Third S. in Advent Gaudete Sunday Rejoice
Third S. in Advent. Rejoice Sunday.
We light the rose Candle for Gaudete ( latin for rejoice) Sunday. Scriptures for today focus on this . I Thess 5 says, " Rejoice always". Isaiah 65 says, " Be glad, and rejoice forever..." The Gospel in John , " the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him ( John the Baptist speaking of Jesus) rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice..." & " this joy of mine is complete" 3:30 One of my favorite on joy in Nehemiah 8:10 , " ...do not grieve for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Christians should be especially full of joy as they anticipate the coming of our Lord both at Christmas and His Second Coming to redeem His people. This reminds me of the story of C H Spurgeon, the great Reformed Baptist pastor in London who was talking to his seminary class," When you speak of heaven, let your face light up with a heavenly gleam. Let your eyes shine with reflected glory. And when you speak of hell–well, then your usual face will do.” (Quoted in Developing Christian Character Study Guide, R.C. Sproul, p. 67).
We struggle with this do we not---Christian joy? As one of my favorite authors asked, " Why is it so few Christians act like Christ? Why is it difficult to maintain the enthusiasm and joy of our initial commitment and grow in Christ's love and power?...How can it be that so many Christians are tired out, uptight, out of power, without vision, and unable to communicate their faith to other people? Why is it that after we come alive in Christ it's so difficult to stay alive?" Lloyd Ogilvie, in Life Without Limits
Can it be we focus on the things that do not matter? The Apostle Paul said, " ...that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction , which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Cor 4:15-18
It is true we are human and we weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. This is the way it should be. We should be empathetic, and full of compassion as well for those who are struggling. Our focus is on ourselves too much and not on God's thinking in the Bible? Could this be why we lack joy in our lives?
"Joy is a deep-seated sense of happiness in what God has done and what He is doing. The Greek word for "joy" is related to the Greek word for "grace." Truly, joy is a grace bestowed on us by God. So how can we accept and experience the gift of joy?
In many ways, perspective is key. When we look at what God has done for us, we naturally respond with thanksgiving and joy. When we look at difficult circumstances or the frustrations of life, we naturally respond with discontent. This is not to say that we do not acknowledge the difficulties of this life or the lack in our world. Rather, we do so while still recognizing that God is in control and that He loves us. " compellingtruth.org
Jesus said , " These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." Here is what one commentator said about our feelings, "... In Renovation of the Heart , Dallas Willard teaches that the heart is our capacity for choice; it is the center of our spiritual being and in Biblical language it is essentially the same as our spirit.
If emotions are the center of our being that’s driving us then we’ll be pushed and pulled all over the place, including into lots of sin and pain! But if it’s our will that’s our center then we can choose to live in submission to God and to follow Christ. A life of joy goes with a life of apprenticeship to Jesus!" from soulshepherding.org
My favorite response in Evening Prayer is " Mary's Song" Luke 1:46 " My soul doth magnify the Lord, and and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name..." I imagine that Mary had a lot to be troubled about...yet she trusted in what God was doing in the birth of the soon coming child, Jesus.
"What kills our joy are the subtle temptations that draw us from walking in the presence of God. ...
Lack of a devotional life—It’s hard to rejoice in the Lord when you don’t take time to know who He is.
An unthankful spirit—Ingratitude focuses our hearts and minds on our needs rather than on our blessings.
Dreaming outside the will of God—When our spirits become burdened with the difficulties of life, the grass begins to look greener anywhere that we are not.
Comparing yourself with others—Comparison always leads to ingratitude, pride, or discouragement.
Impure thoughts—A pure heart is a happy heart, and an impure heart is an unhappy heart.... Unresolved Conflict
God intended that Christian relationships bring joy into our lives. Conflict in those relationships invariably saps our joy. Conflict that drags out over days and weeks (or longer) kills our joy.
In the “joy epistle” of Philippians, Paul specifically asked two people in the church to resolve the conflict between them..." from ministry127.com
Conclusion comes from Lloyd Ogilivie who was quoted earlier, " Joy was to be the identifiable mark of Jesus' disciples and a wedding banquet was to be the quality of that joy...If we do not have a warm , vital expression of joy then there is something wrong with our Christian experience. It is a deep inner awareness and experience of God's grace which is manifest on our faces, expressed in our words and shared in our relationships. It is more than circumstantial happiness. True joy is the outward expression of our overwhelming thankfulness for His goodness and love in spite of what we have done or what's happened to us."
