Rejoice in the Lord

Just prior to reading today’s gospel we sang the Advent hymn, “Rejoice! Rejoice, believers.”  The theme of rejoicing in the Lord is present in all of our readings.

The prophet Zephaniah proclaimed, “Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel!  Rejoice and exult with all your heart…. 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 as on a day of festival.”

God is in our midst, but God’s future has not yet been fully born.  Our world does not always encourage us to be aware of God’s presence in our midst.  Even the very idea of God seems at times to have lost its relevance for modern life.  We can be victimized by this attitude.  Our own daily experiences can lead us to believe that God is not as present to us now as in past generations.

Nevertheless, as the prophet Zephaniah proclaimed, God is in our midst.  Many years later, Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, adds to this by announcing the Lord is near.  “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.”

These statements of rejoicing and singing remind us that God is not absent.  God is in our midst.  God comes to us in the birth of Jesus.  God’s love is always present.  It is not lessened by hurricane, earthquake, fire, plague or famine.  God is present in human suffering, and I am sure God is present with the students and staff who were killed on Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  Even in the midst of horrific tragedy God’s purpose for the world is not diminished.  God’s presence is real, and the fact that God’s peace is beyond our human understanding is an affirmation of a more authentic presence than one that is directly obvious. 

God’s presence is in the manner of love rather than in a manner of absolute power over human freedom.

God is in relationship with us and with all creation.

What this means is that the choices we make belong to us.  God’s power is in and through the way of love.  It is up to us to know and accept that.  And it is up to us to live in such a way that it makes a difference in our lives, in whom we are, and in all that we do. 

God’s presence is a disarming and a surprising presence; it is a love that appears in a fragile and vulnerable way; in the birth of a baby; in the death of a child, and in the grief and mourning of parents and loved ones.  This love is the source of hope for all humanity and it obliges us to love one another.  God’s presence, God’s power, is the power of love and hope.  God is in our midst, with us and with all people everywhere, working in and through human lives every day.  So, “Rejoice! Rejoice believers, and let your lights appear.”

John the Baptist announced God’s presence and spoke to people who were so filled with hope and expectation that they questioned whether he might be the Messiah.  “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.’”

John proclaimed the good news of God’s coming.  He responded to questions from the crowd, to tax collectors who came to be baptized, and to soldiers who asked what they should do.  John responded and called upon his followers to repent, to make a profound change in the direction of their lives.  This repentance was to be the beginning of a new moral integrity and a physical simplicity.  If you have two coats, share one of them with someone who needs one.  If you collect taxes, collect no more than is required.  If you are a soldier don’t extort money but be content with your wages.   What John said was contrary to what was being practiced.

John proclaimed one of the most profound religious insights: The presence of the holy in the midst of human life requires a fundamental change in the chemistry of the human condition.  The slow-moving, heavy burdens of our lives brought on by a culture of consumerism and moral indifference is incompatible with the holy.  God is holy.  God is in our midst, and the excesses of our lives, the chaff that must be separated from the wheat, will be burned.  The fire will be so intense it cannot be extinguished.

The traditional scenes of Advent require new images of hope and power for our time.  In a world threatened by fear, by climate change and global warming, by civil strife and untamed violence, a new commitment is required to make life on earth possible for future generations.  What we need today, perhaps more than ever before, are the images of hope and anticipation for peace and justice, both here in the United States and for international collaboration that respects the dignity of every human being and nation.

“Rejoice, rejoice believers… Our hope and expectation, O Jesus now appear.”  This is our song of exultation and rededication.  The celebration of the birth of a child in Bethlehem, the Incarnation of God in human form, and what we do in response is our commitment to the enduring power of hope, peace and love.

“Our hope and expectation, O Jesus now appear; arise thou Sun so longed for, above this darkened

    sphere! 

With hearts and hands uplifted, we plead, o Lord, to see the day of earth’s redemption, and ever be

    with thee.”

So, good friends, “Rejoice and exult with all your heart.”  May God’s peace “which surpasses all understanding guard all our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  Amen.