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.

Sermon for November 2nd

My favorite TV show is Heroes, on NBC. I love the fantasy, the drama, the science fiction. I like to see lightning bolts fly out of people’s fingers, people going invisible and then going superhumanly fast and those things are all a part of this show. There’s no doubt some psychological reason for my interest with this type of genre, maybe I am an obsessive overachiever or am constantly losing my grip on reality. Maybe I just like special effects? Who knows? But, whatever the reason, I like to imagine what it would be like to have super powers. To be the strongest, the smartest and the fastest person in the world. The best of the best. To be special, both in my own eyes and in the eyes of others.

I carry this attitude with me into everyday life as well, like it or not. I like to be the best I can be and, if truth be told, I wouldn’t mind being the best in the eyes of others as well. I like to be told I am really good at what I do. It strokes my ego and makes me smile. I want to be a hero just like on the TV show even if I can’t create fire in the palm of my hand or fly around town. My parents called this attitude “self-confidence”. Others along the way have called this attitude “cocky”. Most psychology books would call this attitude “unrealistic”.

But I’d like to know what God thinks about my attitude? Is he happy that I am so focused on being the best that I can be? Being a hard worker must count for something. A hero, by definition, would help others out and, well, that is certainly biblical: “love your neighbor as yourself”. Does God praise these wonderfully traits of mine or does he notice them at all? What would it take to be a hero in God’s eyes?

I remember daydreaming when I was younger about the possibility of Jesus coming back to earth and finding disciples to walk across the countryside spreading the gospel message. I thought, “What if Jesus came to my door when my dad was gone and said follow me? I’d follow him right away!” I thought! “How cool would that be, right! And so I told my dad that if I was ever just gone one day he shouldn’t worry. Jesus probably just came back and asked me to be his disciple. I’d probably show up on the news that night.”

I wonder if that’s how the twelve disciples felt when they were asked by Jesus to come and follow him. I mean, they believed he was their Messiah! The awaited Savior of the Universe! The king of the Jews and he was asking them—them of all people!—to walk around with him and spread the news and do good deeds. They could be heroes! How wonderful!

Our gospel reading today sets the scene at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry where the disciples follow Jesus up a mountain after the crowds have gone home. They had just been called out of their ordinary lives, lives full of catching fish or counting silver coins, to a life of extraordinary faith and adventure! And now, Jesus sat them down for a pep talk. No doubt, Jesus was about to tell them what a great job they had done already and what great expectations he had for them!

Jesus begins by saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” You can imagine their surprise. “Pssst. Hey Matthew! Did Jesus just say the poor in spirit? Who’s he talking about? Jesus continued, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” “Uh, hey Jesus. I’m actually really happy to be here . . . not sad at all!” Blessed are the meek,” Jesus said, “for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness; sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

You’d have to imagine that the disciples felt a little gypped at this point. Heroes aren’t meek! They aren’t meek at all! They eat meek for breakfast! Heroes aren’t peacemakers! They have swords and shields and defend damsels in distress! I guess heroes are pure in heart, but they shouldn’t be persecuted. No, no, no, no! Jesus has this all wrong. Blessed are the heroes! The best of the best! The hard working, faith confessing, evil whupping, Messiah following disciples! The twelve special ones, you know. Who were these poor in spirit people? “We’ve got spirit, yes we do, we’ve got spirit, how bout you?”

For many of you, when you first heard the list detailing the kinds of people who were blessed by God, you might not have found yourself on the list. And for good reason, right? No one wants to be known as mournful, meek, poor in spirit person! That doesn’t sound good at all. A few of these things sound like positive traits, in a churchy, religious kind of way, but none of them seem THAT exciting. Who wants to be merciful? I want to be Mr. wonderful! I want to be a hero.

It is a strange thing really. When Jesus hands out his blessings, nobody really wants them. It’s not that we don’t want to be blessed, it’s just that we want to be blessed for our achievements and our hard work. Noble things. Heroic things. We want to be rewarded for our faith, not blessed because we have none. We want to be honored for our efforts, not blessed because we have to hunger and thirst for righteousness. We want Jesus to bless us on our terms. We want Jesus to praise us for our extraordinary abilities. Jesus wants us to utterly despair of our own abilities and to praise God’s name alone for our salvation.

Later on in the gospel of Matthew Jesus says, “I have come not for the healthy but for the sick. Not for the righteous but for the unrighteous.” At first, that can sound very upsetting if you feel good and think you’re doing alright in God’s eyes. But if Jesus has come to bless the poor in spirit, and he’s talking to you, perhaps you are more poor in spirit than you thought. Maybe it’s not something to be ashamed of. Perhaps, that righteousness you thought you had wasn’t much to look at after all.

God’s blessings are for you in fact, even if you don’t want them at first. You and I want to be heroes, not merciful meek peacemakers. But when you try to make yourself look so hot in God’s eyes you tend to move farther and farther away from his blessings. The more you trust in your own abilities, your own faith, your own understanding, the more you turn your back on God and his promises. You forget that everything is God’s and God’s alone. You forget that God wants you to fear, love and trust him above anything else. Above ANYTHING else, even above yourself and your heroic ambitions.

This passage describes what God values over and against what we think is important. It shows us that there are many in this world that are blessed in God’s eyes even though they are seen as second-class citizens to the rest of us. However, what I find most amazing is that these blessings are for you and for me, even though we never wanted them to be. We want to be heroes, but in God’s eyes we all come in second to Jesus Christ and his glory. The more you find yourself trusting God’s will for your life and trusting his values instead of your own, the more you will realize the hero Jesus was for forgiving your sins and blessing you with eternal life. Like it or not, these blessings are yours. You’re not the hero. Jesus is your hero.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness; sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God.” Amen.