Rejoice Always? (Advent 3)

Isaiah 12: 2-6 & Philippians 4: 4-7

Roger Lynn

December 16, 2018

3rd Sunday in Advent

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It all sounds so wonderful. It is the way we want life to be. Paul tells the people in Philippi to rejoice in the Lord always! And then, just in case they didn’t believe him the first time, he tells them again. Isaiah proclaims to the Hebrew people that God has brought salvation and new life upon them. With joy they will draw from those wells, Isaiah tells them. And it all sounds so wonderful. Who wouldn’t want joy in their life all the time? But it also sounds a bit naive and unrealistic. Surely Paul and Isaiah didn’t understand what they were asking. How are we supposed to live like that in the real world?

It gets even more difficult to comprehend when you begin to understand the circumstances in which Paul and Isaiah delivered these proclamations of joy. In the church at Philippi there has been a fight between two of the strong leaders in the congregation. Where once there was unity there is now discord. People who had helped preach the Gospel are no longer even talking to each other. And Isaiah is addressing his message to the Hebrew people in a time when the Northern Kingdom had been annexed by neighboring Syria and the people of Judah and Jerusalem are living with the threat of a similar fate. Tensions are running high and anxiety is dominating every aspect of life. Neither of these situations seem like rejoicing would be a reasonable response. And yet, that is what is being called for.

We know what this is like. As with the people of Philippi and the people of Jerusalem, we would love to have joy fill our every waking moment. But life keeps getting in the way. We live in a post-9/11 world, where violence from within and from without fills the headlines every day. We are constantly reminded that the world is not a safe place to live. And even when we manage to forget about what’s going on in all of the places around the world where tension and violence are raging, we find ourselves faced with a variety of concerns ranging from health care to the environment to human rights to poverty (just to name a few). And even if we never read a newspaper and never listen to the news and completely ignore the world beyond our own community, we can’t ever seem to go very long before the darkness finds us. We have health problems or relationship problems or financial problems or else someone we love is faced with such concerns. We would love to rejoice always and draw from the wells of God’s grace with joy. But sometimes it just doesn’t seem possible.

So what is it that Paul and Isaiah are saying? What kind of life are they calling us to? We might begin by recognizing what they are not calling us to. As far as I know neither Paul nor Isaiah ever wore rose-colored glasses. Closing our eyes to the realities around us and simply pretending that everything is just fine is not helpful. And it isn’t Biblical. Whatever it is that these texts are pointing us to, sticking our heads in the sand is not it. What both Paul and Isaiah do recognize is that we are not alone. Joy comes not from the circumstances in which we find ourselves, but from the company we keep when we face those circumstances. Paul does not say, “Rejoice always!” He says, “Rejoice in the Lord always!” Remember that God is present in your life – right here, right now, in the midst of whatever is going on. Whatever form the darkness takes, God is still there. However dark it gets, God is still there. Isaiah does not say that the Hebrew people should be filled with joy because everything is wonderful and the threat has gone away. The joy comes when they remember that God has been with them in the past and will continue to be with them in this current crisis. And the additional source of joy in all of this is that not only do we have God, but we have each other. When Paul’s friends and co-workers in Philippi are separated by some dispute, he calls on the community to help resolve the conflict. Together with God and with each other, we are able to face the world even when the darkness threatens to overwhelm us. The joy which both Paul and Isaiah call for is a matter of perspective. We can focus on the darkness and our own limitations and hardships and challenges and we can despair. Or we can focus on the light of God which is shining even now in the midst of all of life and we can celebrate. 

Faith is often described as foolishness. From the outside looking in it can certainly appear so sometimes. But what can’t be recognized when looking in from the outside is the presence of God. And that makes all the difference. It doesn’t change anything – wars are still raging, disease is still threatening millions, our own lives are still filled with whatever challenges come our way. But it changes everything because we know that we need not face such things alone. It changes everything because we know that we need not come up with the solutions for such things alone.

Rejoice always? In this world in which we live? With the problems we are facing? Yes! Because it isn’t just up to us. In this season of Advent, when we watch and wait and prepare, we rejoice in God’s presence. We draw from the well of God’s new life. We celebrate this great gift which is already ours. Let us rejoice – now and always!