{"id":3752,"date":"2024-12-15T13:26:55","date_gmt":"2024-12-15T21:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/?p=3752"},"modified":"2024-12-18T11:30:11","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T19:30:11","slug":"3-joy-philippians-44-9-series-advents-gifts-december-15th-2024-3rd-sunday-in-advent-hope-lutheran-church-rev-lucas-andre-albrecht","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/3-joy-philippians-44-9-series-advents-gifts-december-15th-2024-3rd-sunday-in-advent-hope-lutheran-church-rev-lucas-andre-albrecht\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201c3 \u2013 JOY\u201d, Philippians 4:4-9 \/Series: \u201cAdvent\u2019s Gifts\u201d \/ December 15th, 2024 \/ 3rd Sunday in Advent \/ Hope Lutheran Church, Rev. Lucas Andre Albrecht"},"content":{"rendered":"

Text: Philippians 4:4-9
\nTheme: 3 – Joy
\n<\/strong>Sermon series: \u201cAdvent\u2019s Gifts\u201d
\n<\/em>_______________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction:<\/strong> Iron is an essential ingredient in our bodies that keeps us going; without it, we risk developing anemia. This vital metal forms a key part of our blood cells, along with protein and other elements. A lack of iron leads to anemia, a condition where our bodies struggle due to insufficient oxygen transportation. Some excellent sources of dietary iron include beef, eggs, and broccoli. By incorporating these into your meals, you can help prevent anemia and maintain your strength and health.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another side to this story\u2014some people face the opposite problem. Instead of lacking iron, their bodies accumulate too much of it. This condition occurs when excess iron builds up due to diet or other factors. When this happens, the liver, the organ responsible for processing and distributing iron, becomes overwhelmed. It starts depositing the surplus iron in various parts of the body, such as the kidneys, heart, or pancreas, which can lead to serious health issues.<\/p>\n

I experienced this firsthand when a routine blood test showed my iron levels were “above upper panic level.” It was alarming to see such a result. Later, I learned my iron levels were around 500, which is concerning but manageable compared. This taught me the importance of balance. Through dietary changes and actions like donating blood, I was able to address the issue.<\/p>\n

Why am I talking about iron and its excess in the body? Because this can be a good illustration to explain what happens during this time of year.<\/p>\n

Throughout the year, people typically maintain a balance of joys and sorrows. There are highs and lows, victories and struggles, but it usually evens out. But when Christmas approaches \u2013 or, lately, even well before that \u2013 they begin to receive excessive doses of ‘iron.’, that is, calls for happiness. Then, they might be led to believe they must desperately be happy, cheerful, at peace, joyful, buy presents, give presents, receive presents, wish for presents, get presents, shop, spend, visit, contact, socialize… the liver, I mean, the heart and the mind have a lot to handle. It\u2019s as if we\u2019re expected to overload ourselves with happiness. The result is that they start distributing this ‘extra energy’ in the most disorganized and frantic way possible. And the outcomes are often frustrating, or even dangerous.<\/p>\n

Just like with excess iron, this forced happiness can overwhelm us. It can strain our mental and spiritual health, leading to stress and even burnout. Just because an old man with a white beard insists that we should smile from October to December 24 \u2013 because we know that after the 25th, few still hold on to the peace, joy, hope, and happiness of Christmas \u2013 doesn\u2019t mean we have to consume this demand recklessly. Excess can destroy our faith, joy, and conscience.<\/p>\n

On top of all of that, when you come to church, you hear words like we heard in the epistle today, “Rejoice always!” You might think, \u201cOh no, even here the expectation is be relentlessly joyful?\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the joy Paul speaks of in Philippians 4 is different. Chair\u014d<\/strong>(Rejoice)<\/em> encapsulates a deep, enduring joy rooted in Christ, independent of external circumstances<\/em><\/strong>. It\u2019s not a fleeting emotion, but a profound, enduring joy rooted in Christ. This joy transcends our external circumstances because it is anchored in the hope and peace Christ gives. It is not about feeling happy all the time<\/em>; it\u2019s about having a secure foundation. It\u2019s the assurance that comes from knowing Christ.<\/p>\n

Happiness and Joy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here I want to make a distinction between happiness and joy. Because you can be happy or sad in your life, these feelings come and go. But joy is something more profound. I have a picture here to illustrate how the pursuit of happiness goes in life. Try to fix your eyes in one of the curved lines in this picture, see if it works for you.<\/p>\n

