Philippians 4: 4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
There are many adjectives and adverbs that come to mind when I think of Advent, but Rejoice is not one of them! I fear that is because I tend to confuse the secular Christmas Holiday season with the Church’s Advent. How can we rejoice when there are purchases to make, travel plans to schedule and budgets to be met? There are decorations, parties, cards and dinners to be enjoyed but……..Rejoice?
Paul’s advice to the Church in Philippi is as true today as it was then. We should Rejoice In the Lord! It is through this act of faith that we can begin the Advent season. Rejoice for the Lord is near is what Advent is all about. If we concentrate on this - then we will not be anxious about all the “noise” that the Holidays can bring.
My hope and prayer for each of us at Johnson Memorial is that this Advent season will be one where we can truly know God’s peace in our heart and when we do - then we will know Paul’s exhortation to REJOICE!
Prayer: Heavenly Father as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, may we stop to ponder the many blessings you have bestowed on us. The gift of grace and forgiveness is free and yet we struggle! Help us to open our minds and hearts to your word and then we can be open to true Rejoicing in the Lord! Amen
Marv Jones
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