"Rejoice Always"  

(Philippians 4:4-9, Luke 3:7-18)

A Sermon Preached By

Rev. Peter W. Shidemantle

3^rd Sunday of Advent, December 14, 2003

PEBBLE HILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

5299 Jamesville Rd., Dewitt, NY  13214  Phone:  446-0960

phillchu@twcny.rr.com

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice!" Not just when we would seem to have cause for rejoicing - not just when S.U. wins a big game, but when they’re losing; not just your kid gets an A on a science test, but when she’s struggling; not just when your proposal gets accepted at work, but when it isn’t; not just when you’re worried about that certain pain and the doctor gives you a clean bill of health, but when the doctor says more tests are needed; not just when peace is achieved but when injustice flourishes - Rejoice! We are to rejoice "always," Paul writes the Christian community in Philippi, a group of people with whom he had a strong bond of love and affection. He writes them from prison. I think it’s safe to assume that he would rather not have been there. He wasn’t happy that he’d finally have the chance to catch up on his correspondence. It isn’t just the outward conditions of life that bring the occasion for rejoicing, but the inward leaning of the heart toward the One who brings and gives true and abundant life - whatever the condition or occasion.

As Christmas comes barreling down on us once again the outward signs of peace and joy are all around us. We delight in catching the spirit of the season, and it is unsettling to be reminded that all is not joyful in our world, in our friends, maybe in ourselves. For some, the heightened sense of festivity around them serves only to bring to the surface the many reasons not to rejoice.

Paul and Zephaniah, and so much of the biblical witness, as well as the witness of the faithful of all times, sing their joy in spite of the times filled with tragedy and sadness, disappointment and grief. Advent gives us the time to "ponder nothing earthly minded," as the Advent carol counsels us. It gives us time to consider that though it may be winter in the realm of nature it is the threshold of spring in the realm of the spirit and in our Christian hearts. This third Sunday of Advent is known as "Gaudete" Sunday - from the Latin term for "rejoice." It signifies a shift in this season of preparation from penance to joy as we move toward the celebration of Christmas. Even the gospel reading, which begins with John lashing out at the people who come to him for baptism as a "brood of vipers," and warns them of the judgment to come - points toward the way of life and salvation when he responds in very concrete terms what it is they can do to set their lives in that direction: If you have two coats, give one away; to the tax collectors he said to collect only what is required (extortion was commonplace); to the soldiers of the occupying army he said not to take advantage of their authority over others. These aren’t earthshaking things. They are the things you should be able to expect, they’re in the job description, the understandings that should be commonly accepted - if life were lived as it supposed to be lived. There would be common decency, and fairness, and some level of compassion that meets obvious need by our sharing from our abundance. And what’s more, if you try to live life as it’s supposed to be lived, you may find that you don’t get much support, that in fact you get a lot of resistance.

But to know what you should do, and to do it, can be the source of great joy because you are seeking to be true to the shape and pattern of life that builds up and does not tear down. John didn’t counsel martyrdom or great sacrifice. He only said they should do their jobs, that they should see others not as chickens waiting to be plucked, or "marks" just asking to be taken advantage of. But it is from this core of faithful living that great sacrifice and marvelous faithfulness comes. It is the foundation upon which great lives are built.

Paul counsels just as concretely in his letter from prison to the believers in Philippi. To his command to "Rejoice in the Lord always," some might have said, "What is there to rejoice about?" They may have witnessed to the many reasons not to rejoice - the things that were going poorly in their lives, the unfairness of life, the militarism, the selfishness, the cruelty and injustice. How do you rejoice in the Lord when the occasions and conditions of life - my life, or others’ lives - give witness to despair? How do you rejoice in the Lord?

Well, let people see your forbearance. Let them see your steadiness in faith, that you’re not thrown off track by every pebble on the road, even by the boulders. The Lord is near! The Lord is closer than your troubles. Don’t fret or worry, but instead, pray. Shape your worries into prayer. God’s peace comes when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. What are the things you think about? What do you dwell on? Instead of dwelling on the falseness of others’ lives, dwell on the truth of your own. Fill your minds and meditate on things noble, reputable, authentic, compelling and gracious. Focus on the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; on things to praise, not on things to curse.

This isn’t just looking on the bright side of life. It isn’t a matter of looking only at the light and ignoring the darkness. It is a matter of taking steps toward the day and the time when there will be no more darkness and fear, no more hate, no more sorrow. It is the Advent promise, and it is our Advent preparation - not confined to a season.

There is a true story of a couple traveling through New England. They spotted a sign in a yard that read simply, "Antiques." They stopped and went into the house and were greeted by two elderly women. The ladies invited them into the living room for tea, and after a pleasant conversation the man asked if they could see the antiques. One of the women said, a little sheepishly, "You’re looking at them." She meant by her answer not any of the furniture in the house, but the women themselves.

Then she explained that when they had moved to this particular town, they were already getting on in years and had no friends. They rarely had company and they were lonely. So they hit on the idea of the sign, hoping people would stop in and visit. The plan worked better than they had hoped. They made permanent friends; there were people who stopped by every now and then. Soon their new friends stopped by each time they passed through the town, just to see their "antique" friends. The other woman commented that they never intended to deceive anyone and hadn’t really advertised that there was anything for sale. She then added, "I hope God will forgive our little ruse, and we hope that you aren’t angry with us." These women found a way to "rejoice always."

I think Advent invites us to be aggressive in our hopefulness, to create causes for rejoicing. Christmas comes not as merely a celebration to cover over the drabness of the winter’s cold with a blanket of superficial joy, but as the gift of God’s love that works its way up through darkness of sin and greed, through anxiety and oppression and hopelessness. It is the celebration of what can be born in us as we receive that gift and unwrap it and use it in ways that bring rejoicing to our world.

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