Sermon, 5pm, given by Kevin Montgomery
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Seattle
12/15/1/2024, 3rd Sunday of Advent
Five Angels Dancing Before the Sun, by Giovanni di Paolo
Rejoice in the Lord always! Again, I say rejoice! . . . But what if I don’t feel like rejoicing? How can I do that given the state of the world, of this country? I’m angry, I’m sad, I’m afraid. The world seems to be falling apart, and so am I. Who are you to tell me to rejoice. . . Well, you’re right. Who am I to tell anyone that? The last thing I want to do is to say to someone, “Don’t let it get you down. Look on the bright side of things. Cheer up.”
Anyway, where does Paul get off saying this? Well, Paul’s life wasn’t exactly sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows. He’s writing this letter from prison. During his missionary journeys, he faced stonings, beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, and eventually execution. But all through this letter to Christians in Philippi, he says he rejoices, he gives thanks for them. Maybe he understood something a lot of us don’t. One of those things is that joy is not simply a feeling. It’s not, “Oh, I’m feeling happy today.” That’s great, but you might not be feeling happy tomorrow. Heck, in an hour you might be feeling angry, sad, afraid, all of the above. It’s more of a state of mind, a place where we can rest and find strength as we move through life.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Joy is very much tied up with thanksgiving. In Greek the words even come from the same root. Think about it. We’re thankful for the times when we experience the feelings associated with joy. And when we begin to focus on that thankfulness, we start to become more aware of it; and it even starts to change our brains. It trains the neural muscles, you might say. That’s not to say it’s always easy. There are times in life when things seem so overwhelming that it’s hard to find things to be thankful for.
That’s when I try to remember that we worship a God who’s not a general principle but one of scandalous particularity. A God who literally had skin in the game. Jesus was incarnate as a particular person, in a particular time, in a particular place. So let’s bring ourselves to the concrete, even mundane moments of life. I think back over the past few weeks and give thanks for my job, for the great team I work with, for the person who said how much she appreciated me showing her where everything was when she started on the job. I look at what’s going on here at St. Paul’s. A new roof! Work being done on plumbing and electrical systems. More accessibility on the horizon. I guess you can even give thanks for that yawning abyss out there as a sign of what’s happening and what’s to come. A couple of weeks ago, we baptized two new members into the household of God. Even in the hard times there can be joy and thanksgiving. It’ll be five years since I last celebrated Christmas with my mother. I miss her so much. We all do, but I give thanks for all the time we had. Even when things were rough, I knew I could ask Mama for prayers. Of course I’m a big believer in the communion of saints; so I still can. And I know that we’ll all see each other again in the resurrection. I heartily rejoice in that.
But Paul doesn’t just say, “Rejoice.” He says, “Rejoice in the Lord.” For what can be more reason to give thanks than the Lord Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God with us? The one who has shared not just in times of celebration but also in times of suffering. The one whose Spirit brings us consolation amid our desolations. But not only do we rejoice in the Lord. We rejoice in the Lord. We are baptized into more than just an earthly community. We are all part of the Body of Christ. Yes, Jesus is in our hearts, but more importantly, we are in his heart. The more Catholic among us might even say we are enfolded within that Sacred Heart. There we find the peace that goes beyond anything we can understand or the world can give. Amid the turning of the wheel of fortunes and loss, amid the changes and chances of this life, we can rest secure and thankful in that peaceful center. So yes, be angry, be sad, be afraid; but still rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord. Again, I say rejoice.