Rejoice! The Lord Is Near!

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.

Rejoice! The Lord Is Near!

This one really hit home this week. I don’t know if it was a touch of seasonal affective disorder, sleep deprivation, dopamine addiction, unresolved grief, undiagnosed depression, or just generally having a hard day, but I found myself driving down St. Albert Trail choking back tears. I was by myself. No one thing had precipitated that kind of an emotional response. I was just suddenly very sad.

I’m thankful for the work that some film and content creators have done to help destigmatize depressive feelings during the holidays. Charles Schulz did it with Charlie Brown back in 1965:

“I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel. I just don’t understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I’m still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed.”

There’s a new Netflix movie that captures it well too.

“I always think that Christmas is like an emotional magnifying glass. If you feel loved and happy, Christmas will make you feel even happier and more loved. But if you feel alone and unloved, the magnifier gets to work and makes all those bad things bigger and worse.”

Christmas is supposed to be a time for holiday cheer, and in many ways we work hard to accomplish it – we listen to Christmas music on repeat, we wear festive outfits, we go to special concerts, we put up seasonal decorations. And those things help. But even with the most holiday cheer, you can go throughout your day without true joy in your heart.

Today is Gaudate Sunday – literally from the Latin: “Joy Sunday.” That’s why we lit the pink candle in our Advent wreath. That’s what we heard from the Apostle Paul, not once but twice,

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”[1]

And Paul doesn’t leave it just at joy. He tells us to be gentle too, and anxiety free. Be gentle, not only with the people you have a soft spot for, but with everyone! Be anxiety free, not just about some things but about anything and everything.

That’s certainly not how I felt as I was driving down St. Albert trail earlier this week. I’m sure you’ve been there too. There are countless things that threaten to rob us of the joy God offers, the gentleness he commands, and the freedom from anxiety he invites us to enjoy.

There are so many outward circumstances that make joy seem like an impossibility, e.g. financial issues, medical complications, relationship problems. There are internal emotions that make joy feel like the farthest possibility, like the guilt you feel at not being the Norman Rockwell parent/spouse/child/friend of the year.

It’s the same thing with gentleness too, isn’t it? Gentleness has so many enemies that are so constantly present – frustration, anger, resentment, bitterness. You turn on the news for 2 minutes and there will sure to be something that sparks outrage in you. We’re so busy this time of year, what about just plain exhaustion? You don’t have the patience or resilience to respond calmly or kindly. It feels like your nerves are sitting on the surface of your skin and the slightest contact will set you off. There are internal threats to gentleness too, like an insecurity about your job or relationship status, your bank balance, your haircut, your past; and if someone goes there and pokes the bear, he can so quickly and easily inspire you to become defensive or incite your inner rage monster, instead of being kind and considerate.

And anxiety? Forget about it. There are so many things that we can’t control – world peace, the job- or housing-market, whether someone likes you or not. We can live in the constant fear of shame and embarrassment. You know the humiliating and humbling things you’ve done, and you’re worried how other people will look at you if they find out. There’s just plain uncertainty and such a vast range of possibilities about so many things in life. You could probably handle any one of them at a time, but the prospect of handling all of them indefinitely is enough to send anyone spiraling.

If I’m honest, I almost resented Paul for making it sound so simple and obvious:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”[2]

I’d love to! But you don’t tell a sad person, “Be happy,” and then walk away. You don’t tell an angry person, “Calm down,” or an anxious person, “Don’t worry,” and leave it at that. And Paul doesn’t do that here either. He gives us two very good answers to what ails us and reminds us that the power to be joyful, gentle, and anxiety-free is not something that comes from you or me. It comes from the Lord, because the Lord is near.[3]

For only being four words, this one sentence packs a punch. We’re in the season of Advent. When we hear a sentence like this at a time like this, it’s very natural for us to think about Jesus’ second coming on the Last Day, and that’s certainly something Paul wanted his original audience to think about too. “The Lord is near” means that Jesus is coming again soon, and that is an absolute God-send when it comes to being joyful, gentle, and anxiety-free.

Jesus is coming again soon! At the very least, that means that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel; that this too shall pass; that you won’t be going through whatever you’re going through forever. I’ve said it to myself a number of times and offered it as advice to others, “You can do anything for a year.” And it’s true, isn’t it? You can move away from home and everyone you know and love, and live in a dank, dark basement apartment with earwigs and roaches… if you know you’re not going to live there forever. You can wake up on the hour every hour throughout the night while your baby is teething… if you know he won’t always be cutting new teeth.

