Our texts open with the exhortation, “Rejoice and exult with all your heart…” Ah if only it were that simple. Our hearts often cannot obey that demand. Even when we think and focus on what there is to rejoice about, our hearts can remain heavy with sorrow…
Our text does give us positive thoughts to dwell on… “The LORD has taken away the judgments against you.” Which I believe and yet I have to ask have I taken away judgments from myself? Who is hanging on to those self-judgments? Not God. Not God.
“He will renew you in his love.” How true, how true. I have been almost completely renewed. Almost everything has been transformed. I’ve seen in countless others spiritual transformations that most people would consider impossible – even those who were themselves transformed.
A positive attitude does make a lot of difference in how one walks in the world, in how one experiences the world. But bad things happen to good people, and to people who have a positive outlook. Some of the scriptural promises seem naïve to me.
“God has turned away your enemies. You shall fear disaster no more.” The world is not a safe place. Justice often doesn’t – maybe even usually doesn’t – reign. Our faith that does not promise that all will work out in the end – that is until the eschatological end – the end of time. A lot of predictions and promises were made about the end times; promises with specifics that don’t really hold up to much scrutiny. What Paul heard in the third heaven is inexpressible. For now, we see through a mirror darkly… But we do have faith in the promise that there is something more, something beyond all this.
Until then, our faith actually promises trials and persecutions. Peter speaks to this in one of his letters: “…you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
Tested by fire… I think of this when John says, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Some of the ways John speaks of Christ in today’s Gospel betrays the cultural expectations of the messiah. He comes off as a fire and brimstone preacher. Yes, Christ will be our judge, but Jesus’ ministry was one of compassion and forgiveness. Later on John questioned this ministry by sending two of his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"
But in listening to John, it got interesting and compelling to hear of one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire. I want to know that Baptist! Trials by fire are often the only way to reach us. I personally know many people who never had faith until the fires of this world forced them to reach out to something greater than themselves. Miracles followed, and there’s much to rejoice about in that.
A curious turn of phrase follows Paul’s exhortation to rejoice this Sunday. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone.” I tend to think of rejoicing as loud and boisterous. Gentleness I think of as more quiet. A quiet and tempered rejoicing may be indicated here - a filling up of our hearts not with exuberant happiness, but with compassion and kindness; with peace.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In our results oriented culture, we think of fruits in measurable ways. How many hungry did you feed? How many thirsty did you water? How man strangers did you welcome? How many naked did you clothe? How many sick did you care for? How many prisoners did you visit? What’s your tally? Jesus reminds us, though, that it’s not a numbers game, “the poor you will always have with you.” You can feed 5000 and there will always be more to feed.
Peace does not come from everything working out, from solving all the problems of this world. Peace comes from surrender, from giving up control. We are not in charge of the results of our efforts. We follow our hearts, act in faith, and seek to know Christ better. The rest is not up to us.
In other words, this is not about being a “good person.” This is not about legalism. This is not about buying your way into heaven with good deeds. You can do all the charity in the world there is to do, but without love it is NOTHING!
Jesus calls us to something much harder than doing good deeds. Jesus is calling us to change our hearts. To allow ourselves to be loved and to love God and all others in return.
St. John of the Cross, after quoting Paul who said “I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” St. John of the Cross said that the gate to those riches is the cross; many desire the consoling joy to which the cross leads, but few desire the cross itself.
I don’t know about you, but I prefer my cross to have a corpus on it. It reminds me that Jesus knows suffering; knows our suffering first hand. Christ did not just suffer for us, he suffered with us. God is in solidarity with us on the cross. Even experiencing our own doubts, knowing what it’s like for us to feel abandoned by God.
And yet in that sense of abandonment, Jesus began praying. Paul instructs us; “…but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” This said by a man who was told by God that God would not remove the proverbial thorn in his side, a thing he begged God to lift from him. But that does not mean we are abandoned by God. We can bring anything to God. God may not change it, but God can above all, comfort.
When we hurt, when we need a good cry, who do we go to? Someone we love and trust… And no matter our sorrow, no matter our grief, we can find joy in loving and being loved. In a short time we will be extremely intimate with our Lord. We will consume our Lord’s body and intermingle our flesh with his. The Lord is near.
Oh no beloved! You're not alone. No matter what or who you’ve been. The Lord has had his share of pain and will help you with yours. He’s reaching out his hand to you because he can see, even if you can’t, that you're wonderful.
The texts:
Zephaniah 3:14-20
3:14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!
3:15 The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.
3:16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak.
3:17 The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing
3:18 as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.
3:19 I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
3:20 At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD.
3:14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!
3:15 The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.
3:16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak.
3:17 The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing
3:18 as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.
3:19 I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
3:20 At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD.
Philippians 4:4-7
4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
4:5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
4:6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Luke 3:7-18
3:7 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
3:8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
3:9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
3:10 And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"
3:11 In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."
3:12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"
3:13 He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."
3:14 Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."
3:15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,
3:16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
3:17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
3:18 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
4:5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
4:6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Luke 3:7-18
3:7 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
3:8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
3:9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
3:10 And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"
3:11 In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."
3:12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"
3:13 He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."
3:14 Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."
3:15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,
3:16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
3:17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
3:18 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
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