Rejoice!
Advent 3B - 2011

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent; and you will notice that the candle for today in the Advent Wreath is pink instead of purple. That is because today is the Sunday of Joy. Advent is often referred to as a “mini-Lent” because it is a penitential season; a season of reflection, repentance, and preparation for the coming of Christ. Unlike regular Lent, however, there is a spirit of joy and anticipation that is part of our Advent observances. Each of the candles have a name – Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love – which capture this idea of anticipation. Today we celebrate Joy; but what is “Joy” and how do we have it in our lives?

People look for happiness in this life; and this is particularly true during this time of year. That is why we spend so much money on presents and decorations and preparations for Christmas. We are looking to be happy and perhaps make others happy as well. I like to be happy, as I’m sure you do; but happiness is not the same as joy. Happiness is an emotion, and is dependent upon circumstances and events at the moment.

If I win the lottery, I’m happy. If I break my arm, I not happy. If I eat a delicious meal, then I’m happy. If I get food poisoning from that meal, then I’m not happy. If I get what I was hoping for Christmas, then I’m happy; but if it doesn’t fit, or it breaks, then I’m not happy. Happiness, as an emotion, comes and goes based on based on the immediate, the circumstances that we all face in life – and usually, when good things happen to us, then we are happy. When bad things happen, then we are not happy.

The world is looking for happiness; and the entire economic system of the world – especially in America – is based on that pursuit of happiness. We want our children to be happy, so we give in to their crying and pestering, and we buy them things. This then creates a monster whereby we convince ourselves that we can buy happiness, and that we can make others happy by buying them things. We also then condition our kids to think that they can be happy because of things. It starts off innocently enough – a new doll, a new hat, a new pair of cowboy boots; but then it grows into demands for more and more…

Then, because we’ve conditioned ourselves and our kids, who then grow up with this idea that “things” can make them happy, we just go shopping when we’re depressed and unhappy. We think that all we need is a new pair of shoes, a new hat, a new shotgun, a new truck, a new cell phone, a new computer. We may not actually need any of these new things, but we convince ourselves that we DO need them. So, in order to chase away the blues, we just go shopping; and we do so even when we’ve no money with which to shop. Thank God for Credit Cards!!! Now we can be happy all the time… because instead of buying happiness, we can just CHARGE IT!

This dependence upon “things” to make us happy and keep us happy is called “consumerism” – and it is a cancer on the soul of mankind that is caustic and corrosive. It keeps us deluded and unable to deal with our reality. And it causes us to overspend and overextend ourselves, to the extent that today, we see the offspring of this – just look at how broke our economy is! And what is the solution that the Government keeps foisting upon us? Shop till you drop… it’s your patriotic duty, it will boost our economy, and it will make you feel better! You’ll be happy that you did!

This mindset of “happiness” and trying to buy it has at its root, a level of unthankful discontentment with nearly everything that we have, eat, and use.
This dissatisfaction and discontentment extends even to Christmas, and all that we buy, give and share. Just think about how many children will be crying and angry because they didn’t get what they wanted! Look at the level of depression that sets in after Christmas when the lights and trees are gone, and the bills for everything we bought start coming due. The cold, long, dark days of January come, and people are depressed. Suicide rates jump. Domestic violence increases. People are unhappy because the happiness they experienced on Christmas Day with all the new and wonderful things has passed; and what do we do? We go shopping again… and the stores are more than accommodating with after-Christmas sales, Martin Luther King Jr Sales, Presidents Day sales, Valentines Day sales, etc. etc. We are essentially a selfish, greedy, unthankful society that is not content with anything.

To me, the ultimate irony of this is the fact that Thanksgiving Day comes and goes without a whimper, all in anticipation of the first Official Christmas Shopping Day – called Black Friday. If indeed, we were content and thankful, then Black Friday would indeed be aptly named, because on Thanksgiving Day we would all sit around and see all the things we have, we would be grateful for them, and recognize – “Hey, we’re doing pretty well, and we don’t really need another thing!” So the stores and malls would be empty on the day after Thanksgiving, and it would be a bleak, black day for consumerism – because we as a people would have expressed our thanks to God for all that we have, and been content for it all.

