October 9, 2011
Rejoice in the Lord Always
- Philippians 4:1-9
- Rev Ruth Chadwick Moore
I know you may not believe this, but we planned for today’s worship service way back in August. We chose the scripture passages and we decided who would preach – me. We even decided the theme for today – joy. I can remember at the time being excited about that topic. But life has a way of getting in the way of preaching sometimes and the last few months have not been very happy ones for me. My father entered hospice in June and died a month ago today, and to my surprise – although I don’t know why I was so surprised – his death has really been difficult for me. I loved him very much and miss him every day. So as I prepared for today’s sermon and worship service I wasn’t sure how I could do it. “I can’t preach on joy,” I thought. I’m too sad. But you know being sad, while it’s the opposite of being happy, still allows for joy. Because joy is not an escape from the pain of life; instead it is a reconsideration and reinvestment in life from a different, liberating perspective. And as our centering thought in the bulletin reminds us: “Joy is a discipline of perception, not an emotion dependent on circumstances.” Even in the midst of grief these last few weeks I have seen glimpses of joy.
They say a preacher preaches what he or she needs to hear. So if I want to preach about joy as a discipline or way of living a Christian life, then I need to hear how joy is possible and what joy really means. One of the ways I have learned about joy is from my father. My dad was a joy filled man. He had what you would call a zest for life. He looked for the positives in life, he was an optimist by nature, and he had a playful spirit. He found joy in simple things – reading a good book, sitting by the ocean, enjoying a vodka and tonic at 5 o’clock, and playing cards. My dad loved to play cards. He even won enough money playing cards in the Army to buy my mom her engagement ring. He was a great poker and blackjack player and he enjoyed his visits to Las Vegas and Atlantic City. We even put a pack of cards in his casket so he could play poker with his buddies in heaven.
But what really gave my dad joy was his family. Growing up he was a devoted son and brother. He was a good husband, father and grandfather. I have great memories of him reading to me and playing board and card games. When I was little we played a lot of wiffle ball in the back yard. My mom remembers the neighborhood children coming to the door and asking if Mr. Chadwick could come out and play. My dad loved to play. And when he would come to visit Indiana he would always go and visit our children at school and have lunch and stay for recess. My dad loved recess too.
My father’s faith in God was a big part of who he was. As he realized he was dying he was not worried. When we talked about his death he told me he looked forward to knowing God as he had been known and seeing God as God had seen him all his life. He was not anxious about dying. He did not worry. He continued to pray the same prayers that he had every night – prayers of thankfulness and praise. He believed in a God who would never leave him and he believed that nothing separates us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. His life was not perfect, he had many of the same struggles and disappointments that most of us have, but still he rejoiced in the gifts he did have. Somehow he was always able to perceive God’s presence and action even amid difficulty and pain. And he knew that he had had a good life and was grateful for that.
“Rejoice in the Lord always,” writes Paul. It sounds so simple, yet this kind of joy is profoundly countercultural in North American society today. We think of joy as a private overflowing of good feeling in response to happy circumstances. Joy is the point of life we think, a right even: “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” But I don’t think joy and happiness are always the same thing. Although their definitions are very similar in the dictionary, to me joy is deeper somehow. And it is something that is not found in isolation. Joy is always shared, it is rarely found in isolation. It is a byproduct, not an end in itself. It is a discipline, not a right. And for the apostle Paul, it is a command, not an option.
Joy leads to rejoicing or being glad. The word, rejoice, here in Philippians is in the plural form in its original Greek– joy is most often found in relationship with others – and in relationship with God. Joy is incomplete unless it is shared. Life’s real “crown of joy” is a life rich and deep in personal relationships. In many ways you all have been my joy in the last few weeks as you have sent me cards and prayed for me and my family. Your love has sustained and lifted me up – it has meant so much to me.