Can you? Probably not. Every time you fix in the curved line, it is over here; then you try to look at it and it’s over here and to look here it’s over here. An optical illusion is going on here.<\/p>\n

I thought this is a great illustration for trying to pursue happiness in your life. If you’re trying to pursue it, that’s likely where you’ll get \u2013 you never arrive there. Like in the picture, every time you try to fix your eyes on happiness, it escapes you.<\/p>\n

What Paul talks in Philippians 4, it’s a word that we can translate by rejoice, that talks about a deep and enduring joy. It withstands even external circumstances. It’s something that Christ brings into our heart and here we can connect the other sermons of the series. \u00a0We we talked about Hope (1st Sunday in Advent) as the assurance you will receive what you expect for<\/em>; Then, Peace(2nd Sunday in Advent): as knowing that Somebody is carrying the burden for you<\/em>. That ties into Joy: \u201cI have hope, I have peace in Christ, therefore deep down in my heart – not in my liver – I have this assurance which is more than just a passive feeling and goes beyond mere emotion.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

You\u2019re not expected to feel<\/em> happy all the time, but as a Christian, you can have<\/strong> joy. This joy was gifted to you in your Baptism and through your faith. No one can take it from you. It remains with you in every season, even during difficulties like grief, loss, or disappointment. You know that nobody can ever take it out of your hands. You\u00a0have joy inside your heart<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Now, you may be thinking, \u201cwell pastor, that’s easy for Paul to say that, you know he lived in the Bible times, when everybody was happy back, right? They had Jesus, they didn’t have to live in the 21st century with all the problems we have.\u201d I could describe to you but I’ll show it to you Here\u2019s a 30s video illustrating the place where Paul is writing us to be joyful and not be anxious and trust the Lord and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. (Shows video)<\/p>\n

\u201cEven for the time, one of the worst places in the world,\u201d a first century prison. Not the ones with cable TV, air conditioning, sunshine time, even though it\u2019s already bad enough when anybody is locked down. But think about first century and Paul is there in those harsh conditions and he is writing, rejoice in the Lord<\/em><\/strong>. Rejoice in him<\/strong>, don’t be anxious about anything, put everything in the Lord’s hands because he has care for you. Rejoicing is more than fleeting happiness or sadness or any other emotion. They may come, we are all made up of emotions, but when we want to resort to joy we go back to Christ. We go back to the one who gave his own life on the cross for us, who came on a manger to become the King of Kings.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Relationship<\/strong><\/p>\n

As we live in joy we have to remember this. Paul is not just saying rejoice, that will be again fleeting. He says rejoice in the Lord<\/strong>. How do you get to rejoice in Jesus? Getting to know him. Relationship<\/strong>. I know you will say, \u201cI know him pastor, I was baptized, I’m a lifelong Christian\u201d. But we are never short of things, new things to learn about Jesus. And even though it’s important to be in the house of the Lord for an hour, can you think about any meaningful relationship in your life that you want to deepen, that you were touch base with the person only once in a while?<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s call to “rejoice in the Lord” is an invitation to deepen your relationship with Jesus. Just as meaningful relationships in our lives require daily engagement, so does our relationship with Christ. Spending time in His Word, receiving His body and blood in the sacrament, and sharing faith with others. Relationships demand engagement, daily engagement, constant engagement.<\/p>\n

This is how we foster relationship with the one who is bringing joy; and not just for Christmas. It starts here, \u00a0Jesus is born. But it goes into January, into Lent, into Easter, into the rest of the year. The joy that he brings is not meant to overload you, to overcharge you so that you get frantic, \u201cabove upper panic level\u201d on what to do with it. He wants you to be close to him so that as you get to know him, this hope and peace that transforms into joy will be present in your life. So that instead of trying to look there with your fixed eyes, trying to find joy, you look to Him. He is a fixed source of joy for you. Every time you look to Christ, you see his face, you see his word, you see his sacraments, you see the one that he’s there for you. [2]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

In the end, if the difference between being happy and being joyful is not always clear in daily life, try this exercise. Think about filling this sentence, \u201cI’ll be happy when….\u201d Perhaps, \u201cwhen I graduate, when I have my kids, when I get married or when I do this or when I do that.\u201d Now here\u2019s a question for you: what if that one thing doesn’t happen? I’m not wishing that for you, but there’s chances in life that something that I wish for doesn’t come true. Does that mean that you won’t have happiness and joy, you can’t be a joyful person? Of course not.<\/p>\n

