Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18
Joy. That word comes up a lot during this time of year. Holiday cards, decorations, and music are full of it. Yet with all the talk around being joyful during this time of year instead of filling us with joy it can often backfire by heightening our sense of how our lives seem as if they don’t match up with how we think “Joy” is supposed to be. Experiences such as loneliness, family tensions, unexpected crises, grief, the ever evolving Covid situation, and the worrisome nature of national events can all pile on in a way that makes “Joy” feel as if it is beyond our reach.
So when we hear our reading from Philippians does it just sound like just more of the same? Rejoice in the Lord always, writes the apostle Paul, again I will say, Rejoice. I wonder, is rejoicing easy for you right now or hard? The answer often depends on what’s going on in our world. Typically, when things are good we can rejoice. But when things are difficult, not so much. If that’s the case for you, it may be helpful to know that Paul’s invitation to joy doesn’t come from someone who’s enjoying the good life. He’s not sitting around a Christmas tree listening to carols while drinking eggnog and eating gingerbread cookies. Far from it. Paul is rotting in a Roman jail where conditions are squalor and his future is grim. Yet even from that place he speaks of joy. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Paul does not speak from a place of sheltered optimism, but from a wisdom acquired over years of experience. Experience that often included struggle and hardship. Experience that taught him that no matter the outward circumstances of life there is always a reason to rejoice. Because the joy of which Paul speaks is not an emotional high or a state of perpetual happiness or even an absence of conflict. Rather, joy is more lasting than that. It is a deep satisfaction that comes from being connected with God and with what God is doing in the world.
Which brings me, oddly enough, to our reading from the gospel of Luke and the firebrand John the Baptist. Mr. Killjoy himself, or so I thought, until recently I learned that he is actually considered the patron saint of spiritual joy. He’s given that title because back when he was a babe in his mother’s womb John leaped for joy at the presence of Mary and Jesus. Although that baby grew into a man a bit rough around the edges, his joy never fades as he continually points the way to God in Christ which he is doing today. He’s preaching to the crowds in his sharp, abrasive way, calling them names and calling them out. Telling them that they need to bear fruit worthy of repentance. And, surprisingly, instead of becoming defensive the crowd is able to hear the good news. So they ask, “What should we do?” “How do we repent?” And John gives them answers. But you know what strikes me? It’s just how unoriginal and ordinary those answers are. He doesn’t tell them - or us - anything we have not already heard before. He basically says to share what you have, to be honest and fair in your dealings, and to not abuse your power. John isn’t asking us to go and change the world, but to change ourselves. He doesn’t tell us to leave our lives and start a revolution. He tells us to go and live our lives but to live them differently - with purpose and intention. Go and be generous now. Be merciful now. Promote justice now. Go and live as deeply and as generously as you can in the life that you have right now.
For when we live that way, bearing fruit worthy of repentance, whether we realize it or not, we deepen our relationship with God by being a part of what God is doing in the world. We are operating in the flow of love, compassion, and connection. And do you know what happens when we are living in God’s flow? We experience joy. Joy that is not tied to circumstances - which are always bound to change. But joy that is enduring and sustaining even when we are worn down by life challenges. This is because our joy is grounded in the one who never changes. The apostle Paul doesn’t tell us to rejoice for rejoicing’s sake, but to rejoice in the Lord. That’s the key. No matter what is going on in our lives, whether we are stretched to our limit, as Paul is in the Roman prison, or our lives are smooth sailing - for the moment - our Lord God will never let us down. For God is always opening up God’s life to us, making available to us the life of infinite love, peace, forgiveness, mercy. The life that is joy. A joy is bound together with action, the “fruit worthy of repentance” in the language of John the Baptist. For rejoicing and repenting are always flowing back and forth from one another. And we can enter into this stream of God’s flow anywhere we want.
Now I have no doubt that between now and Christmas we will continually be bombarded by the message of joy. But whether or not our lives appear perfectly joyful in the eyes of the world really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that our eyes see and our hearts know that true joy, lasting joy, ultimately does not come from outward circumstances, but from the inward connection we have with God and God’s work in the world. If we want to know joy it is always available to us. Enter into the flow. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
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