be
that of a woman’s. Down through time the
tradition of women wearing hats in the church was considered a respectful and
proper thing to do.
Joy
kept the tradition alive and we were glad for it. Her hats were never outlandish or showy. They always complimented the rest of her
ensemble. She dressed up – for her
Lord. Joy looked very classy. She put the “S” in style. And, if she were here she would probably be
shaking her head at all of these platitudes.
Joy did not live for fawning compliments.
But
Joy lived up to her name, didn’t she? Some people suck the joy from every place
they go. But Joy filled the places she
went to with an overflowing, abundant joy.
Her laughter was infectious.
Whether she was playing a hot game of cards or just visiting with good
friends, people were touched by her joyful spirit.
The
word, “JOY” has sometimes been used as an acrostic to convey the message –
Jesus…Others…You. Here again, Joy lived
up to her name.
Joy’s
love and trust in Jesus couldn’t be missed.
She loved being in God’s house.
She rejoiced in the singing of hymns…was filled with gratitude for the
words of the forgiveness the Lord spoke to her as she made her
confession…eagerly received God’s Holy Word as it was read and
proclaimed…humbled by the Lord’s invitation to come to His table and receive
His very body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.
As I
ministered to Joy and Terry in these last months I couldn’t help but admire her
Bible. It was worn. It was being used a lot, regularly. And still, in the midst of her pain, she
never stopped from turning to her Lord and Savior to receive his Word of
comfort and peace. And she never stopped
desiring the spiritual nourishment that the Lord’s Supper gave her.
Yes,
Joy loved Jesus. But she loved others
too. Let me ask a question – how many of
you here today received at one time or another, a greeting card or a phone call
from Joy? Wasn’t it such a blessing to know that you were being thought of and
prayed over by Joy? I can’t tell you how often I was lifted up by the cards she
used to send me. Or when she called the
office and said, “Don’t want to bother you – just praying for you.” And it wasn’t just to check on me – she
called often to ask about someone on our 5:16 prayer list. These gifts of prayer and encouragement given
to Joy by the Lord did not go to waste.
She put them to good use. And in
that way her name, Joy, really came alive – Jesus…others…you.
She
lived this life of Joy in spite of all the trouble her friend caused her – and
Terry, I’m not talking about you!
Amazingly, she referred to MS – multiple sclerosis – as a friend. I could think of other words and you could
too. Joy once wrote, “It is very strange
how these two friends (MS and the Lord Jesus) have become so intertwined. Each are silent, but very strong – yet always
with me. Each one has a definite hold on
me, in their own way!!”
Rather
than curse God for allowing Joy to be saddled with this affliction, she
rejoiced that God was present with her and giving her the power and strength
not to be limited in the life she wanted to live. Joy wrote, “For you see God is in my every
movement, saying, “Go, gal, you can make it – I’ll see that you do.” That was Joy, the woman who loved her
husband, adored her sons and their families, prayed and cared for her church
family, lived life as fully as any of us and put the “S” in style with her
wonderful array of hats.
And
it gives us such great comfort today to know that even as Joy rests in the arms
of her Lord and Savior, she has traded in her hat for something much better.
It is
a crown. We call it the crown of life.
The
apostle James, the brother of Jesus, wrote about this crown in his epistle: Blessed is the man who perseveres under
trial, because when He has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life
that God has promised to those who love Him.
This crown is also
described in the book of Revelation: Be
faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Notice
that this is not something that is earned.
It is a gift from God. It is
given to the faithful. Those who trusted
Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life. It is placed on the heads of those who
trusted Jesus in spite of personal suffering, like the suffering that is
experienced by those afflicted with MS.
So
Joy left behind her 150 something hats for something better, much better to
wear.
And
it has happened because Jesus chose to wear a crown as well.
A
crown of thorns. (Display crown of
thorns)
It is
early on the Friday morning we call “good.”
Jesus has been illegally taken captive by the Temple Guard and unfairly
tried by the Jewish religious leaders, the Sanhedrin. He has been dragged before the Roman
governor, Pilate, who sentenced Jesus to be crucified. Jesus then received a horrific flogging and
then was led into a place called the Praetorium where an entire company of
soldiers gathered around him.
Listen
to St. Matthew’s description of what happened next: They (the soldiers) stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and
then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in His right hand and knelt
in front of Him and mocked Him. “Hail,
king of the Jews!” they said. The spit
on Him, and took the staff and struck Him on the head again and again. After they had mocked Him, they took off the
robe and put His own clothes on Him.
Then they led Him away to crucify Him.
These words are so
very hard to read. The Son of God being
made sport of. The King of heaven being
made to wear a crown of torture. Imagine
the sharp thorns piercing Jesus’ scalp.
See the blood trickling down His cheeks.
Picture the pain etched on His face.
As
horrific as those images are, they are nothing in comparison to what Jesus
suffered next. Jesus carried His own
cross to Golgotha. His hands and feet
were nailed to that cross and then that cross was lifted up for the people of
Jerusalem and for all the world to see.
He suffered fully and completely.
Those who should have been begging for His forgiveness mocked and baited
Him. They shouted out, “He saved others
but He can’t save Himself.”
But
that which perhaps causes the greatest pain for us is to hear Jesus cry out,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”
It
was bad enough that it seemed that the whole world, in that moment, had turned
against Jesus. But to be abandoned by
His Father in heaven – why?
It
was because Jesus, as he hung from the cross, had become the biggest and worst
sinner the world has ever known. On the
cross, as the apostle Paul teaches, Jesus became sin. He bore Joy’s sins. He bore your sins and mine. Resting on Jesus were the sins of the whole
world.
And
because God is a holy God and will have nothing to do with sin, Jesus was
punished for our sins. He was punished
and also abandoned by His Heavenly Father.
As He hung from the cross, Jesus experienced hell.
You
and I can’t come close to imagining or appreciating what Jesus endured during
those six hours of suffering on the cross.
But we can truly rejoice and offer our greatest thanksgiving and praise
as we hear those wonderful words, “It is finished!”
Finished
– Jesus’ suffering is complete. Our sins
are paid for. Our sins will no longer be
charged to our account. Jesus has paid
off those sins accounts – in full! And as we sing in “Hark! The Herald Angels
Sing,” “God and sinners reconciled!”
So
because Jesus willingly wore that crown of thorns, we are blessed to receive
the crown of life, a gift given to all who trust in Jesus alone for forgiveness
and new life and salvation. On July 2nd,
the Lord said to Joy, “Welcome home.
You’re the hat lady, right? Try on this crown – you’re going to love
it.”
You
know, a crown is often seen as a symbol of victory. It comforts us to think of Joy as
victorious. I’m reminded of some other
words Paul wrote to the Corinthians: Where,
O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is
sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is why we can
celebrate even in the midst of sadness.
Joy is with Jesus. She wears the
same crown that you and I will receive. Those who believe in Jesus’ victory
over sin and death and the devil will wear the crown of life. On the Last Day, Resurrection Day, the dead
in Christ will rise. We will see Joy
again. You’ll know her and be able to
hug and love on her. But there’ll be
something different about Joy. That old
friend, MS – gone, abolished, a thing of the past. She will be whole. No trouble with her legs. No problems walking. How wonderful is that?
So
you ladies – keep on wearing those hats.
They look great. I think Joy
would approve. But don’t hold onto to
them too tightly. God has something even
better in mind for you – and the guys too.
We’ll be just like Joy – wonderful wife, mother, grandmother,
friend. We’ll all be decked out in the
crown of life – a gift promised to us by our merciful and gracious God. Amen.
