Making Room For Joy

Philippians 4:4-7    

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Today we are celebrating the third Sunday of Advent (we will actually celebrate it again next week). 

Our Advent theme this year is: Is There Room at the Inn? 

We began by talking about making room for hope, last week I focused on making room for peace -- next week we will make room for the cantata, and then we will look at the fourth theme -- making room for love.

Of course we will then wrap it all up as we seek to make room for Jesus on Christmas Eve.

This morning we are going to talk about Making Room for Joy!

As Christmas draws closer --- Joy seems to be in the air.

          Christmas movies

          Christmas music

          Christmas cookies

          Christmas Parties

         

Each Advent my mind seems to be drawn to a strange song. 

For me this song is what Advent is all about. 

It is an obscure song composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim for the 1957 play West Side Story.

Anybody have any idea what song I am talking about?

I am not really sure why --- but playing this song is one of my requirements for the Advent season. 

Along with watching

          Charlie Brown Christmas

          It's A Wonderful Life

          Miracle on 34th Street

          and my girls require that I add The Muppets Christmas Carol

My favorite version of this song from West Side Story is actually from the band Utopia, and I bet you are familiar with the song but probably not that version.  The words go:

Could it be? yes it could.

Something's coming, something good,

If I can wait!

Something's coming, I don't know what it is

But it is

Gonna be great!

Christmas is just a little over two weeks away -- something's coming and it is gonna be great.

And I know it will --- because we will be celebrating with Miss Hattie Mae and the rest of our girls . . .

Joy feels natural this time of year

Our text this morning follows along with this theme.

Paul in his letter to the Philippians is calling on us to:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It’s easy to see why this is the text that churches read on this third Sunday of Advent.

Who doesn’t like to hear about joy this time of year?

As we light our candles, we can boldly proclaim our joy in

our words,

and in our prayers,

and in our songs.

Christmas is almost here, and we are joyful.

But, what about those times when joy feels hard to find?

What do we say then?

Six years ago I was busy preparing for the third Sunday of Advent. 

The theme was once again joy, but I was having a hard time wrapping my head around it.

One year earlier Nancy and I had left a car at St Luke's UMC as we picked up our daughters who came over from Bloomington and drove together to North Carolina to celebrate Nancy's dad's life.  Six months later we made the trip again, this time to bury her brother.

But something else happened six years ago --- the actual anniversary is on Friday.

20 students and 6 adults were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut

Over those next two days --- like most of the clergy I know ---- I went back and forth between the TV screen, and a blank computer screen

          How does one talk about JOY in the midst of such pain?

The church, I believe struggles with speaking to the realities of our world.

We love to talk about hope, peace, joy and love.

But when we confront the injustices in our world we struggle --- and the truth is many of you don't want to hear about it from the pulpit.

We want happy stories -- we want to sugar coat our lives and have God bless them.

But when we fail to deal with the hard realities of life --- What are we saying to the people who are caught in the midst of those painful realities?

If we don’t acknowledge the pain and suffering in the world, and instead just say “be joyful”, how can anyone ever feel welcome to tell us their stories?

How can one caught up in the pain of life feel welcome in the church?

How can they find peace when they are mourning?

How can they find hope when they are depressed?

How can they find joy when they have lost their job and are struggling to make ends meet?

To deny what is happening in our world is not a Christian response.

Jesus always confronted the realities of his day.

He didn't gloss over the pain, anger, injustice and just talk about happy things.

Instead, Jesus told us that we are to embrace the hurting.

          To bind their wounds

          To comfort the brokenhearted

          To bring peace and justice to those who suffer

Jesus called on us to tell the truth -- even when it hurts.

So while we are to make room for Joy this advent season, in order to do that we have to acknowledge the things that steal our joy from us.

Christmas can be hard --- and I want to acknowledge that.

But at the same time --- we as a church, we as followers of Jesus can't stop there.

Yes, we must acknowledge the brokenness of the world, but we also need to go one step further and proclaim that it doesn’t have to be that way.

There is another way.

There is a better way.

And it is in Advent that we point to that fact.

We point with hope to the future, and to the ways Christ is coming into this world.

Our passage from Philippians reminds us of that:

Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Scripture doesn’t promise us easy lives, or lives without pain.

But it does promise us that those things do not have the last word.

On this third Sunday of Advent we light a pink candle. 

If you are wondering why pink, you would be like most Christians.

Three of the Advent Candles are blue or purple which are the color of penitence.

They are also a royal color and signify the coming of the prince of peace.

The third Sunday of Advent is also known as “Gaudette Sunday” which means “rejoice”.

Pink is the in-between color of purple and white.

We light the pink candle because just as the white mixes with the purple and transforms it and makes it pink --- we are waiting for Christ’s light to break into our world and bring the joy that feels so elusive.

We stand here in the real world, at the junction of where pain and hope meet, and we look for something better.

          We long for joy.

And we say, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”,

Come God, and be with us.

And we do something more.

We proclaim --- just by being here ---- what real joy means.

We testify that the joy that comes with Christ never really ends.

It’s there in the best of times, but it’s also there when times are hard.

