Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This time of year is filled with joy.  I witnessed joy last weekend watching “The Holiday Fantastic,” a spectacular afternoon of dancing and music put on by some of Calvert County’s very talented young people, including some of First Lutheran’s own!  I saw joy in the smiles and the energy displayed by the performers.  I saw joy in friends and family who came together to watch.  Soon more joy will occur as reunions take place in homes other locations.  Events like “The Holiday Fantastic” and in our reunions with those we love and care about bring joy!  In the church, we celebrate “joy” this Sunday, the third Sunday in Advent, in our music, readings, and the lighting of the Joy Candle.  However, for many, the pressure to be joyous can actually lead to the opposite … despair.

But St. Paul tells us to “Rejoice … always” (Philippians 4:4a).   So, what are we to make of this if we’re not feeling particularly joyful?  What about those of us who’ve lost jobs?  Or come home from school with failing grades?  Or lost loved ones during the past year?  Or are struggling with a terrible illness or injury?  How can we be joyful in those times? 

It’s important to realize that Paul wrote these words as he suffered through imprisonment for his faith … not because he committed a crime of any type.  He’s telling us to base our joy, not on things in this world, but elsewhere.  Though we should be joyful as a sign of thanks when things are going well, the key to Paul’s urging to be “joyful always” is the object of the joy … “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4) How can we always be joyful, even when things in our earthly lives are downright horrible?  Though we don’t find joy in the painful, unpleasantries of our lives in the world … we do find joy in God’s steadfast presence in our lives.  He’s present in the happy and good times … we rejoice!  He’s present in our challenging, difficult, and downright crummy times … we rejoice!  We can rejoice, in spite of our hardships, because ultimately, we know that these hardships will pass away … and because of our faith in Jesus, we will one day dwell in a place where there will be no hardships. (Revelation 21:1-4)  This is our cause to “rejoice always in the Lord.” (Philippians 4:4)

We never rejoice that pain and suffering exist anywhere in this world, whether in our lives or the lives of others.  But we do rejoice always because God loves us so much … that He came to dwell in the midst of our sin-filled suffering and pain.  He couldn’t stand to see us be separated from Him.  He desires nothing short of a joyous reunion with all those He created in His image.  This joy-filled reunion is only possible because of the birth of Jesus Christ, which we celebrate each Christmas.  We celebrate the birth of a baby who became the perfect sacrifice to redeem His Father’s creation.  The perfect sacrifice that enables us to experience the joyful reunion, with all who believe, for all eternity.

                                                                                        May you rejoice in the Lord always,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim