Philippians 4:4-7
In his Epistle to the Philippians, from which we read a few minutes ago, St. Paul makes it clear that he wants Christians who are living in this world to rejoice. He repeats this exhortation, just in case it didn’t fully sink in the first time:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ”
The opposite of rejoicing is, of course, being sad, or worried, or scared, or discouraged, or anxious. And so Paul reiterates his point about rejoicing, by then also saying: “Be anxious for nothing.”
He doesn’t say, merely, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” He says, in effect, “Don’t sweat any stuff, big or small!” Don’t be frightened of any threat. Don’t be alarmed by any perceived danger. Instead, Rejoice always.
Now, the Christian rejoicing of which Paul speaks is not flamboyant or showy; not over-the-top in exuberance or with uncontrolled emotions.
It is instead a sustained, calm, and peaceful rejoicing of the heart, which manifests itself outwardly in a demeanor of reasonableness, mildness, patience, fairness, and moderation. The Greek word that Paul uses, and that our translation renders as “gentleness,” can mean all those other things, too.
The inner joy that resides within a Christian can keep him balanced and unflustered as he navigates through the many challenges and trials of life. And it can and should be noticed by others that a Christian is, in fact, balanced and unflustered, at times when others may be losing their composure and their clearheadedness.
Paul writes: “Let your gentleness be known to all men.”
But how is this done? Where does this persistent joy come from?
Are we to apply self-help techniques to ourselves, in the way of “the power of positive thinking,” in order to create this rejoicing inside of our minds and hearts by our own psychological self-manipulations?
Or are we to sing our way into joyfulness through an externalized kind of wishful thinking? Politicians through the decades have known how to get people to do that. The Democratic Party in the time of Franklin Roosevelt wanted everyone to sing this:
So long, sad times. Go long, bad times. We are rid of you at last.
Howdy, gay times, Cloudy gray times, You are now a thing of the past.
Happy days are here again, The skies above are clear again,
So let’s sing a song of cheer again, Happy days are here again.
Not to be outdone, the Republican Party, in the era of George Bush Senior, unofficially adopted this as a theme song:
In every life, we have some trouble,
But when you worry, you make it double. Don’t worry, be happy.
Ain’t got no place to lay your head,
Somebody came and took your bed. Don’t worry, be happy.
The landlord says your rent is late,
He may have to litigate. Don’t worry, be happy.
Ain’t got no cash, ain’t got no style,
Ain’t got no gal to make you smile. Don’t worry, be happy.
So, is that all it takes? A catchy, uplifting song, to whip up enthusiasm, and to make people feel good – at least in that moment? Is St. Paul suggesting such a thing when he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice.”?
Well, no. That’s not what he means. He is talking about something much deeper, and much more objectively solid and enduringly stable.
Note especially that Paul does not simply say, “Rejoice always.” He says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.”
Rejoicing “in the Lord” is rejoicing because you are in the Lord. As recorded in St. John’s Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples:
“you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. … Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. … If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
And rejoicing “in the Lord” is rejoicing because the Lord is in you. St. John writes in his First Epistle:
“He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. … In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. … By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”
Our rejoicing in the Lord is, therefore, anchored to something – to someone – of infinite strength and durability, namely Christ himself: the Son of God; and our Savior from sin, death, and the fear of death. So, even if the darkness of death hangs over us, we will rejoice still: because of Jesus, and because of what he has done and promised.
“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” – to quote from St. Paul’s Second Epistle to the Corinthians.
The deep joy of your salvation comes, and stays, only when you are connected to Christ, and stay connected to him. And the rejoicing of your heart that Paul encourages, is not based on a pretense that there are no unsettling and alarming things surrounding you that could easily tempt you to be anxious, and not to be joyful.
Your joy in the Lord, and the certainty and comfort of your faith, are always under threat from the real devilish forces of sin and death that surround you in this life. And so, that’s why Paul also encourages and guides you with these words:
“The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
A lot can be unpacked from that small phrase, “the Lord is at hand.” It can mean that Jesus’ second, visible coming is imminent, and that he will deliver his people from all that is distressing to them when he does come.
So, they can rejoice even now, because very shortly, they will no longer be contending with the troubles of this world, but will be in the heavenly peace and sinless purity of the next world. This aspect of what it means to believe that the Lord is at hand is reflected in the refrain:
“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”
But the encouraging thought that “the Lord is at hand” can also refer to Jesus’ invisible presence with his people at the present time – in the midst of the troubles of this world.
In faith and hope, we do await his visible return to judge the living and the dead, and to vindicate his saints, at the end of the age. But as we wait, we also recall what Jesus promised his disciples before his ascension:
“Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The Lord is at hand – right here, as close as he can be – to forgive us in our guilt and remorse; to comfort us in our sorrows; to teach us in our ignorance; to enlighten us in our darkness; to calm us in our confusion; and in our fears, to renew to us his love and his peace.
Jesus is at hand to do these things for us always – so that we can rejoice in him always – because his Word and Sacraments are at hand always.
His gentle voice is heard in the words of his Holy Absolution. His gentle touch is felt in the reception of his Holy Supper. His wisdom and his righteousness are put into us, and draped over us, in the reading and proclamation of his Holy Scriptures.
And Jesus is at hand – intimately at hand – through his mystical union with us, as he fills us with his grace, and draws us into his life, by his indwelling presence. This aspect of what it means to believe that the Lord is at hand is reflected in this hymn verse:
His kingdom cannot fail, He rules over earth and heaven;
The keys of death and hell Are to our Jesus given:
Lift up your heart, Lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
In all of these ways, Jesus – as God in human flesh; and as the Savior and companion of humanity – truly is “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”
And when you know that Jesus is at hand – right there with you – you thank him with rejoicing, and with rejoicing you talk with him. By prayer and supplication, in Jesus’ name, you let your requests be made known to God.
And in the faith that Jesus gives you and renews to you always, you rejoice always: to know that he is always listening to your prayers, always caring about you and your true needs, and always caring about those whom you care about, and about their needs.
So, that is the context for St. Paul’s exhortation: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!”
Our rejoicing in the Lord comes from the Lord. It does not depend on the absence of stress and trouble, because in this fallen world, stress and trouble are not absent. But it does depend on the presence of Christ.
This daily rejoicing is not manufactured through a daily stirring up of emotions, but it arises naturally from a daily resting in the grace of Christ.
This continual rejoicing is sustained in the continual rhythm of trusting in the ever-present Lord, with a certainty that he forgives and saves; and of calling on the ever-present Lord in prayer and supplication.
St. Paul writes:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
Please rise.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Amen.