It tells us that we can be a joyful person but at the same time still cry alongside the world when it is hurting.

Being joyful means you know that the pain in the world isn’t the way it is supposed to be.

Being joyful means that you know that there is a better way.

As we gather together in 15 days on Christmas Eve, we will turn out the lights to acknowledge the hurt and pain in our world. 

          To --- in a way --- experience the darkness that so many feel

But we will also be reminded of what the Gospel of John tells us:

          “The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Jesus is the Light of the World

          Nothing can extinguish it!

Remember what Paul wrote in Romans:

If God is for us, who is against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angles, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If that light cannot be extinguished, neither can that joy.

We gather here today because somewhere deep inside of us we believe that to be true.

We believe that Jesus is the Light of the World and that the light will always overcome the darkness.

We believe . . .

Our responsibility as followers of Jesus is to spread that light – to share that joy!

Joy is different than just a feeling.

Joy is a way of living as people following the light of Jesus into the world.

Listen carefully ---

Claiming joy is an act of faith,

Living with that joy is a revolutionary act --- especially when we share it with the world that is in desperate need of it.

God’s gift of joy is there for us --- and we are invited to claim it --- not just in the good times, but especially in the bad.

And so, and as we watch and wait this Advent, make room for Joy.

Let the light of Jesus fill your lives and experience the joy it brings.

Live as a people who believe that this joy, and the child who brings it, can change the world.

If you do that, you will have plenty of room at your Inn, for you are halfway to Christmas.  Amen.         

Making Room for Peace

Making Room for Peace

Luke 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

    make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled,

    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

    and the rough ways made smooth;

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

November 11^th has many different meanings to different people.

November 11^th, 1918 marked the end of World War I, the war to end all wars.  At 11:00 am, on the 11^th day of the 11^th month (Paris time) an armistice was signed

At 5am that morning, members of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) went over the top and sustained 3,500 casualties.

Battery 4 of the US Navy's long-range 14-inch railway guns fired its last shot at 10:57:30 am from the Verdun area, timed to land far behind the German front line just before the scheduled Armistice began.

Henry Gunther, an American, is generally recognized as the last soldier killed in action in World War I. He was killed 60 seconds before the armistice came into force while charging astonished German troops who were aware the Armistice was nearly upon them.

November 11^th, 1919 Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that it should become a day of remembrance, but it wasn’t until 1938 that it was made a legal holiday

In 1954, after ten years of wrangling, Armistice Day was changed to Veteran’s Day to honor “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace”.

Since the end of the war to end all wars there has virtually not been a day when conflict isn’t taking place somewhere in our world.

The late historian Eric Hobsbawm claims that 187 million have died in conflicts the last 100 years.

Why am I telling you this?

Because this morning we are looking at the concept of peace and its relationship to advent.

And I want to make this bold claim --- We cannot make room for Advent unless we follow the path of peace. 

But peace is more than the absence of conflict.

While November 11^th stirs many patriotic emotions in each of us (which it was not created to do). 

November 11^th means something more to me --- something that kept me from finding peace for years.

November 11^th, 1985 was the day 23-year-old Stewart Wesley Conger died from cancer.

And the peace that I sought after that day is certainly not the same kind of peace that was sought on November 11, 1918. 

          But it was peace never the less

We cannot make room for Advent unless we follow the path of peace. 

I believe that there are primarily three types of peace that we strive for

·         Inner peace

·         Peace between people

·         Peace between nations or groups

I am not really going to spend time this morning talking about the second two kinds of peace (peace with others, peace between nations or groups) because I am convinced that until we find peace in our own hearts --- we cannot make peace with others.

One of the things that I love about preaching on topics like this is I get to do all kinds of research and find out all kinds of wonderful tips --- now if I could just stop preaching about them and start living them.

Psychologist Robert Puff, in an article on “How to Find Inner Peace” in Psychology Today claims that he has a simple solution that will bring almost immediate relief and not cost a penny. 

He says the solution is only three words long, but most people ignore his advice.

And what does he suggest?  BE IN NATURE.

He writes:

By nature, I’m referring to an environment that fosters stillness and silence. This doesn’t necessarily mean a national park or a rural location far from city life. In fact, in the midst of nearly every busy city, where you’re surrounded by buildings, people, and urban gridlock, you can still stand outside, look at the sky, listen to the birds, hear the wind blow, watch trees sway, and observe a sunrise or sunset. In other words, nature is accessible to all of us. Nature can even be something we bring indoors. Potted plants and flowers are simple and wonderful ways to bring the outdoors into our homes and workspaces. When we’re feeling anxious, having plants and flowers nearby encourage calmness.

This is the quiet place free from mental noise that fills our minds throughout the day.

What he really is wanting us to find is quietness --- stillness in our lives.

 

When we quiet ourselves we can begin to allow peace to overflow in us.

In many ways I agree with him --- finding time in nature is wonderful.

When I want to get away from everything and become filled with quietness the best place I have found is a cruise ship. 

It is one of those places where no decisions are required --- you are disconnected from the day to day rat race. 

