"Rejoice Always?"

“Rejoice Always?” FPC 12-13-09 (1st service only)
Philippians 4:4-7, Isaiah 12:2-6

 Today is the third Sunday in Advent. Traditionally on this Sunday we light a pink candle and focus less on Advent’s somber repentance and much more on Advent’s joy. And, right on schedule, the lectionary suggests a reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”

Rejoice in the Lord, yes. But rejoice in the Lord always? Hmm, not so sure about that. After all, think about the awful things happening in the world today–hunger, homelessness, disease, ignorance, poverty, war, hatred, cruelty. And even our own lives are filled with troubles–financial struggles, sickness, grief, failure, fatigue, broken or strained relationships, fear. How can Paul say, Rejoice in the Lord always?

Well, maybe Paul’s just having a great day, a perfect day. Have you ever had one of those? Maybe it was the day you got married, that excitement of beginning life together, the happy crush of family and friends gathered around. Maybe it was when your children or grandchildren were born, in an instant a tiny new life to shape and, if you’re a grandparent, to spoil. Maybe it was when you got a promotion or a good grade, that flutter of pride in achievement wrought by hard work. Remember a great day?

I remember a summer day in 1985. I was stationed at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York. I was 25-years-old and weighed about 135 pounds. I remember going on a 16-mile training run with my friend Greg. We ran along the sidewalk that goes to Coney Island in one direction and leads into Upper New York Bay in the other. The sun was shining, the sky blue with a few white cotton balls floating above us. It was warm, but not hot. A light breeze blew. Over our right shoulders was the lapping water and the towering Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Behind us stood our lovely lady, the Statue of Liberty. I ran almost effortlessly, and turned to Greg and shouted, “Isn’t it great to be alive!? Isn’t God good!?” Greg gave me an odd look and said, “Yeah.” Have you ever had a day like that? Is that what’s going on with Paul? He’s just having a great day, a perfect day, and so he just gets out of control with his writing, over exuberant with direction to the church, and he gushes, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice.”?

But no. Paul is actually writing this letter from prison. Have you ever been in a prison? Even with color TVs and weight sets, prisons are places of terrible boredom, sadness, and misery. In Paul’s time they were even worse. As one scholar notes, “Most prisoners wore chains, their feet might be shackled, their hands manacled or even attached to their neck by another chain, and their movements further restricted by a chain fastened to a post . . . Some prisoners were also kept in stocks . . . Prisons often were very dark . . . [and overcrowded and] often had poor air circulation, a lack of hygienic facilities, rats and vermin, and food of poor quality. Unscrupulous guards might . . . use the withholding of food or even outright torture to extort money from prisoners or their relatives.” (Robert A. Wild, “Prison” in Harpers Bible Dictionary, ed. Paul Achtemeier, 824.)

We can safely say Paul is not having a perfect day. Yet he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice.”

 Maybe Paul is simply in denial. Comedian Bill Maher was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno the other night. As you may know, Maher is a proud atheist, as well as the writer and star of the comedy/documentary movie entitled “Religulous.” The movie title is a combination of the word religion and ridiculous, and the movie pokes fun at various religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. As is so typical of today’s “cool atheists,” Maher produced his movie largely by deceptive interviews with religious lightweights and crackpots, rather than engaging in honest dialogue with biblical and theological giants. You wonder how he might stack up against a professor at a major mainline theological seminary. Heck, you wonder how he would hold up against some of the retired clergy who lurk around First Presbyterian. But Maher used the Tonight Show to proclaim this happy news, “Faith is the lack of critical thinking.” Is that Paul’s problem, a lack of critical thinking?

Well, no. Even a cursory reading of Paul’s letters shows his brilliance in exploring the great questions of life. Why are we here? What’s the meaning of life? What happens after we die? How do we deal with the problem of suffering and evil? Paul is not some theological greenhorn merely denying reality.

