ADVENT WEEK THREE: JOY
December 15 Rev. Jenny Wynn
Joy in Hard Times
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4
During seminary I attended a women’s retreat. The organizers invited us to
pick a rock inscribed with a word. When I drew my rock, I was not pleased: my
word was happy. I quietly traded it in, only to find my new word was cheerful.
No better. Weeks later, in my Theological Reflection Group, our leader gave
everyone a rock with a word. I looked down. Mine read: joy. Really?
Why would the words happy, cheerful, and joy bother anyone?
Many people struggle to hold on to joy during Advent. It’s hard to rejoice in
a consumer culture that insists the perfect holiday can be bought when you
struggle from day to day to make ends meet. It’s hard to hold onto joy when
headlines are filled with violence and war.
In the confines of a prison, Paul offers insight on holding onto joy despite what
is going on in the world around us. Paul writes to the church in Philippi: “Re-
joice in the Lord always” (v. 4). How could Paul rejoice in prison?
Paul refused to give his captors power over his joy. His joy was not rooted in
circumstance or external factors, but in faith and a living, ongoing relationship
with God and with the faith community. Paul’s joy was a joy that endured and
sustained even in the hardest seasons.
How can a joy, grounded in faith, sustain you in this season?
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