When I talked about the difference between joy and happiness with the three bible studies I taught this week, most people said that happiness was more of a surface emotion and that joy was more in your heart. Happiness is a new pair of shoes, a great birthday present, or a trip to an amusement park. But joy is happiness shared with others. For Bob and Marilyn Rogers, joy is seeing your 3-month-old great grandchild for the first time. Joy for Jo Wright was having her family all around her for her 90th birthday celebration. I experience joy when I see glimpses of my father in our children. And joy for me is remembering the good times I had growing up with my dad. Of course the memories still make me cry at this point, but they give me joy too because I know that I was loved and cherished by this sweet, gentle man. I knew he always had my back and was proud of my accomplishments.
Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter and yet he writes about feeling joy in the love and support he found in this new church in the city of Philippi. Even in a time in his life when he could not have been very happy, when it must have been hard to be joyful, Paul still feels joy and encourages the Philippians to rejoice – to be glad. How do you find joy and how do you rejoice in the face of loss, or sadness, or adversity or struggle? The only way I think we can do it is to focus on the big picture. God is always with us, and nothing and no one can defeat God’s love and care for us. God is the reason we rejoice. In a hospital bed, at a graveside, at the break up of a marriage we will be sad, we will be angry, we may not even want to get out of bed in the morning, but we are still in the hands of a God who loves us. We do not suffer alone – God is always with us. As Paul tells us, “the Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present yourself to God.”
It’s easy to be thankful when things are going our way. But what happens when it doesn’t? Should we scream at God for letting us down? Well we could, and many of us have done that, and God is big enough to handle that. And please know that I would never say cheer up, or look on the bright side or count your lucky stars when you are experiencing pain. The pain is real and platitudes or glib admonitions are not appropriate. But in the midst of his own suffering, Paul is encouraging us to rejoice and express joy in a life that is grounded in communion with God. Because if we realize that the Lord is near, that we do not handle the bad stuff alone, and that we are loved completely and everlastingly, then hopefully we can be grateful for this all- encompassing love and rejoice even in our unhappiness. The sadness, the anxiety, or the anger does not necessarily go away, but we are also never abandoned in our time of need.
Joy always takes root amid adversity; there is no other soil for it to grow in. It’s not a product of possessions, pleasure, busyness, affluence or accomplishment. Joy is the experience of knowing that nothing, not sickness, failure, famine, war or even death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Joy is a choice we make. We can be frightened and feel like God has abandoned us and make idols and golden calves to worship. Life can make us bitter or it can make us better. It can leave us grumbling or it can make us grateful. We decide what we will do with what is.
My father was not a perfect man and he could be quite unreasonable and stubborn sometimes. (I am not like him at all!) My father was not a theologian and I certainly don’t think of him in the same light as the apostle Paul. But like Paul who encouraged the Philippians to follow his example, my dad was a great example to me for how to live a faith-filled and joyful life. He taught me how to celebrate life instead of always worrying about how to fix it. He taught me to be grateful and to give thanks for what I have. He was an example to me of a man who lived a life that was honorable, just, pleasing and commendable. And he taught me how in life and in death to be assured – absolutely certain in fact – of God’s ever present love and peace.
Joy is a hope we embrace. Every problem has a life span, but no trouble enjoys everlasting life. Things may not get better, they may even get worse, but we can still give thanks and rejoice in a God who gives us a victory. As the book of Habakkuk tells us, even though “The fig tree has no buds, the vines bear no harvest, the olive crop fails, the orchards yield no food, the fold is bereft of its flock, and there are no cattle in the stalls. Even so I shall exult in the Lord and rejoice in the God who saves me. The Lord God is my strength.” (Habakkuk 3: 17-18)
So let us rejoice in the Lord today. Maybe things aren’t so great for you right now, or maybe life is pretty good. But no matter what, we can all rejoice in the God of eternal life and salvation. That is our hope, that is what Christ promised, and that sense of peace is ours to claim. God in Christ is near at all times. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Sources
Feasting on the Word, Proper 23, Philippians 4: 1-9.
Homiletics on Line, “I Say Rejoice!” by King Duncan
Homiletics on Line, “The Road of Joy” by Dr. J. Howard Olds