Rejoice, for the Lord is near
Rejoice, for the Lord is near
Philippians 4:4-7
“ Rejoice in the Lord always!” ... Yes, well of course, I’ll rejoice, but first I have to buy these presents. “
Again I say, rejoice!” But it’s not Christmas yet. ... What do you mean rejoice? You can’t rejoice before Christmas! And Christmas, when it gets here, is really cause for collapse from exhaustion, not rejoicing. And what’s all this business about gentleness and peace? Shouldn’t that be “let your crabbiness be known to all” and “my heart, mind and credit cards are maxed out?”
What a funny little repetition we have here from Paul. It reminds me of Taize songs, or Gregorian chants or those deep and wide spiritual refrains. Sometimes we have to sing that song, “Dona Nobis Pacem” (Give Us Peace), or “It is Well with My Soul” 10 times before the peace seeps into our souls, before breath deepens, before we feel the low warmth of God’s presence.
And how much harder is it during this season of Musak Christmas carols and loud commercials to hear that still, small voice? We have not only television and radio commercials to contend with, but also “deals” crowding our inbox and popping up on our computer screens.
Still, this passage is a comfort to us, a reminder of all those moments when we knew we could relax, when we were officially “off duty,” when for once it wasn’t all on our shoulders, and when we didn’t have to be a vigilant member of the “rat race” anymore.
It’s like that moment of sinking into a hot bath, or lying in the sun on a beach while someone you trust watches your kids. It’s that moment of coming home from college, knowing that we can lie on the couch under the blue quilt , with Mama in the kitchen fixing pork chops, mashed potatoes and her homemade vegetable soup.
As December bursts upon the scene, with Santas in every store window, Paul reminds us that Advent, the season of waiting, is not an anxious time of panic, but a season of preparation and openness for the One we know will come, the One whose birth in a stable all those years ago changed our world forever, the One who is birthed anew in our lives every Christmas.
Advent is a reminder that, like Mama in the kitchen, God is close, on watch, and in control. Rejoice, the Lord is near. Near to us at our jobs, near to us as we change diapers, near to us as we worship, as we navigate airports and grocery stores, near to us as we visit loved ones in hospitals and nursing homes.
The Lord is near. And that is why we can rejoice, why we can afford the extravagance of gentleness, with ourselves and with each other, and why we can have peace. Because the Lord is near to us, on watch and in control, guarding our hearts and our minds.
Christmas is coming, not through our doing or our shopping or our preparations, but because God wills it. God, not us, is absolutely responsible for Christmas and it will come; it comes even now, soft on the horizons of our lives.
Even now, Mary is preparing a manger, even now the cattle are lowing and even now, in the East, a star is getting ready to rise. Rejoice. The Lord is near. Be gentle. The Lord is near. Be at peace. The Lord is near.
The Rev. Mandy Sayers is pastor of Covenant UMC in Gaithersburg.
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