Weeping and Joy All Wrapped Up Together

Ezra 1:1-4; 3:1-4, 10-13

This is a buried part of Jewish history.  We don't talk about Ezra much.  The book of Ezra doesn't get much play.  Why is that?  These verses are especially poignant.  Look closely at the reaction of some of the people when they see their new temple being built:

But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.  No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise.  And the sound was heard far away.  (Ezra 3:12-13, emphasis added).

Why would the older priests weep?  They had seen the former grandeur of the temple, and this new one was a shadow of the first one.  But how interesting that no one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping.

Isn't joy like that sometimes?  Joy is mixed with sorrow.  I am reminded of the folksong written in the 70s, Joy is Like the Rain:

I saw rain drops on my window, joy is like the rain
Laughter runs across my pane, slips away and comes again
Joy is like the rain

I saw clouds upon a mountain, joy is like a cloud
Sometimes silver, sometimes gray, always sun not far away
Joy is like a cloud

I saw Christ in wind and thunder, joy is tried by storm
Christ asleep within my boat, whipped by wind, yet still afloat
Joy is tried by storm

I saw rain drops on a river, Joy is like the rain
Bit by bit the river grows, till all at once it overflows
Joy is like the rain

These verses are a good reminder that, especially this time of year, joy can be mixed with pain.  As we celebrate our Savior's birth, we may be experiencing personal loss.  We may want things to be different in our lives.  We may miss loved ones who have died.  Take heart, dear friends.  Jesus knows your heart, and he hears your weeping.  He is here to comfort, to encourage, and to lift you up.  

Amen.