You can do anything if you know it won’t last forever. It's only when things seem interminable that they become intolerable. “The Lord is near” means that nothing is interminable. Everything has an expiration date. Jesus is coming again soon.

And what he’s coming again to do gives us even more joy and empowers us to be even more gentle and anxiety-free than just knowing that our pain and problems won’t last forever, because Jesus doesn’t just provide an end date to our troubles. He addresses them head-on and resolves them.

Is it guilt that robs you of joy? Is it insecurity that prohibits a gentle spirit? Is it shame that stokes your anxiety? Then remember what Jesus did for you the first time he came to this world. He took on human flesh and blood with its frailties and weaknesses. He faced the same temptations that you and I do – the same threats to being joyful and gentle and anxiety-free. He knows what you’re going through. He’s walked a lifetime in your shoes. But Jesus rose above the temptations. He overcame the threats – not primarily to set you an example to follow, but to set you free from guilt and insecurity and shame.

Jesus was born at Christmas so that he could live a perfect 33 years and die an innocent death to forgive your sin, to resolve it once and for all by suffering the penalty for it on the cross, so that it should never hang over your head again. And that was 2,000 years ago! This isn’t some future promise that we have to wait patiently for! It’s not a light at the end of the tunnel; it’s ours now! It’s the grace that we get to live in every day of our lives because of what he did with his.

That’s why Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord.” This isn’t some arbitrary seasonal sensation. This isn’t a circumstantial joy. It doesn’t depend on the situations or the people in our lives. It’s constant in Christ, who is near. Jesus is coming again soon – this time not to save you from your sin; he already did that. This time he’s coming to deliver you from a sinful world and all its complications.

Was it financial issues or medical complications that was robbing you of joy? Was it frustration or exhaustion that stole your gentle spirit? Was it the uncontrollable or the unknowable that spun you out into anxiety and worry? Then remember the promise he makes you about what he’ll do for you when he comes again.

He is coming again to take you home to be with him in heaven where there is no more weeping or mourning or crying or pain.[4] And we could add on to that list, couldn’t we? In heaven, you won’t have to worry about your bank account balance; you’ll be rich in Christ. You won’t have to worry about relationship problems; you’ll be with your brothers and sisters in Christ gathered in your Heavenly Father’s home. You won’t be exhausted or burned out, because you’ll be enjoying eternal rest at your Saviour’s side. You won’t have to worry about the uncontrollable or the unknowable; you’ll be in the presence of the omniscient, all-powerful God forever.

The Lord is near. Jesus is coming again soon. But Christian, don’t miss this: he’s near now too. He promises us that wherever two or three gather together there he is with us.[5] We hear his voice whenever we read his Word. We feel his love whenever we celebrate the sacrament. Our Jesus is not some distant or disinterested God. He doesn’t force us to make a trek or pilgrimage to go to him. He comes to us in Word and sacrament. He invites us to present our requests to him in prayer every day – to cast our cares on him because he cares for us.[6]

The Lord is near. That means that there’s an end to all current pain and problems. That means that your Saviour who solved the problem of your sin and secured an eternal home for your soul is coming back to take you out of this world to be with him forever. And not only that, he is near now while we wait for that day.

That’s what makes his peace so great. That’s what makes it boggle our minds and transcend all understanding. It doesn’t depend on the circumstances or situations we face. It doesn’t demand certain baseline criteria be met for us to be able to be joyful, gentle, and anxiety free. His peace does what he promises; it guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Now, that doesn’t mean that you’ll never have a day when you’re emotional for no reason. It doesn’t mean that you’ll never feel like Charlie Brown at Christmas. But it does mean that despite the ups and downs of life, despite the outward chaos and inward turmoil, you have the steady, constant presence of Christ in your life. Nothing can change what he has done and will do for you. You have the promise that he is near now and is coming again soon. You have the promise that he makes peace possible, and with it also the ability to be joyful, gentle, and anxiety-free in him even when that seems impossible in this world.

The Lord is near. Rejoice in him. Amen.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Philippians 4:4

[2] Philippians 4:4

[3] Philippians 4:5

[4] Revelation 21:4

[5] Matthew 18:20

[6] 1 Peter 5:7

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Keep Watch! Your Master Is Coming.

