Rejoice

The Aftermath of Helene

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The stories are all different but the results are equally life changing here for so many of our friends. But one dear sister in our small group shared this verse from Habakkuk that encouraged her this morning.

Though the fig tree should not blossom nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18 Esv

Habakkuk sees trouble everywhere he looks, and since he is surrounded by problems he looks up and sees the Lord. We are so blessed to be on the edge of the devastation untouched, but our hearts go out to so many who are struggling today. We do not know the answers or have the solutions, but we can have hope and even joy because our Lord remains the God of our salvation, our helper and friend in time of trouble!

Rejoice!

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Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

The greatest divisions in the church do not usually come from disagreements over doctrine, forms of worship or liturgy. No! The biggest problem most of us face is learning how to get along with the person sitting right next to us in the pew! Though we often think of the early church as being a perfect model of Christian love and fellowship, the Corinthian church in the Apostle Paul’s day was more like us than you might imagine. Their issues included some of the members suing each other, sexual scandals and angrily arguing over who was the best apostle. I wonder if on some days, the Apostle Paul felt like pulling out his hair when he got news of the latest struggle. Maybe the line spoken by Professor Digory in the book, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis, would have been something Paul would have loved to shout:

“You’re a family!! You might just start acting like one.”

So as Paul closes his letter to these Christians, he lays out a list of practical guidelines for living as God’s family. Today we will just look at the first:

Rejoice – Not just rejoice, as if we won the lottery, got a promotion, or received an unexpected income tax refund. This is a rejoicing together. Think of the joy of planning a surprise birthday party for a friend together. We orchestrate events so that our friend walks into a dark room without the slightest idea of what is going on, then someone flicks on the light, and everyone shouts, “Surprise!” If we can’t think of the last time that we shared that kind of joy in church, then we are missing out on God’s best for us. Now, to pull off a lifestyle of rejoicing, it will take a group effort, but just as the children in the Narnia stories learned to be a family through their struggles, and adventures, we can also learn to be the kinds of brothers and sisters that Jesus intended. Remember, how after he washed His disciples’ feet, Jesus told them that they would have joy if they learned to do the same. Do you know anybody with dirty feet today? It might not seem like it, but finding a way to wash them is the first step to a joyful life together!

Rejoice! Rejoice!

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Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice! Philippians 4:4 KJV

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always,” and then he adds, “again I say rejoice.” Whenever the Bible repeats something it is because God knows that it is easy for us to forget. Notice that Paul is not just telling us to, ” Don’t worry. Be happy.” That is impossible! Some days, terrible, things happen. There are times in our lives when it seems that evil has gotten the upper hand. Paul certainly knew this, because he was writing these words from his prison cell in Rome. What he is telling us is that no matter what is going on around us, in Christ, we can find a joy greater than our problems and pains. Paul was able to face unimaginable hardships, because he had learned to remind himself of this again and again. Just as it was for Paul, the same is true for us: the joy of praise is the oxygen of our Christian faith. With every step we take, no matter how difficult the way, we must remember to breathe in God’s grace and then breathe out His praise! I hope you are blessed with this song from Evan Craft, Redimi2 & Danny Gokey, which is the official English version from “Todo va a estar bien”. This praise song reminds me of the way we worshiped in our Brazilian church and reflects the heart of worship in a very special way.