Now, instead of thinking, “I\u2019ll be happy when\u2026” and attaching your happiness to uncertain future events, try this one: “I have<\/strong> joy because<\/em>\u2026” and list the blessings Christ has already placed in your life. Joy in Christ is not about what we lack or wish for; it\u2019s about what we already have in Him. This is the joy that sustains us through all seasons, not just Christmas, and gives us the strength to face whatever comes our way.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cc \u2013<\/strong> Want to fix your eyes in joy? (Picture of Jesus) Fix your eyes in him. Then whether in a 1st<\/sup> century prison cell, in a turmoil world, in the presence of God and your Christian family, whether\u2026wherever! Joy fills your heart and your life. In His presence there\u2019s fullness of joy.<\/p>\n

Against the Christmas overdose of \u2018iron\u2019 \u2013 which hides a troubling anemia \u2013 we can treat our heart as it deserves: by living Christmas in faith in the One who is Christmas \u2013 Jesus Christ. A proper dose of balance and peace.<\/p>\n

_________________________<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> In the prison with Paul, in Port Coquitlam, or the Tri-Cities area or whatever you come from, everywhere you go you have somebody that when you look to him, you know that he is there with you, taking care of your heart with a proper dosage of joys and carrying you through the sorrows or the griefs you have in your life. This is how you can have as a Christian joy even in the most difficult times when you lose somebody, when you are grieving, when you are going through separations or to some distress in your life. You may not be happy, but you look to him and you see a secure source of what you need.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> T<\/strong>he world has its offers about our relationship with happiness and joy. \u00a0I\u2019ve got this sample from a short video online. There\u2019s some truth in what the speaker says, but it needs a deeper, more solid, consistent and constant application of this to our life if we acknowledged that this is a poorer, simplified and existentialistic version of what the Bible teaches us in a profound secure and eternal way.
\n1 \u2013 \u201cYou have to stop regretting the past, there\u2019s nothing you can do about it, you can learn from it\u201d \u2013 What about the persistent feeling of guilt, should I explain it away, call it just learning?\u00a0 The Bible has a deeper solution for it: forgiveness + learning from the People of God and God\u2019s promises \u201cThis is he of whom it is written, \u201c\u2018Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.\u201d.
\n2 \u2013 \u201cStop worrying about the future. 85% of things you worry about never happen. That\u2019s a waste of your energy and time\u201d. What about the realization that your future is in the hands of people that are imperfect sinners just like yourself, how much comfort does that bring? The Bible again has a deeper, permanent offering \u2013 \u201c”Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; Trust in God\u2019s providence.
\nChristians walk confidently into the future because 1) it comes one day at a time and 2) It comes with God\u2019s presence every day. And by the way, if psychologists say 85% or the things in the future never happens \u2013 we know it, and the reason why we trust is because the other 15% we know for sure will come: Christ presence, Christ\u2019s redemption, the last Day, and life everlasting.
\n3 \u2013 \u201cStop looking for your happiness in other people. Happiness is an inside job\u201d \u2013. Think about all the times when the inside is so messy, confused, sad or resented that no job can be done properly.
\nChristian joy isn\u2019t about chasing happiness like an optical illusion, always out of reach. Instead, it\u2019s about fixing our eyes on Christ\u2014the unchanging source of hope, peace, and joy. The Word has a deeper offer here. Joy must first come from outside. From heaven. From a manger. From a Cross and an empty tomb. It comes from the one who is the root of our joy. Through the action of the Holy Spirit, the joy of the Lord becomes our strength. Christ places salvation through faith in our heart, and then he works it from within. \u201cAnd the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.\u201d.<\/p>\n

***********************<\/p>\n

More resources<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFortune<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 – Psalm 85 and Zephaniah talk about \u201crestoring our fortune\u201d. God restores joys and blessings to his people. How? Here\u2019s a thought that doesn\u2019t occur to that human mentality: through repentance. God is constantly calling us to turn away from our sin and to be back in his presence.<\/p>\n

Joy is restored through repentance and faith. How about that one? One would think that joy comes from excitement, from peace of mind, from doing the right things, from receiving compliments from\u2026 In both passages, the term points to God’s redemptive work in transforming suffering and judgment into renewal and blessing, demonstrating His covenant faithfulness. Joy is a fruit of the fact that
\n1)you don\u2019t need to earn your salvation
\n2) you can live a life with God
\n3) you will live forever with Him<\/p>\n

Happiness as defined by the world<\/u><\/p>\n

Let me give you some examples of how the world might tempt you to pursue happiness:<\/p>\n