Saint Luke's Lutheran Church

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent. When I was growing up, this Sunday was known as Gaudate, a Latin word which means rejoice. Gaudate Sunday got its name from the second reading for today, where Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice." When I was growing up, the color for Advent was not blue but purple, the color of repentance. Then all the candles on our Advent wreath were purple, except for the third one, which was rose colored - a symbol for the joy that peeked in on us during an Advent season of purple repentance.

I don't know how we ever lost that rose candle. I don't know why we ever gave up Gaudate. Joy seems so appropriate to this season of the year. With Christmas only ten days away, more and more people are saying, "Merry Christmas" to one another - or at least sharing the more politically correct generic greeting of "Happy Holidays." Joy and happiness are the hallmarks of this season everywhere, but we don't hear that much about joy at church.

Advent started out with Jesus warning us about the coming day of vengeance. Then for two weeks we get John the Baptist - hardly the prophet of joy, with his in-your-face call to repentance and his prediction that those who do not produce good fruit will be thrown into the fire. None of that really helps us get into the Christmas spirit. But, at least we still have the lesson from Philippians 4. The rose candle, like the purple ones, may have been replaced, but we still get to hear Paul encourage us to "rejoice in the Lord always."

But wait a minute! Rejoice in the Lord always? That seems a little overstated. Nobody can be happy all the time. Some days it is hard to get out of bed with joy. Some days you can get out of bed rejoicing only to have the joy knocked right out of your heart. Some days are so bad that you would feel like a fool to rejoice. Even at Christmas time it can be hard to rejoice always. What with all of the things that need to be done, with all of the tensions and expectations, it's hard to hold onto the joy. Then there are those who are not able to celebrate Christmas the way they want to because they are grieving the death of a loved one, or are separated from family members, or are facing a serious illness or financial difficulties. It's no wonder that December shows a marked increase in episodes of depression and has the highest rate of suicide.

And here comes Paul with his: Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. How can Paul say that? How can he expect that of us? It is not because Paul was some kind of a Pollyanna. Paul experienced life in all of its harshness. In 2 Corinthians, he gives us a litany of the hardships that he had to endure: scourged with a whip five times; beaten with rods three times; once he was stoned and left for dead; three times shipwrecked; once adrift at sea for a day and a night; in danger from strangers, enemies, and even his own people; he had been hungry and thirsty, cold and naked, and thrown into prison in almost every town he worked. In fact, he wrote these words while imprison. On top of that he had the daily pressure of concern for all of the church that were under his care.

And still he says, "Rejoice in the Lord always." Always - not some of the time, but all of the time. Not just when things are going well, but in every circumstance. How can anyone be that joyful?

Maybe it is because Paul knows that joy is not so much a feeling as it is an attitude - a perspective on life. Lionel Ketchian, the founder of the Happiness Club, tells about a friend named Jerry who gets up every morning and tells himself that he can choose to be happy or he can choose to be said. He chooses to be happy.

That sounds good, but it just doesn't work. Joy is not a choice that we make day to day. Joy is not something that you can produce for yourself by the power of positive thinking. Paul is no Pollyanna, but Paul is no Norman Vincent Peale, either. Paul knows that joy - true joy, enduring joy; the kind of joy that you can have at all times and in every circumstance - is possible only when you are in the Lord. Or to be a bit more precise, true joy is possible only when the Lord is in you.

So Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord always." Then he goes on to give us three keys, three steps to perpetual joy. These three keys, of course, are all predicated on our faith in Christ Jesus - after all, Paul is writing to people who are already believers. Once we have faith, once we know and trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then the first key is to remember that the Lord is near. This is the message of Advent. The Lord is near. That does not only mean that Christ is coming soon. It also means that he is near to us here and now.

Yes, Advent is about the Second Coming. Jesus has promised to come again at the end of time. That means that no matter what happens in our life here on earth, no matter what trials and tribulations, what pain and sorrow we must endure, Jesus is coming again and when he does he will make all things new. Now there is a reason to rejoice always. But there is more. Just because Jesus will come again does not mean that he is absent now. When he ascended, Jesus told his disciples, "Remember, I will be with you always, even until the end of the age." The Christ who will come again is already here. Our joy comes from knowing that we are not alone, we are not abandoned. No matter what we face in our life here on earth, the Lord is near. The Lord is at our side.

With the presence of Jesus here and now and the promise that he will come again at the end of time, there is nothing for us to worry about. And this is the second key to joy. Paul says "Don't worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Nothing saps our joy like fear. It is one of the great realities of life. In fact, doctors tell us that 90% of their chronic patients have one common symptom - fear. Fear of losing a job, fear of old age, fear of begin exposed, fear of illness or disease, fear of being attacked, fear of the unknown. In the face of all such phobias, Paul says, "Don't worry." Dismiss every anxiety and concern from your mind. How? By taking it to the Lord in prayer. Peter put it this way in his first epistle, "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you."

And when you do take it to the Lord in prayer, do so with thanksgiving. Here is the third key to joy: gratitude. The problem with our society today is that we have cultivated a culture of discontent. We Americans tend to look more at what we don't have than at what we do. We focus more on things than relationships because we think that things will make us happy. If you don't think that this is true, look at our young people. They have learned this lesson well.

Let me illustrate this with a story about Tommy. When Tommy came down stairs Christmas morning and looked at all the presents around the tree, he noticed something tucked behind the tree. It was the one thing that he had really wanted for Christmas - a new ten-speed mountain bike. He was so excited that he hardly paid any attention to the rest of his gifts.

That afternoon, Tommy rode his bike over to Jimmy's house to show him his new bike. He left home with a big grin on his face and a sparkle in his eyes. In less than half an hour, Tommy was back home again. The grin was gone and there was no more sparkle in his eyes. "What's the matter, Tommy?" his mother asked. With sad eyes, Tommy simply replied, "Jimmy got a 21 speed."

We need to learn how to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. When we stop looking at what we don't have, and start to focus on all that we do have, it is easy to pray with thanksgiving. So here is the deal. If you want to have real joy in your life, if you want to be able to rejoice always, then follow these three steps: Remember that the Lord is near. Don't worry about anything, but take it all to the Lord in prayer. And be thankful. Then the peace of God which passes all human understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.