Rejoice in the Lord!
Philippians 4: 4-7
Advent 3
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen. The sermon text for the third Sunday in Advent is the epistle reading Philippians 4. It is on the third week in Advent when we light the pink candle on the Advent Wreath. The pink candle represents joy. Advent is a penitential season but in this third week in Advent we are reminded that we are also in a season of great joy. As a matter of fact all three of our readings for today speak about and encourage joy. Remember what was said in our Old Testament reading from Zephaniah. “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!” In our epistle reading Paul said these words. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.” In our Gospel reading when John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to ask if Jesus was the Messiah, our Lord responded with these words. “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.” All that Jesus had done was fulfilling the Old Testament prophesies about the coming Savior and so the answer to John was that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.
All three readings speak about joy. It is something that all three texts have in common. But there is something else that these three readings have in common. All three of them speak about joy in difficult and troubling situations. Take Zephaniah for example. I read to you words of joy from the prophet and yet if we read the whole book of Zephaniah, we will see that it is mostly about sin, Law, and judgment. Zephaniah speaks about the judgment of Israel’s enemies. He speaks about the judgment of Israel, and he speaks about God’s judgment of the world. Zephaniah lived at the same time as Jeremiah. Both prophets spoke about the Babylonian army that was coming to destroy Jerusalem because of the unfaithfulness of the people. That is the context of our Old Testament reading for today. Zephaniah was speaking about joy in a time when Jerusalem would be destroyed, and the people of Israel would go into exile. It was a time of great trouble and upheaval and yet Zephaniah still speaks about joy.
In our epistle reading Paul speaks about joy but we must remember that he said those words about joy when he was in jail. Indeed, Paul spent a great deal of time in jail. Not because he committed any crime, but he was in jail because he proclaimed the Gospel. As we look at the life of Paul, we see that he suffered greatly during his ministry. He was beaten, harassed, and persecuted. That is the context of our epistle reading for today and yet Paul still speaks about joy.
We see this in our Gospel reading as well. John the Baptist was in prison when he sent two of his disciples to speak to Jesus. John was called by God to prepare the way of the Lord. He called people to repentance and baptized many at the Jordan river. He was very popular with the crowds, but he was imprisoned when he confronted King Herod’s sin. John sat alone in his prison cell waiting to die. That is the context of our Gospel reading for today and yet Jesus speaks words of great joy.
These three readings certainly apply to all of us because we live in a fallen and sinful world. We know that we should be joyful and yet we find ourselves struggling with the trials and tribulations of this life. This is to be a joyful time of the year but as a pastor I find it to be a more busy time of the year. It is during this season that I have extra services and at the same time more family commitments. For me it is time of being constantly tired. It might be the same for you. It is during this time of the year that we have extra things to do. We have to decorate the house, buy presents, prepare for guests, make travel plans, and navigate all the extra functions and gatherings that we have. For some it is a time of loneliness and depression. It is a time when we remember loved ones who have passed away.
No matter what time of the year it is we are always going to have struggles. We are constantly battling the sin that is in us. Each day we struggle with our weaknesses and human frailty. And we still live in this fallen world. Indeed we live in a world of darkness and death. Yet we still have reason for joy. Our joy is in Christ. Paul said it well in our epistle reading for today. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.”
Zephaniah spoke about the invading armies of Babylon and yet in our text for today he could also speak about great joy. He speaks about singing and rejoicing because He knew that Jesus was coming not only to redeem Isreal but the whole world. John the Baptist might have been sitting in prison waiting to die and yet there was joy because Jesus Christ had come into the world. Jesus fulfilled all the Old Testament prophies about the Savior including going to the cross to win our salvation. Paul could speak about rejoicing even though he faced great persecution because he had received the grace of God through Christ Jesus the Lord. Our joy is in Christ.
In Christ we rejoice in the Law of God that reveals our sins. When we see our sins before us, we realize that we are undeserving of God’s grace. Why do we find joy in that? Because we know what is coming next. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even though we are underserving of God’s grace He still gives it to us through Jesus. Our Lord Jesus went to the cross to atone for our sins and to give to us salvation. Our Lord also rose from the dead thus defeating death for us. Our joy is in Christ because He is gracious to us.
We rejoice in Christ because He has washed away our sins. In Christ we rejoice because He has overcome death. We rejoice in Christ because He has restored us and has given to us a clean heart. In Christ we rejoice because we know that He is with us. He blesses us and moves everything for the good of His people. We rejoice in Christ because He is the bright and glorious light that shines in the darkness. In Christ we rejoice because He is the One who will deliver us from this valley of tears. He will come again to bring us to be with Him in His full presence for all eternity.
Life is hard. Everyone of us here today will have troubles. We will all struggle. We all have fears and things that make us anxious. We all have weaknesses. We will all experience sadness and grief. Yet there is great joy for us. There is a joy that fills our hearts and our minds. There is a joy that is greater than anything in this world. It is a joy that is found in Christ Jesus our Lord. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Amen.