That, my friends is the difference between Happiness and Joy. Joy is not an emotion, but rather is a state of mind, a state of existence that is not dependent upon things; nor does it rise and fall based on how we are feeling or what we are experiencing. Quite the contrary! One can be joyful even in the midst of difficult and trying circumstances. One can be joyful in the midst of poverty or plenty. One can be joyful in the midst of health or illness. One can be joyful whether one lives in a shack or a mansion. Joy, unlike happiness, is based on Contentment.
In the Second Lesson, the Apostle Paul gives us the prescription for joy, when he says, “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Joy can indeed be ours if we first recognize that God is God; and that all we could ever need comes to us by His almighty and gracious hand. If we embrace that as the foundation of our lives, then we indeed will “rejoice.” This word Rejoice is, in reality, another word for Praise. A life of praise to God, a life centered on worship, on adoration, on praise to God is a life of contentment and gratitude. One of my seminary professors used to always say, “Gentlemen, the cure for care is worship.” He said this to us because he knew that we would be leading worship, and that in leading that worship, we would unlock to secret to joy for those who worship with us. They would come to us burdened by the cares of the world, and we – through leading spirit-filled, truthful worship – could help folks discover the path to real joy… the “joy unspeakable, and full of glory” that Paul talks about.

Once we have made worship the centering force of our life, then we can do what Paul suggests next – “Pray without ceasing”. Prayer is the soul’s respiration. Our spirit inhales and exhales, is re-oxygenated, by prayer. Prayer and meditation are empowering; and just like breathing fresh air invigorates the body, so too prayer reinvigorates the soul. We sense God’s presence in our lives, and joy – not happiness – JOY fills our spirit. We are communing with the God who spoke the universe into existence… and HE is walking WITH us. So, no matter what circumstances may arise – poverty, wealth, illness, health, good times or bad, through prayer – unceasing prayer – we remain invigorated and empowered and full of Joy because God is dwelling in and through us.

Then… with worship and prayer filling our lives, we can indeed do what Paul says next – “In EVERYTHING give thanks!” Notice that Paul doesn’t say “FOR” EVERYTHING give thanks, but rather, “IN”.

It’s hard to be thankful for a broken arm; but we can be thanking IN that unhappy circumstance, because we know God is still with us, He will bring healing to us; and we can be thankful that at least we didn’t break BOTH arms… or both legs for that matter. It’s hard to be thankful for poverty… but we can be thankful IN our poverty because God is with us, we are rejoicing, we are worshiping, we can be grateful for all that we do have even if it is precious little. It’s hard to be thankful FOR cancer; but we can still be thankful IN that very unhappy condition. How? By our continuing worship and prayer, we unlock the Grace of God in our lives to help us cope and deal with it… whether for health or even if it means death. And even IN death, we can still be joyful… because we have the promise of the Resurrection and of Eternal Life.

Jesus came to us to give us life, abundant life. He came to make complete our joy. Some of the most joyful and full-of-life people I know and have ever met, are those who have the least of what this world insists we need in order to be happy. Paul writes these words in today’s lesson… not from a comfortable office in some college or church somewhere, but rather, while in a Roman Prison – deprived of all comforts and all company. Yet, he is, despite his circumstances, joyful… and is trying to teach others how they too can be joyful.

If you want to be happy, then I suppose you could go on over to the Mall and spend money you don’t have on things you don’t need in the headlong pursuit of Christmas happiness. You could buy all kinds of things that eventually will end up in a landfill somewhere. You could that, and be happy for few moments or even perhaps a few day.
But, if you want to experience real Christmas JOY, the JOY that Christ came to bring us… the JOY unspeakable and full of glory… then turn your attention from yourself and point it towards GOD. Turn on your praise and worship spirit, sing songs to God, read the psalms, and just tell God how great and wonderful he is and that you truly do LOVE him. Then, empower your spirit with prayer. Then, being invigorated in your spirit, be thankful and learn the lesson of contentment. When you do these things, then you unlock the secret of JOY.

And then, instead of spending money on Christmas, you may learn how to spend TIME with your family at Christmas. Instead of reaching out with hands of greed for more and more and more, reach out a hand of tolerance and understanding, and touch the lives of those close to you and those who may have forgotten how healing the touch of a hand can be. Instead of scrunching your face up grimacing over the prices, the traffic, the noise, let the JOY of Christ radiate through your smile and patient eyes, and share this true Christmas JOY with others who may desperately need it.

And when January comes, and world is depressed and discouraged, YOU will still be full of JOY… Joy unspeakable and full of glory. YOU will still be rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks… you will be content and have a peace of mind that could never be bought at the Mall or wrapped up under a Christmas tree.

BE JOYFUL this Christmas Season!

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.