Here’s a little song I wrote, you might want to sing it note for note, don’t worry, be happy.
In every life we have some trouble, when you worry you make it double,
Aint got no place to lay your head, somebody came and took your bed,
The landlord say your rent is late, he may have to litigate, don’t worry (ha, ha) be happy,
I give you my phone number, when you’re worried, call me, I make you happy,
Aint got no cash, aint got no style, aint got no gal to make you smile,
Cos when you worry, your face will frown, and that will bring everybody down, so don’t worry, be happy.

Many of you remember this Bobby McFerrin song from when it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in September of 1988. Although I have no idea how, it became so popular that it won the Grammy Award for Best Song, Best Album, and Best Male Vocal Performance. For that year it seemed like it was the only song played on the radio. But as with many songs from that era, it quickly fell out of style and today it makes its home at #31 on VH1’s 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80’s. There are numerous possible reasons why it crashed so quickly—it could have been its mediocre melody or lackluster lyrics, but I personally think it was its flippant philosophy.

Have you ever heard this song come on the radio when you were going through a tough time? It is so annoying that it makes you want to find the DJ that played it and punch him in the face. If you have ever experienced real pain or endured real hardship, you know that “Don’t worry, be happy” just doesn’t cut it. Clever clichés about happiness don’t really help when we hurt. You can’t be happy in the midst of pain because happiness is an outward emotion based on momentary pleasure. You can be perfectly happy one moment, then your spouse says something to you and you are not happy any more. Even on Christmas morning, you can be incredibly happy with one gift and extremely disappointed with another one. Husbands, when you decide to buy your wife the new snow tires instead of the diamond earrings, let me know how fast she loses her happiness!

On the other hand, it is possible to maintain joy in the midst of pain. Joy is an inward and continual state of contentment regardless of outward circumstances. Joy is far more valuable than happiness. I suppose this is the reason why cognates of the word “happy” are only used 33 times in the Bible whereas cognates of the word “joy” are used 485 times. When composing the Bible, the Holy Spirit definitely preferred to emphasize lasting joy over short-lived happiness. We see this in today’s lectionary readings.

Zephaniah 3:14-20
For two and a half chapters Zephaniah had been preaching the judgment of God. At this point in their history, Israel had become complacent in their relationship with God. Their crops flourished and they were experiencing economic success. They felt like they didn’t need God anymore and they fell into sin. They worshipped worthless idols, false gods, and participated in pagan practices. They turned their backs on God by violating his law. In the midst of this spiritual complacency the young prophet Zephaniah warned the people of Judah that if they refused to repent, the entire nation, including their beloved city of Jerusalem, would be lost.

But there is joy even in the midst of judgment! The people knew that God would eventually bless them, but Zephaniah made it clear that there would be judgment first, then blessing. This judgment would be both a punishment for sin and also purification for the people, purging away all their sin and evil. After the judgment would come a day of joy and restoration; that is what he describes in verses 14-20. They could sing and rejoice through their difficulty because they knew that the Lord was near and that he was working for their good.

Philippians 4:4-7
Paul picks up this theme of joy in the midst of suffering in his letter to the Philippians. He wrote this letter from his prison cell in Rome. In spite of his circumstances, being bound with chains, he had incredible joy because God was using his suffering to advance the gospel. He learned to be content in all circumstances and he constantly reiterates his joy throughout the book.

In Philippians 4:4-7, Paul tells this conflict-filled church that their joy is not based on their circumstances, but it comes from Christ dwelling in them. The fact that Jesus is near brings joy. Therefore, they do not have to be anxious about anything, but instead, they can take it to the Lord in joyful prayer. They could be joyful no matter what they faced.

Luke 3: 7-18
Then in Luke 3:7-18, John the Baptist presents the greatest reason for joy: the coming of the Lord. The coming of the Lord brings great joy for those who are in a right relationship with God, but it causes great fear for those who are not. So, John preached a message of judgment and repentance to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.

Repentance and Ritual (7-8)
The crowd that came out to the Jordan River to be baptized was a group of hypocrites. They were doing the right thing for the wrong reason. Seeing Jews proud of their religion standing in the baptismal line, he shocked them. No words of congratulations, gratitude, or praise to God. Instead, he issued a stinging attack with some old fashioned prophetic name calling—“you brood of vipers!” They wanted to add one more religious act to their spiritual account so they could brag about it. They were not saints. They were snakes. They needed to take John seriously, along with God who stood behind John. They needed to know that divine wrath was coming.

Just as the prophets of old tried to ward the nation and prevent God’s discipline and judgment, so John played out the prophetic role. If you want to go through the ritual, be ready to live the life. Gaining God’s forgiveness requires more than going through another religious ritual; it means repentance and the fruit that is produced by it. It is a continual turning away from sin and renewing our love for God by conforming our lives to his. One does not inherit the joy of heaven by being born into the right family or going through the right ritual. The joy of heaven comes through repentance.

Have you truly repented from your sin, or are you still playing religious games? God doesn’t care about how good our family name is or how many religious rituals we have participated in! He cares about our hearts! He cares about our motivations! He cares about our attitudes! Without repentance, there is no forgiveness!

Repentance through Justice (10-14)
In response to John’s message about repentance, the crowd asks John for specific instructions, “What should we do then?” He tells them to act justly and generously. He says: Do you have a change of clothes? Take one and give it to a person who needs it. He says: Do you have food to eat? Invite someone to share it with you. He tells the business people not to take more than what is right. He tells the soldiers to be content with their pay. The fruit of repentance is justice and generosity. If someone has truly repented from their sins, it will change the way they live?

Again, I ask, have you truly repented from your sin? Has your way of life really changed? Are you acting justly toward other people? Are you generous in meeting other people’s needs? What is the fruit of your repentance?

Repentance or Judgment (9, 15-18)
Finally, with such bold preaching, the people wonder if John is the Messiah. He denies this answers that his is a water baptism but the Messiah would be far more powerful and baptize with fire. He warns them of the judgment to come unless they repent. In verse 9 he says that the ax is already at the root of the tree and every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Likewise, in verse 17 he says that God’s winnowing fork is in his hand. He is separating the wheat from the chaff. The wheat will live in the security of the barn, but the chaff will burn in an unquenchable fire.

The only way to escape this unquenchable fire is to repent: to renounce our sinful life and turn to Jesus. The Messiah was born at Christmas so that he could one day pay for our sins by dying on a cross. Have you embraced his gift of salvation? Have you repented from your sin? Will you escape the final judgment when Jesus returns?

As we journey through the third week of Advent and continue to prepare our hearts for Christ’s coming, I want you to know that repentance is the only way to everlasting joy. When we repent, God blesses us with joy right now and it will carry on into eternity. Which would you rather have, momentary happiness or everlasting joy?