DEC 13, 2009  SERMON ARCHIVE

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

It is based on the Epistle reading from Philippians, chapter 4.

St. Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

 I would like to begin this morniong by drawing your attention to the Advent wreath over here to my right. Advent wreaths have been a part of the tradition of the Christian church for hundreds of years. The lighting of candles, especially on such a wreath, symbolized the age before the coming of Jesus Christ, when the light of prophecy concerning the Messiah became brighter and brighter until He Himself came and said: "I am the light of the world."  

As each Advent candle is lit, we are mindful that the Light of the world, who has already come in such humility, will indeed come again in glory.

You no doubt have noticed that the third candle, the candle for this particular Sunday is rose or pink in color, distinguishing it from the candles for the other three Sunday's in Advent.

The 3rd Sunday in Advent is referred to as Gaudete Sunday, the "Sunday of Rejoicing." It signifies the fact that the faithful of God have made it to the midpoint of Advent as they anticipate once again the coming of the Christ into the world. This particular Sunday is a bit of an oasis of joy in the midst of the otherwise somber and penitent season of Advent. Certainly the readings for this particular Sunday of the church year pick up very well the theme and the importance of rejoicing in the lives of God's people.

Zephaniah begins "Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart."

Likewise, St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Philippians exhorts the faithful to "rejoice in the Lord always." Paul even emphasizes the theme of rejoicing, when he repeats the exhortation. "Again, I will say, rejoice!" Having exhorted us to rejoice in the Lord, Paul picks up the subject of prayer, very appropriately linking together prayer and the call on the faithful to rejoice in the Lord who is at hand.

He draws us into the message, first, by exhorting us to put away anxiety from our hearts. Secondly, he draws our attention by assuring us that God's peace will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

How often have you wished that God's Word would be a fix all for the anxiety that so often plagues you, that you could at all times and in all places know the serenity of a completely peace filled heart.

Dear friends, while God's word, as we have it here in Philippians 4, is not a one time fix for our restless hearts, It is, nonetheless, a source of hope for the faithful, that though anxiety may yet be with you, sinful creatures that you are, God has given you the tools, if you will, to live with and even above the anxiety that would rob you of your joy.

Actually, anxiety, as it is used here in Scripture, is really more what we would normally call worry. I think it is good here for us to understand the word in that sense, because while anxiety, the churning of the stomach and the nervous twitches, can often seem quite involuntary to us, worry, on the other hand, is very much a conscience process, or a choice.

As parents, for instance, do you worry about your children? The truth is, that in part, that worry reveals the love, the bond, that God has put between parent and child. But, that worry also reveals a lack of trust in the goodness and mercy of God.

Think about it, dear friends. Do you often worry about a host of things in your life - your health, your finances, success, failure? Do you, for example, know for certain that you are people of the cross, do you confess that God has redeemed you, having made you his own through a bloody and gruesome sacrifice, confessing that you too shall take up the cross and follow after him. But, then do you fail to take up the cross in your lives, do you fail to find the holy purpose in that which you, and your loved ones, are called upon to bear.

You see, worry is, in one sense, a quest for glory on this side of your heavenly home. It is a sin of which we all must all repent before our God - perhaps daily, perhaps hourly.

And that is very important, dear friends. Because what you find, is, that as you repent, the word of absolution, the word of forgiveness will beckon you back to the Word wherein you will ultimately find that peace of Christ that passes all under standing.

In the context of Philippians 4, the whole issue comes back to prayer, to letting your requests be known. First, Paul says, let your requests be known in every circumstance. You see, part of worry stems from the belief that there are some things in life which are of no concern to God - that there are some things too trivial or too insignificant to pray about.

St. Paul though, says, "...let your requests be known in every circumstance." Dear friends, the cross of Jesus is so all encompassing that it redeems every part of your life. That God would take on human flesh to enter your world is the sign to you that every aspect of your life is significant and important to God. Nothing that enters your life then is too trivial, or too unimportant, or, I should say, too shameful to take before God's throne of grace.

So, let your requests be known in every circumstance.

Secondly, Paul says, let your requests be known in general and particular prayers. Again, "in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be known." There is distinction between prayer and supplication. Prayer, at least as it is used here, is a more general term, whereas supplications are the specific petitions and requests that you would take to God in prayer.

For instance, you might pray often for strength of faith, or for trust, but you might petition God specifically for strength to face an illness or for trust to know that even in that illness His will is good and right and perfect. Prayer is, as Scripture says, a ceaseless conversation with God. At times those prayers become very specific though, very pointed, as you rejoice over a special blessing or as you cry out for help in a particular time of need.

But know this for certain. All of those prayers God hears, and answers. He has visited you in the person of His Son. As Zephaniah says, "do not fear.the Lord your God in your midst, the mighty One will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love." So, God calls on you to let your requests be known in every circumstance, in general and in particular prayers.

And thirdly, He says, "...let your requests be known with thanksgiving." Now, I don't believe it would be possible to overemphasize the importance of thanksgiving, not only in battling worry and anxiety in your life, but also in living in the joy that God has appointed you for. For instance, what would happen to worry if you began to thank God for it? Worry would be absorbed into thankfulness if you would say "...thank you Lord for what my worry reveals, that it reveals my sin and my need for your grace and forgiveness."

"Thank you that it redirects my life, that it drives me into your word, that it makes my pilgrimage to your altar, not only a cleansing joy, but an encounter with you that I cannot forsake. Thank you that my worry reveals my lack of power over my own life, that I might look unto you, for you truly hold the field forever." By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known.

And finally, and this may seem like a given, but "...let your requests be known to God." I know that the word "god" can be used in a lot of different ways. In this pluralistic, that is multi-religious age in which we live, we are bombarded with talk about the God of Islam, the God of Judaism, the God of the east and the God of the west, and so forth.

But, you, my friends, are children of the living God, the only true God, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and Last. Let your requests be known to this One who has broken into time and space, who has visited you with forgiveness and salvation and who has taken you up in His arms to lead you through this vale of tears.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!.. The Lord is at hand."

Advent is coming to a close and the light of the Advent, as it grows ever brighter, points you to the One who comes to brighten, indeed, to the One who overcomes the darkness that engulfs the world. And yes, His light will shine too on the dark nights of your worry and anxiety, for He has come that you might have peace. He has come that you might rejoice in Him always.

"With voices united our praises we offer And gladly our songs of thanksgiving we raise. With you, Lord, beside us, your strong arm will guide us. To you, our great Redeemer, forever be praise!"

Dear friends, Christ Is Risen!

In Jesus' name. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.