I find a cruise the most relaxing vacation I have ever taken because I can slow down in a way that I normally can’t do

One of the greatest examples I have ever seen of inner peace is found in the Atticus Finch character in To Kill A Mockingbird.

There's a scene in which Atticus, the small town attorney defending a falsely accused black man, encounters Bob Ewell, the low-life white farmer who is the accuser.

A drunk Ewell calls Atticus a stream of filthy names and then spits in his face.

In the movie, this scene is played beautifully by Gregory Peck.

With spittle covering his glasses, he doesn't say a word but reaches for something in his pocket while staring at Bob Ewell.

Ewell flinches thinking Atticus is going to hit him, but instead Atticus pulls out a handkerchief and calmly wipes his face and glasses, then walks away.

Not many people could maintain that state of equanimity in such a situation.

Finding inner peace is more about being than doing.

It's about leaning toward rather than struggling against.

It's about being fully present and focused on the task at hand.

The rewards of finding peace are numerous.

They include mental and physical health and well-being, self-confidence, better relationships, and a more intense and joyful experience of life.

If we want to experience inner peace --- there are a few things we can practice in order to get better at it. 

These come from life coach Barrie Davenport.

1.        Have nothing unresolved

Don’t leave the unresolved, unresolved --- seek help if necessary to put away those things that sap your energy and steal peace from your life

2.        Surrender and accept what is

We need to let go

3.        Take full responsibility for how you react to others

Know that you get to choose how you react to others. 

Decide who you want to be in all circumstances

4.        Become aware of and sensitive to feeling rather than ignoring them

Not only others feelings --- but your own as well!

Figure out what is behind the feelings you have

5.        Tell the entire truth

It is amazing how good we are at lying to ourselves and others --- if we want peace we must quit lying

6.        Know your higher self

Distinguish between your self versus your mind, ego, needs or past experience.

Take the time to understand who you really are.

What are your values, your goals, your joys and passions, your integrity?

Those are what define you and make you authentic.

7.        Unhinge from adrenaline

Slow down and let go — or risk losing your health, your relationships, and your peace of mind because of our adrenaline addiction

8.        Know what rattles your cage

Keep asking yourself, “Why do I feel this way?” until you know the real answer.

Then deal with the answer directly.

9.        Step over nothing, even the small stuff

Don’t ignore the small stuff

You may not be able to change everything, but awareness and the ability to manage tolerations in a healthy way can bring you peace.

10.     Prioritize peace ahead of performance

Most people live 28,500 days --- prioritize the days you have left to live.

I think there is some great advice there --- but I would change the order and urgency of some of them.

As a follower of Jesus, the number one thing that the scripture tells us we must do (must achieve) if we want peace in our lives is SURRENDER.

And that is the problem in a nutshell

I want to be in control

I want to choose which scripture to follow

I want to choose who I love and who I don’t

I want to decide who my neighbor is

I want to decide how I spend my money

But God says that PEACE – the peace that passes all understanding --- only comes from putting our full trust in God.

Every Sunday, as a part of our worship service, we pray: THY WILL BE DONE --- but do we really mean it?

Or do we say --- Thy Will Be Done --- but only after I explain why my way is better.

Dwight L. Moody said

“Spread out your petition before God, and then say, ‘Thy will be done.’ The sweetest lesson I have learned in God's school is to let the Lord choose for me.”

Until we realize that we don’t steer the ship --- that we are not in control --- peace will always escape us.

Christian Author J. Oswald Sanders has defined peace as, “not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.”

Peace isn’t a “thing” that can materialize all at once, out of nothing, just because people get tired of strife and violence.

Peace — whether international peace or simply good and open relationships in the home, or with people we deal with daily — this peace is a process that takes place over time, as we learn to lay aside our self-centeredness and obey God.

Peace comes to us when the Prince of Peace comes to us.

Paul said Jesus “is our peace.”

During this Advent season we prepare to receive Jesus afresh into our troubled world, into our church, into our families, into our own hearts.

But the Prince of Peace is here now.

There is peace in our midst, for Jesus is here

·         here in the proclamation of his word;

·         here in our sharing of his gifts, the loaf and the cup;

·         here in the loving touch of those who know him.

Jesus who is our peace is in our midst.

Therefore, as we prepare to gather around the table we remember when Jesus said:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  John 14:27

Make room for Peace this Advent

Let us pray:

Soften my heart Lord as I seek to surrender and admit: I can’t control people, plans, or even all my circumstances, but I can yield those things to you, and focus on your goodness. Thank you today for every good gift you’ve given, every blessing you’ve sent, all the forgiveness I did not deserve, and, yes, for being with me in every moment of life. Teach me to let go and believe you. I know that when I pray and give thanks instead of worrying, you have promised that I can experience the kind of peace that passes all understanding. That’s your kind of peace, Lord. And it’s the kind I crave.  Teach me to surrender.  Amen.

There is a wonderful Peanuts comic strip, in it Charlie Brown and his little sister Sally are talking.

Sally proclaims that she has inner peace, but is really restless.

She starts ranting and raving about someone she doesn’t like.

“I thought you had inner peace,” says Charlie Brown.

“I do,” says Sally, “but I still have outer obnoxiousness.”