Calvary Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Debra May Cerra\
July 4, 2010

Psalms 30:1-12 (NRSV) I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. 2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 3 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. 4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved." 7 By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed. 8 To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication: 9 "What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!" 11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

“Morning Joy”

          Psalm 30 begins: “I extol you, O Lord,” and then quickly moves into words of deliverance: “For you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.” In these beginning words, we are reassured of God’s care: God will not let our enemies overcome us.
          “When we cry out for healing, God [comforts] us; God offers relief and help for us during bad times and good times, for the God of Sarah, Hagar, Rachel, and Leah promised never, ever to forsake them or us. …This same God brings us from destitution or depression, sickness or misery; [and] heals and restores us; cures us and makes us whole again.” Even though there is suffering all around us – even in our own lives – God’s love for us is never weakened by distress or affliction. God’ love is an everlasting love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
          How many of you here today have never suffered, never faced an unnerving challenge, never felt abandoned or alone? Good – I don’t see any hands. If there was anyone who thought this of himself or herself, I would have to deem that person a liar or at least someone who is living a delusional life.
          Suffering is all around us. It occurs in natural disasters – earthquakes, floods, and tornados. Suffering is found in illness – cancer, HIV/AIDS, heart attacks and strokes. Even human directed violence – robbery, rape, and murder – has suffering as a bi-product. This does not mean that God is absent from these situations. God is Good News; Great New; Life-changing News – regardless of what is happening or what we are facing.
          Persons who suffer with a debilitating disease like Alzheimer’s or COPD or Congestive Heart Failure are not being punished. Thousands who die before receiving an organ transplant have done nothing wrong. Even victims of hate crimes, sexual abuse, domestic violence, death due to drunk driving, and civil and global wars are not outside the bounds of God’s provision.
          Many ask, “If God is all-good and all-powerful, why does evil continue to exist?” There is no answer for this question. Good and evil are present in our world; people make bad choices; awful things occur – life happens. This does not mean God is absent nor does it negate God’s grace and God’s ability to heal.
Let’s return to the words of Psalm 30. The psalmist continues: “O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.” (2-4)
          The psalmist claims to be healed by the Lord. Think about healing for a moment. How would you define healing? Does a person need to be free of disease in order to be healed? Does healing mean that someone has no more pain? When one is healed does life get back to “normal” – whatever normal is?
“Healing does not necessarily mean a cure from illness. Healing can occur when a person comes to accept her or his impending death or incurable [problem], aware that God remains steadfast.” As Christians, we know that suffering is not eternal. We believe that when we accept Jesus as our Lord, our transition from this life to life everlasting brings us freedom – freedom from our old bodies and our old lives. Through Christ, we gain a newness of life!
The psalmist puts it this way: “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (5b) Our night may be long – it may go on for days or even months but our morning will come. And with the morning comes our joy. Remember, the joy of the Lord doesn’t remove disease or prevent death. The joy that we experience in the “morning” is found in the realization that we are never alone. God’s abiding joy flourishes as we abide with God.
          Here’s a story that express morning joy: “Mavis Jackson lived in Garden Grove, California. Every time she walked past the Crystal Cathedral she would tell herself that someday she was going to go to that church. One Sunday she decided that today was the day. She got all dressed up in her best clothes as her Midwestern upbringing dictated and walked in the front doors.
“Sitting on the main floor of the sanctuary, Mavis watched as over 3000 people came to worship. She was amazed when the 90 foot glass window or door or whatever it was slid open to invite even the birds to worship. She was in awe of the organ, one of the largest in America, and amazed by the choir.
“When it was all over, Mavis sat waiting to leave. To the young women sitting next to her she said, ‘I am so glad I came today. Wasn’t it wonderful?’ The young women nodded. Continuing the conversation, Mavis asked, ‘Are you from around here?’ The girl replied, ‘No I’m from the Midwest. I’m actually here on a mission t find my birth mother.’
“Mavis pause and then said, ‘I know how you must feel. A long time ago, I had to give up a little girl for adoption. I didn’t want to but I knew it was best. It broke my heart but…”’ Mavis paused again.
“The young women looked deeply into Mavis’ eyes. ‘Do you know the birth date of your child?’ she asked.
“’Yes,’ Mavis cautiously answered, ‘October 30th.’
“’That’s my birthday,’ the young woman whispered with a gasp.
As the two women shared their stories with one another, they realized that something amazing was happening. There were so many similarities in their background and parallels in their struggles that that they felt compelled to do some checking. To their amazement and great joy, they discovered that they were indeed mother and daughter.”
In a great cathedral which housed 3000 worshippers that Sunday, God brought two women together in the most unexpected way. A gift of joy from a loving God, mother and daughter were reunited.  God heard their cries – God shared in their sorrow and their tears – and God turned it all around. In this story and in our stories, God’s word holds true, “Weeping may linger for a night but joy comes in the morning.” (5)
Psalm 30 ends with these prayerful words to God, “You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.” (11-12)
          Think back to those two women and the unlikely odds of mother and daughter being seated next to one another in a sanctuary of 3000 worshippers. God is truly amazing! Like God did for Mavis and her daughter, God can and will turn our tears into dancing. God can and will change our sadness into joy.
          Sisters and brothers, don’t miss out on the joy of the Lord. God wants to touch our hearts and our lives.  Remember, no disease or disaster, no heartbreak or catastrophe, no tragedy or conflict can separate us from God!  So – no matter what the circumstance, no matter what the calamity, no matter what we face, we need to allow God to clothe us with God’s joy. For when we are clothed with the joy of the Lord, the psalmist assures us that our very souls will want to praise God with a voice that cannot be silenced! That, my friends, is morning joy!
          Amen and amen.