Mark 13:26-37

26 At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

Keep Watch! Your Master Is Coming.

You all got the EAS, i.e. emergency alert, text message last week, right? The province wanted test its ability to share emergency information quickly, and (because we’re addicted to our phones) texting is the surest way for the most people to get the message.

I haven’t seen as much of it since moving from the fringes of metro Chicago, but I used to get those kinds of alerts on my phone all too often. Sometimes, it would be a “Silver Alert” notifying us that we should keep an eye out for a missing senior citizen. Sometimes it would be an “Amber Alert;” same thing, but a missing child. It’s an important message that the government wants everyone to know.

Just a minute ago, we read a different kind of “Alert” from the Gospel of Mark. Had there been text messaging back then, I’m sure Jesus would have loved to push this notification to everyone’s phone. That’s what he says:

“What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch.’”[1]

As a matter of fact, Jesus says it 4 times in our text for today: “Watch!”[2] “Keep watch!”[3] “Be on guard! Be alert!”[4] It’s not hard to figure out what Jesus wants us to do. The questions are, “What are we supposed to be watching out for,” “How do we do that,” and, “Why?”

The first question is the easiest to answer. “What are we supposed to be watching out for?” Well, in a word, it’s Jesus.

It seems so natural and obvious standing here on November 24th exactly a month away from Christmas Eve. You go to any department store and you’ll be bombarded with Christmas decorations and gifts. You turn on the radio and you’ll hear Christmas music. Everything is about Christmas right now; you’d only expect church to be too.

That’s true, but only partially. We’re at the time of the year when we certainly look forward to Jesus’ first coming at Christmas, but that’s only half the story. Jesus left this world 2,000 years ago with a promise that he would come back, only this time it won’t be to save us – he already did that. When Jesus returns it will be to judge the living and the dead, i.e. to send unbelievers to hell and welcome believers to heaven.

That’s what this time of the year is preparing us for – for the second coming of Christ. That’s what we’re supposed to be watching out for. That’s why (earlier in Mark 13) Jesus lists several signs of the End Times, e.g. wars, natural disasters, religious persecution, gospel outreach. These are the things that we should be looking for. That’s how we’ll know that Jesus’ return is imminent.

Are there wars? Yes! Ukraine. Israel. Sudan.

Are there natural disasters? If you’ve visited Jasper recently, you’d see the effects firsthand. Hurricanes in the Southern US. Drought in South America. Flooding in Africa, Asia, and Europe.  

Does religious persecution take place? According to a recent report, in just the last 2 years human rights violations against Christians have increased in more than 60% of the countries surveyed. It was only a year ago that 160 Christians were killed in Nigeria at Christmastime. Our brothers and sisters in China have to go “underground” because their government is rounding them up and shutting their churches down. In Eritrea there are around 400 Christians currently in prison – without trial – just because of their faith.

How about gospel outreach? Miraculously, by God’s grace, that’s done too! 16 new mission churches have been launched in the last 2 years in North America, with another 10-12 on the way next year. Our sister seminary in Indonesia graduated 19 students this year. 55 Hmong pastors graduated in Vietnam last year. There are tens of thousands of new Christians being reached Ethiopia and Sudan and the Congo.

All the signs are here. If you are looking, i.e. if you are watching, then you will know that Jesus could come at any time. But that’s the rub, isn’t it? If Jesus could come at any time, then that means that we always need to be on our guard. Jesus warns us, “About that day or hour no one knows.”[5]

That’s why Jesus tells us to watch, i.e. to keep our eyes open. But that leads us to the next question, “What does it look like to keep watch,” or, “How do we do that?”

Jesus helps us to understand that question with an illustration:

It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.[6]

We’ve all been in a situation like that, right? Your boss goes out of town. Your teacher leaves the room for 5 minutes. When she comes back, she doesn’t want to yell at you for goofing off or wasting time. She wants you to be doing your work. And it’s not for her sake; it’s for yours. There’s work you’re supposed to be doing.  

When Jesus talks about the master going away and putting his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, he’s talking about what’s going on right now. Jesus is our master. He’s gone away; he left this world 2,000 years ago. But he’s coming back; we just don’t know when. It could be today; it could be 2,000 years from now. We just don’t know, but what we do know is how Jesus wants us to wait.

