Sermon – Rejoice in the Lord! Rev. Sandy Lacey December 15, 2024
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it. If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. That is a song many of us remember from our childhoods and even today, our pre-school children would likely be able to sing it for you. But would the Apostle Paul have sung this song? Paul writes this incredible letter of encouragement to the church at Philippi from a jail cell. He writes to a congregation whom he loves and has nurtured from the beginning. If you read through the letter, you not only hear him encouraging the followers to rejoice, but you also discover he is concerned about a conflict between two women leaders who are arguing with one another. He urges those two leaders to be of the same mind. But the question for me on this Advent Sunday of joy, is he encouraging the flock to be happy? If you watch and believe Christmas television commercials this time of year, you might think that you can achieve the perfect Christmas and that it will make you happy. All you need is the right car, the right Christmas decorations, the perfect gifts, the right relationships, snow, a little mistletoe, etc. – and you will be happy. In my case, lots of chocolate and peppermint mochas might do the trick for me. But happiness is fleeting; it does not last long. It lasts as long as it takes for a new wrinkle in your life to develop. And let’s face it, there are always new bumps in the road, new challenges with which to deal. Toys do break, relationships sour when we realize that the other person or the other family member does not think like you do. And the beautiful new car has a new car smell, but it comes with car payments that will saddle you with more debt than you want. Happiness is always temporary, but joy – now that is something different. Joy enables you to sing at a funeral; laugh at irony; joy recognizes the temporary nature of all emotions, including happiness. Joy is possible even in prison and joy is possible even staring in the face of a terminal illness. Joy enables you to see the long haul, the possibilities. Joy allows you to see with kingdom eyes so that even while working as a slave in a field, you can sing of your freedom. Joy always has a longing quality to it and joy understands the temporal nature of the life we live. Joy transcends what can be easily seen and felt. And joy is persistent. The truth is life can change tomorrow. Homes can be destroyed. Hurricanes and mudslides can leave a path of destruction that will change relationships and the economics of a town forever. Illnesses can be contracted, jobs may be lost, relationships may become abusive, viruses may mutate and continue forever, the number of faithful disciples may decline, church programs may change . . . but one thing remains constant. And what is that? God’s love and the knowledge that you and me – we are always God’s children, and nothing can separate us from God’s forever love. God loves us and promises to never leave us, no matter what. In his letter, Paul reminds us to rejoice – to live in the joy of God’s love and presence. No matter what life may bring, no matter the circumstance in which you find yourself – rejoice (sing!) In addition to singing, Paul tells the congregation to “let your gentleness be known to everyone.” Gentleness in this case means to be magnanimous, forbearing, not returning evil for evil, forgiving, loving. He is not telling you to be a doormat, but to be forbearing toward those who misunderstand you or treat you poorly, or maybe even arrest you and put you in jail. Paul (from his prison cell) asks the Philippians and he asks us today, “Why are you worried?” God is aware of your needs and has your best interest at heart. What has been helped by lying awake at night and worrying? Does the worry allow you to get a good night’s rest? Does worry accomplish anything except to increase your anxiety and steal your joy? Joy comes when we take deep breaths, relax, and rest in the sure knowledge of God’s love and care for us. Trusting that God has not, and will not, abandon us allows us to breathe and rest. We can then prioritize what is important, allowing us to unclench our hearts and our fists. And if our hearts and fists are unclenched, we can be open – open to what God intended us to be, open to what God intends this church to be, open to the Good News of Jesus Christ – that God loves, not only you and me, but all people. Happiness is not always contagious, but joy is. Joy allows us to see with kingdom eyes all kinds of possibilities that we never thought of. Now, let’s pause for a moment. Am I suggesting that when you find yourself in oppressive situations that you need to “grin and bear it?” Are we supposed to sing our way through slavery and all manner of evil that is done to us? No, that is not what I am saying. For even in the slave songs, there were codes and messages of subterfuge that encouraged work for justice and freedom. So no, this is not some “Pollyanna” worldview, but an approach that allows you to joyfully sing your