3rd Sunday of Advent, 2021 - Joy

Joy is the theme of the third Sunday of Advent – joy in the face of challenges that are life-depleting. 

Joy, along with its companion peace, is the inner disposition of the people of God and the followers of Jesus. Joy and peace are the fruit of the Spirit — that which the Spirit produces within us (Galatians 5:22).

Joy and peace cannot be manufactured through human effort. We can manipulate circumstances to manufacture happiness or excitement or pleasure or entertainment. But we cannot create joy or peace. Only the Spirit can produce joy and peace within us.

Anxiety is a barrier to joy and peace. In writing to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul told them to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). He balanced this admonition with the exhortation “do not worry about anything” (Philippians 4:6). Worry is the mental gymnastics we do when we are anxious and afraid. It is our attempt to have control over something that we cannot control. It is always about the future. And it robs us of joy and peace in the present.

While we cannot manufacture joy or peace, we can place ourselves in a position for the Spirit to work. Paul told the Philippians (and us) how to do so.

The process begins with the recognition of the anxiety and worry. Until we recognize and name our anxiety, we will continue to worry. Our own thoughts keep the worry alive. Paul’s exhortation carries the idea “you are worrying; stop!” We are not powerless over our anxiety, fear, and worry. We can choose to move beyond them.

The way to move beyond our anxiety, fear, and worry is through prayer. “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Recognizing our anxiety becomes an invitation to pray. We share our anxiety and fear — those things about which we worry — with God. Praying shifts our focus from ourselves, to God; from our situation to what God is doing. Praying gives voice to our fear, getting it out of our head.

Our prayer is to be laced with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving involves remembering. It calls us to look back over our shoulder to when God was faithful in the past, to when God brought good out of a painful situation, to when God transformed struggle into blessing. Remembering and giving thanks for what God has done in the past reminds us that God can be trusted in the current situation. It invites us to rest in God’s love in the present moment.

Offsetting our worry with thanksgiving-laced prayer positions us to experience the Spirit’s work. As we rest in God’s grace, the Spirit produces inner peace. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

This inner peace is what allows joy to flow from deep within. With the logjam of anxiety, fear, and worry removed, joy can flow in response to God and to the work of God.

This third Sunday of Advent reminds us that joy and peace are the inner disposition out of which the followers of Jesus live. From a posture of joy and peace, we can choose to love as Jesus loved.

Rejoice in the Lord!  Always!