Like those servants the master put in charge, Jesus wants us to do our assigned tasks. And I think that this is a beautiful image, because it tells us that Jesus doesn’t view us as cookie-cutter clones of the perfect Christian. We’re all different. We all have different gifts. We all live in different circumstances. But we all have the same master, and we all have work to do.

Maybe your job right now is to be a good mom or dad – to love your children, to provide for them, to put food on their plates, a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs. Maybe you are one of those children, in which case your job might be as simple as listening to your parents, making their lives easy, showing them love and respect. Maybe your job is completely different – enduring hardship with a peace that only God can give; working hard to change a bad situation into a good one; being the only neighbour on your street, at your office, in your classroom that puts others’ needs ahead of your own.

We all have a job to do. It’s not enough just to be found ready on the moment that Jesus returns. If that were the goal, then God would have told us when that day would come. We’d all have our alarms set so that we can get our affairs in order at the last minute before Jesus comes back. But what God actually wants is for us to be constantly vigilant, so that we’re constantly faithful. There’s work for us to do here and now. And while all of us have different opportunities and responsibilities, there is one thing that we can all do – keep watch.

As important as it is for the mother to feed her baby and change its diapers, it’s even more important for her to keep watch for her baby – to tell her about Jesus, to teach him God’s Word, to show them God’s love.

As important as it is for you to be kind to your neighbour, it’s even more important for you to keep watch for them. Sure, be a good neighbour, shovel their walk, bring their bins in, but be the kind of neighbour who cares about their soul. Chat with them about Jesus and the joy he brings at Christmas that’s so much better than the twinkly lights at night or the events that so quickly fill up our calendars. Invite them to a church service where they can hear the Word of God and prepare their hearts for Jesus to come again.

And this leads to the central question of our text for today. “Why?” Why do we need to keep watch?

Because when Jesus comes again, it won’t be to save but to judge. And if we’ve lived our lives of faith the way that a group of Grade 7s behave when their teacher walks out of the room for 5 minutes, then we could be in serious trouble and so could everyone who has fallen spiritually asleep. We need to be constantly vigilant so that we’re not eternally condemned. We can’t afford to lose track of time or to be caught unaware, because Jesus could come at any moment.

Can you say you’re ready? Maybe today; you took steps to be here this morning. Will that be true tomorrow? What about Wednesday? Saturday? How long can you stay constantly vigilant?

It’s intimidating, isn’t it? We have no idea when Jesus will come back, but we do know how important it is to be ready; it’s a matter of eternal life and death. And yet, as scary as it can be to hear Jesus tell us to be on guard 4 times in Mark 13, I take great comfort in his concern. He goes out of his way to warn us. Jesus speaks these words to you.

And do you know when Jesus said this? It was on Holy Tuesday, just 3 days before he died. He was sitting on the Mount of Olives looking across the valley at Jerusalem, where, in just 3 days’ time, he would be hanging on a cross.

If it scares you to think that Jesus could come at any time to judge the world, don’t forget about what he did the first time he was here. Don’t forget about Christmas. Jesus didn’t come to be cute and cuddly and to give you an occasion to give gifts to each other. He came to die for you. He came to pay for your sins, even those times that you grow spiritually sleepy, even those times when you grow tired of always being “on,” always being ready.

It’s exhausting, but it’s OK, because that sin finds its forgiveness in Jesus too. Everything that you have ever done wrong or failed to do right, is forgiven because Jesus came at Christmas to be your Saviour. And because of that first coming, Jesus’ second coming doesn’t have to be scary. That’s your Saviour coming back for you. He’s coming back to take you home to heaven because of the sacrifice he made for you.

So, for Christians, while it is important for us to watch and wait, it’s not for fear that if we’re not ready when Jesus comes, he’ll be mad and disown us forever. No, we’ve already seen how much he loves us. He died for us!

We wait and we watch, not out of fear, but with eager anticipation to welcome our Saviour again, to invite him to see how prepared we’ve been with lives of faithful waiting, but more than anything, to rejoice that our waiting is over and that the time has come to be with God.

That’s what Jesus wants you to know. That’s what Jesus wants everyone to know – that he is coming again; that we prepare to meet him by being faithful to our responsibilities; and, finally, that you can watch and wait with joy because your Saviour is coming.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. Amen.

[1] Mark 13:37

[2] Ibid

[3] Mark 13:34

[4] Mark 13:33

[5] Mark 13:32

[6] Mark 13:34

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