We light the rose Candle for Gaudete ( latin for rejoice) Sunday. Scriptures for today focus on this . I Thess 5 says, " Rejoice always". Isaiah 65 says, " Be glad, and rejoice forever..." The Gospel in John , " the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him ( John the Baptist speaking of Jesus) rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice..." & " this joy of mine is complete" 3:30 One of my favorite on joy in Nehemiah 8:10 , " ...do not grieve for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Christians should be especially full of joy as they anticipate the coming of our Lord both at Christmas and His Second Coming to redeem His people. This reminds me of the story of C H Spurgeon, the great Reformed Baptist pastor in London who was talking to his seminary class," When you speak of heaven, let your face light up with a heavenly gleam. Let your eyes shine with reflected glory. And when you speak of hell–well, then your usual face will do.” (Quoted in Developing Christian Character Study Guide, R.C. Sproul, p. 67).
We struggle with this do we not---Christian joy? As one of my favorite authors asked, " Why is it so few Christians act like Christ? Why is it difficult to maintain the enthusiasm and joy of our initial commitment and grow in Christ's love and power?...How can it be that so many Christians are tired out, uptight, out of power, without vision, and unable to communicate their faith to other people? Why is it that after we come alive in Christ it's so difficult to stay alive?" Lloyd Ogilvie, in Life Without Limits
Can it be we focus on the things that do not matter? The Apostle Paul said, " ...that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction , which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Cor 4:15-18
It is true we are human and we weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. This is the way it should be. We should be empathetic, and full of compassion as well for those who are struggling. Our focus is on ourselves too much and not on God's thinking in the Bible? Could this be why we lack joy in our lives?
"Joy is a deep-seated sense of happiness in what God has done and what He is doing. The Greek word for "joy" is related to the Greek word for "grace." Truly, joy is a grace bestowed on us by God. So how can we accept and experience the gift of joy?
In many ways, perspective is key. When we look at what God has done for us, we naturally respond with thanksgiving and joy. When we look at difficult circumstances or the frustrations of life, we naturally respond with discontent. This is not to say that we do not acknowledge the difficulties of this life or the lack in our world. Rather, we do so while still recognizing that God is in control and that He loves us. " compellingtruth.org
Jesus said , " These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." Here is what one commentator said about our feelings, "... In Renovation of the Heart , Dallas Willard teaches that the heart is our capacity for choice; it is the center of our spiritual being and in Biblical language it is essentially the same as our spirit.
If emotions are the center of our being that’s driving us then we’ll be pushed and pulled all over the place, including into lots of sin and pain! But if it’s our will that’s our center then we can choose to live in submission to God and to follow Christ. A life of joy goes with a life of apprenticeship to Jesus!" from soulshepherding.org
My favorite response in Evening Prayer is " Mary's Song" Luke 1:46 " My soul doth magnify the Lord, and and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name..." I imagine that Mary had a lot to be troubled about...yet she trusted in what God was doing in the birth of the soon coming child, Jesus.
"What kills our joy are the subtle temptations that draw us from walking in the presence of God. ...
Lack of a devotional life—It’s hard to rejoice in the Lord when you don’t take time to know who He is.
An unthankful spirit—Ingratitude focuses our hearts and minds on our needs rather than on our blessings.
Dreaming outside the will of God—When our spirits become burdened with the difficulties of life, the grass begins to look greener anywhere that we are not.
Comparing yourself with others—Comparison always leads to ingratitude, pride, or discouragement.
Impure thoughts—A pure heart is a happy heart, and an impure heart is an unhappy heart.... Unresolved Conflict
God intended that Christian relationships bring joy into our lives. Conflict in those relationships invariably saps our joy. Conflict that drags out over days and weeks (or longer) kills our joy.
In the “joy epistle” of Philippians, Paul specifically asked two people in the church to resolve the conflict between them..." from ministry127.com
Conclusion comes from Lloyd Ogilivie who was quoted earlier, " Joy was to be the identifiable mark of Jesus' disciples and a wedding banquet was to be the quality of that joy...If we do not have a warm , vital expression of joy then there is something wrong with our Christian experience. It is a deep inner awareness and experience of God's grace which is manifest on our faces, expressed in our words and shared in our relationships. It is more than circumstantial happiness. True joy is the outward expression of our overwhelming thankfulness for His goodness and love in spite of what we have done or what's happened to us."
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