way into justice and protest. You have just got to find your courage and your voice. Joy also encourages us to live our lives in gratitude. We become “glass half full” people who are not easily discouraged by setbacks and complications to the plans we make. Gratitude teaches us that we are not in charge, that life overcomes all death, that life is shot-through with possibility, and that God laughs at our best-laid plans. As grateful people, we learn to trust that all is well, that there are no accidents, that just like happiness, evil is temporary too. God’s kingdom/God’s big plan will never allow evil to have the last word. Justice will win. Living a life of gratitude affects many areas of our lives, both individually and corporately. For example, many of us have answered God’s call to pledge our resources toward the mission and ministry of this church in 2025, and we are close to being at the level where we projected those pledges to be; however, your Finance Team and I are trusting that those of you who have neglected to participate thus far, will do so and help us create a new reality of balanced budgeting (instead of our history of deficit budgeting.) Has the Spirit led us in the right direction? Only you will be able to answer. Living a life of joy and gratitude makes a difference, not only for you, but for the others this church will touch. The Scripture passage I did not read for you this morning includes an interruption in our joy by John the baptizer, calling all of us snakes. Here you go. Read Luke 3:7-18. One question the people asked him is an intriguing one for us as well: “what should we do?” If we are snakes, if we have the tendency to put our needs above others’ needs; if we are not in the habit of using kingdom eyes as we look at the world, how can we change? Tell us what to do. John tells us, “repent (turn around, change your orientation, your habits, your focus) share sacrificially with others, be honest in your dealings with others, be content with what you have, and do not use your Christian identity as an excuse for complacency, hoarding, and being unkind.” In addition, John says you better bear fruit if you want to be called a Christian, or you just might feel the weight of an axe. Nothing like the buzz-kill of John on this beautiful day of joy. Friends, maybe we could revise the song we sang at the beginning to: If you’re joyful and you know it, say “Amen!” If you’re joyful and you know it, say “Amen!” If you’re joyful and you know it, then your life will surely show it. If you’re joyful and you know it, say “Amen!”
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it. If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. That is a song many of us remember from our childhoods and even today, our pre-school children would likely be able to sing it for you. But would the Apostle Paul have sung this song? Paul writes this incredible letter of encouragement to the church at Philippi from a jail cell. He writes to a congregation whom he loves and has nurtured from the beginning. If you read through the letter, you not only hear him encouraging the followers to rejoice, but you also discover he is concerned about a conflict between two women leaders who are arguing with one another. He urges those two leaders to be of the same mind. But the question for me on this Advent Sunday of joy, is he encouraging the flock to be happy? If you watch and believe Christmas television commercials this time of year, you might think that you can achieve the perfect Christmas and that it will make you happy. All you need is the right car, the right Christmas decorations, the perfect gifts, the right relationships, snow, a little mistletoe, etc. – and you will be happy. In my case, lots of chocolate and peppermint mochas might do the trick for me. But happiness is fleeting; it does not last long. It lasts as long as it takes for a new wrinkle in your life to develop. And let’s face it, there are always new bumps in the road, new challenges with which to deal. Toys do break, relationships sour when we realize that the other person or the other family member does not think like you do. And the beautiful new car has a new car smell, but it comes with car payments that will saddle you with more debt than you want. Happiness is always temporary, but joy – now that is something different. Joy enables you to sing at a funeral; laugh at irony; joy recognizes the temporary nature of all emotions, including happiness. Joy is possible even in prison and joy is possible even staring in the face of a terminal illness. Joy enables you to see the long haul, the possibilities. Joy allows you to see with kingdom eyes so that even while working as a slave in a field, you can sing of your freedom. Joy always has a longing quality to it and joy understands the temporal nature of the life we live. Joy transcends what can be easily seen and felt. And joy is persistent. The truth is life can change tomorrow. Homes can be destroyed. Hurricanes and mudslides can leave a path of destruction that will change relationships and the