Sermon for December 13th

“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!” This is Paul’s command to the Philipians. And, yes, I do mean it is a command, though we tend not to think about joy in this way. We normally think of joy or happiness as a feeling that just washes over us, something that just happens to us because of our circumstances. That kind of joy, the spontaneous kind, is certainly a gift. But that’s not the kind of joy Paul is talking about.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” My grandma used to tell me to “bloom where you’re planted.” People who have been told, “bloom where you’re planted” usually understand that “joy” isn’t always as spontaneous as people might have you believe. There are times when you have a new job, or are living in a new place, or are dealing with a difficult situation when, rather than bloom and find joy in the difficulty, you’d rather wilt and die or, at least go dormant for awhile until the bad weather blows over. There is no better antidote to joy than worry. Worry about the problems in your life or the stress you are under. So how can we still rejoice? When the world seems to be falling apart around us?

Paul writes in Philipians, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” When rejoicing isn’t the first thing on your mind, something else, like worry or stress, usually is. And it’s tough, if not impossible, to find joy in your life when all you can see makes you anxious. Now Paul isn’t asking you to pretend that the bad things aren’t there through the power of positive thinking. Stress can be ignored for awhile, I guess, but positive thinking only lasts as long as the biggest problems stay away. But when the waves of life keep battering you against the shore, thinking positively about them becomes almost masochistic.

The apostle Paul isn’t asking us to “think” positively about our worries, but encourages us to give them away to someone who can actually do something about them, God himself. Handing over your worries not only acknowledges the utter hopelessness of the situation you are in, but it also acknowledges the utmost power God has to make lemonade out of lemons, or life out of death, as the case may be.

Only God can give you peace, the peace that casts out all fear, worry and stress. And it is only in that state of mind that you can follow God’s command and truly “Rejoice”. This isn’t about “faking it until you make it” as a pastor friend once encouraged a group to do. The law, the commandments of God aren’t about “pretending” to love your neighbor as yourself. God doesn’t find happiness in your “faking” love with all your heart, soul and mind. He wants true love, true faith and complete joy. That’s why he has promised that, even in the worst of circumstances, he will step in and create the peace in your heart so that you might find yourself able to rejoice even when you are suffering.

The apostle Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” That doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen or that you should pretend they are not so bad. It means that, as a believer in Christ, you know that there is still something to rejoice in even when the worst comes you way. Life isn’t perfect, this is true, but a Christian also knows that even during the greatest despair, even in death, there is hope for resurrection. To rejoice in suffering does not mean that we pretend that pain does not exist, or that death shouldn’t be feared, but we are called to believe even more boldly that God’s last word will be one of joy and not sadness.

Paul is not advocating a shallow faith. I was told a story once about a couple whose newborn baby died. In the hospital, their youth pastor came into their room all smiles and said, “Praise the Lord! Your baby is dancing with his Savior now!” This kind of joy is a false joy trying to somehow prove that death cannot touch us when it so obviously does over and over again in our lives. Acting in this way when life is full of despair can only cause others to feel guilty when their hearts are weighed down by the troubles of the world just as this youth pastor made this couple feel guilty for the pain of loss they were feeling.

But even in this situation, you can be sure that the apostle Paul would still hold fast to his words, Yes, he might say, even in this tragedy there is still reason to rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say Rejoice. The Lord is near. Even at the death of a baby, the Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything, even at this time of sadness, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Shout your anger and heartache in God’s ears. Ask that he might comfort your bleeding heart. Thank God for the life that you held in your hands and in your hearts. Ask for peace from the only one who can give it. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, yes even the peace of God which can comfort a grieving family at the death of so precious a loved one, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This is NOT the power of positive thinking. This is the power of God to bring joy into broken hearts.

The apostle Paul is a great example of exactly what we are talking about. Despite being in prison, he writes this letter to the Phillipians about rejoicing. Is Paul just pretending to be happy even when he is doing badly? No. He explains in other places throughout the letter about all the difficult stuff he is going through. But he knows that God’s commands don’t just apply to us in good circumstances, but also in bad.

Paul isn’t the only one who commands us to rejoice even when we’d rather not. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Why does Jesus command us to rejoice even in the midst of persecutions, when we would have the best reason to complain? Listen to a brief story about one of the earliest Christian martyrs, named Romanus, written by a man named Eusebius.

“When the judge had informed [Romanus] that he was to die by flames, with a cheerful countenance and a most ardent mind he received the sentence and was led away. He was then tied to the stake, and when the wood was heaped up about him, and they were kindling the pile, only waiting the word from the expected emperor, he exclaimed, ‘where then is the fire?’ Saying this he was summoned again before the emperor, to be subjected to new tortures and therefore had his tongue cut out, which he bore with the greatest of fortitude, as he proved his actions to all, showing also that the power of God is always present to the aid of those who are obliged to bear any hardship for the sake of religion, to lighten their labours, and to strengthen their ardor.” According to the sociologist Rodney Stark, “To Eusebius, the writer of this account, the bravery and steadfastness of the martyrs was proof of Christian virtue. Indeed, many pagans were deeply impressed.” God commands us to rejoice, even in difficulty because, when we face suffering in our lives with hope, bringing to God our fears and rejoicing in the joy to come afterwards, our actions do not go unnoticed not only by God but, most importantly, they are a witness to the people around us.

A professor of mine once said that there is nothing quite as depressing as a sermon on joy. Why is that? Because God commands us to rejoice, but it’s not that easy, as I’ve already pointed out. God says “Do this!” “Rejoice!” “Be happy!” but there are times when it IS just too much. When we cannot trust in our own power to find joy or trust in our ability to rejoice. We will not find salvation according to the law of joy. However, we can find joy in the saving power of Jesus Christ who promises us rescue from our misery and brings with him the peace that passes all understanding. Rejoicing may be a command from God, but the best kind of joy is a gift from God that requires no action on our part at all. The joy of salvation which he has promised to all of you. The joy of knowing that God is near and will not forsake you—no matter what.

Yes, we are called to rejoice in the Lord always, but we must remember that true joy doesn’t come from our emotional manipulations. True joy only comes from Jesus, who has promised to be near us throughout all the troubles of the world, bringing us strength in persecutions, comfort in distress, joy in sorrow, life in death. As you continue to prepare for Christmas during this season of Advent rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice! It’s a command even when you are standing in line for half an hour in a pushy crowd. But remember that joy can also be a gift, and it comes only from heaven above by a God who has placed himself in human form to be born for you to give joy not only to us, but to the whole world. Amen.