Well, maybe Paul is a minimizer. And his argument is, “Hey, bad things don’t really matter. Quit whining. You’re going to heaven one of these days. So today doesn’t really count.” I remember seeing a sign posted over a bin at the circulation desk at the Mentor, Ohio Public Library. It read, “Today’s Problems: Empty at the End of the day.” Wouldn’t it be great if real life worked that way for us? Does Paul view life that simplistically and naively?

Nah. He constantly deplores evil and its power in the world. Paul continually calls us to fight against injustice and oppression. He awaits the day of the universe’s redemption, but he calls us to prepare for that time right now with faith-driven words and actions of justice and mercy.

So if Paul is not merely having a great day, nor simply in denial, nor minimizing, how can he say rejoice in the Lord, always?

One scholar says, “Happiness is something that is pursued, and happiness is tied up in the pursuit. But joy is something else altogether . . . at the heart of the understanding of joy in the African American worship experience is not unrestrained frivolity, but a deep longing. This longing, more often than not, challenges and even defies expression; that is, this joy is experienced as an ‘unspeakable joy.’” (James H. Evans Jr., in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year C, Vol. 1, ed. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, 64.)

Paul can say, “Rejoice in the Lord, always,” because his joy expresses not simple happiness but a deep longing. His joy is a deep longing undergirded by glad confidence that that longing will finally be answered by God in Christ.

And why does Paul believe that? Because, as he says, “The Lord is near.” The Lord is near, as in the Lord is always near to us, always at work in our lives, working toward the good, in spite of the terrible things that happen. And the Lord is also near, as in the Lord’s advent is near. The Lord’s coming to consummate God’s unshakeable, unstoppable redemption of the universe is near. So rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord, always.

And in our rejoicing, in our deep longing undergirded by glad confidence, live in a particular way. As Paul advises, “Let your gentleness (it can actually be translated “your tolerance”) be known to everyone.” Gentleness and tolerance aren’t the only Christian virtues that matter, but boy in our world they certainly are central, aren’t they? “Let your gentleness, your tolerance, be known to everyone.” After all, the Lord is near.

And, says Paul, don’t worry about anything. Pray about everything. Let God know what you need. Be specific. Be thankful. And God’s peace will guard, stand watch like a sentry, over our hearts and minds in Christ.

Rejoice in the Lord, always.

On Friday, June 20, 2008, the bedside telephone rang around 6:00 a.m. It was my mother calling to say that my father who had been suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease had died. I sat on the side of the bed, talking with mama for a few moments, crying a little. Then I told Beth what had happened and we began to make plans for the drive to South Carolina. I was scheduled to preach and lead worship at a local retirement village that afternoon. So I called and told the secretary there what had happened, and I told her that I would still be there to preach and lead worship. That afternoon, I drove to the chaplain’s office at the retirement village. The secretaries there gave me great big hugs. Then it was time to lead worship. Just prior to the service, my father’s death was announced to the congregation made up of residents of the village, including some who were members in my church. I stood and gave the call to worship. We sang the hymns, prayed the prayers, read the Bible; I preached the sermon and gave the benediction. I cannot say I miraculously felt happy. I did not. I felt sad. But I heard and felt the hymns, prayers, Scripture, sermon, and benediction with new clarity. I heard and felt the kind words and hugs as expressions of the living Body of Christ. And I knew the promise of the resurrection as never before. A deep longing undergirded by glad confidence.

Rejoice in the Lord, always.

Martin Luther King put it this way. He said, “The end of life is not to be happy. The end of life is not to achieve pleasure and avoid pain. The end of life is to do the will of God, come what may.” (Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 144 quoted by Philip E. Campbell in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year C, Vol. 1, ed. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, 66.)

I do not know everything that is happening in your life today. I know some of your stories, but not everything. I do know that Paul’s words and Martin Luther King’s words are true. The Lord is near. So be gentle, tolerant. Try not to worry. Pray about everything. Be specific. Be thankful. And God’s peace will stand guard over you and me. Rejoice in the Lord, always. Amen.