economics of a town forever. Illnesses can be contracted, jobs may be lost, relationships may become abusive, viruses may mutate and continue forever, the number of faithful disciples may decline, church programs may change . . . but one thing remains constant. And what is that? God’s love and the knowledge that you and me – we are always God’s children, and nothing can separate us from God’s forever love. God loves us and promises to never leave us, no matter what. In his letter, Paul reminds us to rejoice – to live in the joy of God’s love and presence. No matter what life may bring, no matter the circumstance in which you find yourself – rejoice (sing!) In addition to singing, Paul tells the congregation to “let your gentleness be known to everyone.” Gentleness in this case means to be magnanimous, forbearing, not returning evil for evil, forgiving, loving. He is not telling you to be a doormat, but to be forbearing toward those who misunderstand you or treat you poorly, or maybe even arrest you and put you in jail. Paul (from his prison cell) asks the Philippians and he asks us today, “Why are you worried?” God is aware of your needs and has your best interest at heart. What has been helped by lying awake at night and worrying? Does the worry allow you to get a good night’s rest? Does worry accomplish anything except to increase your anxiety and steal your joy? Joy comes when we take deep breaths, relax, and rest in the sure knowledge of God’s love and care for us. Trusting that God has not, and will not, abandon us allows us to breathe and rest. We can then prioritize what is important, allowing us to unclench our hearts and our fists. And if our hearts and fists are unclenched, we can be open – open to what God intended us to be, open to what God intends this church to be, open to the Good News of Jesus Christ – that God loves, not only you and me, but all people. Happiness is not always contagious, but joy is. Joy allows us to see with kingdom eyes all kinds of possibilities that we never thought of. Now, let’s pause for a moment. Am I suggesting that when you find yourself in oppressive situations that you need to “grin and bear it?” Are we supposed to sing our way through slavery and all manner of evil that is done to us? No, that is not what I am saying. For even in the slave songs, there were codes and messages of subterfuge that encouraged work for justice and freedom. So no, this is not some “Pollyanna” worldview, but an approach that allows you to joyfully sing your way into justice and protest. You have just got to find your courage and your voice. Joy also encourages us to live our lives in gratitude. We become “glass half full” people who are not easily discouraged by setbacks and complications to the plans we make. Gratitude teaches us that we are not in charge, that life overcomes all death, that life is shot-through with possibility, and that God laughs at our best-laid plans. As grateful people, we learn to trust that all is well, that there are no accidents, that just like happiness, evil is temporary too. God’s kingdom/God’s big plan will never allow evil to have the last word. Justice will win. Living a life of gratitude affects many areas of our lives, both individually and corporately. For example, many of us have answered God’s call to pledge our resources toward the mission and ministry of this church in 2025, and we are close to being at the level where we projected those pledges to be; however, your Finance Team and I are trusting that those of you who have neglected to participate thus far, will do so and help us create a new reality of balanced budgeting (instead of our history of deficit budgeting.) Has the Spirit led us in the right direction? Only you will be able to answer. Living a life of joy and gratitude makes a difference, not only for you, but for the others this church will touch. The Scripture passage I did not read for you this morning includes an interruption in our joy by John the baptizer, calling all of us snakes. Here you go. Read Luke 3:7-18. One question the people asked him is an intriguing one for us as well: “what should we do?” If we are snakes, if we have the tendency to put our needs above others’ needs; if we are not in the habit of using kingdom eyes as we look at the world, how can we change? Tell us what to do. John tells us, “repent (turn around, change your orientation, your habits, your focus) share sacrificially with others, be honest in your dealings with others, be content with what you have, and do not use your Christian identity as an excuse for complacency, hoarding, and being unkind.” In addition, John says you better bear fruit if you want to be called a Christian, or you just might feel the weight of an axe. Nothing like the buzz-kill of John on this beautiful day of joy. Friends, maybe we could revise the song we sang at the beginning to: If you’re joyful and you know it, say “Amen!” If you’re joyful and you know it, say “Amen!” If you’re joyful and you know it, then your life will surely show it. If you’re joyful and you know it, say “Amen!”