What Does Advent Joy Look Like?

3rd Sunday in Advent, 12/16/18
Philippians 4:4-7


What Does Advent Joy Look Like?
I. It’s gentle.
II. It’s prayerful.
III. It’s peaceful.


You hear it countless times during the Christmas season. It’s the song which informs you that “it’s the most wonderful time of the year.” In fact, the song repeatedly asserts that it’s the “hap-happiest season of all. There’ll be parties for hosting and marshmallows for toasting. There’ll be much mistletoeing and hearts will be glowing.” Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? But then there’s reality. The reality is our stress levels are often higher at this time of year than any other. The reality is we loath the traffic and the crowds in the stores. The reality is before the calendar even turns to the first day of December we’re already tired of the incessant Christmas advertising. The reality is we’re not really looking forward to the company Christmas party. The reality is we’re only going to participate in the gift exchange because that’s what’s expected or even required. I’ll stop there. I’m sure you agree with me, at least to some degree. We’re not always sure this is the most wonderful time of the year. And I didn’t even mention spending time with that annoying relative you only see once a year.

But, as Christians, we know that none of those things are what this time of year is really about. It’s really about Christ, our Savior from sin. Advent is the season of repentance as we prepare our hearts for Christ, but it’s also a joyful season because of who Jesus is and what he has done for us. The pink candle on our Advent wreath symbolizes our Advent joy.

And that Advent joy is the very heart of this morning’s reading from Philippians 4. We hear our Lord’s encouragement to rejoice. In fact, he wants our hearts to be filled with joy. But at such a busy time of year, when our expectations are often unrealistic, when our schedules are so hectic we wonder how we’re ever going to manage things, just what does that joy look like? What does Advent joy look like? Let’s keep that question in front of us as we look once again at these words from Philippians 4.

Part I.

If you watched any of the coverage of the funeral for President Bush more than a week ago, you likely heard the comment that he was known for being kind and gentle. He got things done by reaching across the aisle. You saw photos of him smiling and waving, not ranting and raving.

Kinder. Gentler. If given the opportunity, I don’t think you’d use those words to describe our world today. It’s vicious out there, whether you’re talking about politics, business, or even society in general. And with cameras literally being everywhere these days, we aren’t limited to hearing accounts of the brutality; we’re subjected to actual photos and videos of it. The terrible things that people say and do are seen and heard daily.

In the midst of that vicious reality, Paul encourages us, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” Let’s focus on that last phrase first. “The Lord is near.” There’s the theme of Advent. Jesus is coming. We’re completely familiar with how he arrived as a child and was laid in a manger. In a little more than a week, we’ll rejoice to hear that account of his birth once again. But we also know that Jesus has promised to return to this earth, and when he does, he will finally put an abrupt end to the evil in our world, raise our bodies from the dead, glorify them, and take us—soul and body—into the new heavens and new earth that he will create for us.

And it’s with that unshakable truth in mind that our Lord can and does encourage us, “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” That word “gentleness” really doesn’t capture the meaning of the word Paul used here. Literally, it’s “yieldingness.” It’s a word that describes how we should treat others. As Christians we’re encouraged to yield to others instead of demanding our rights or what we expect. It even includes suffering at the hands of others because of our connection to Christ. Our motivation to yield to others is our love for Jesus who displayed that quality perfectly when he yielded to death on the cross for us. So what does it matter if we yield to others and miss an opportunity to advance ourselves, or even if we yield and suffer? The Lord is near and that truth fills us with Advent joy no matter what the circumstance we’re facing.

What does Advent joy look like? It’s gentle.

So, how does your Advent joy show? Truthfully, if it’s like mine, it’s absent at the worst times. Just when I know I should be patient and kind, just when I know I should put in a good word about someone else, just when I should be thinking the best about someone instead of the worst, that’s when my gentleness is absent, and I get vicious. How about you? The truth is we can’t even be loving and kind and gentle at this most wonderful time of the year. In fact, in some cases, it’s even harder at this time of year because we’re under a lot of pressure. Our schedules are packed. And our patience is razor thin. That’s why it’s a good thing it’s Advent, when the major focus is on preparing our hearts for Jesus by repenting of those very sins. Those sins and all others are why Jesus came—to live and die for them, and then to rise again. His resurrection fills us with joy no matter what season of the year it is and it also empowers us to yield to others. To be gentle. That’s what Advent joy looks like.

Part II.

It happened again. A shooting at a school. And this one just an hour away. While we’re sad it happened, we’re glad that only the perpetrator died. No students were harmed. Part of the reason for that is that law enforcement officers literally rushed into the crisis. That’s what they have been trained to do.

What’s your approach to crises? How do you deal with them? As you ponder in an instant how to respond, what do you plan to do first? Second? Third? Call 911? Rush to safety? Find your loved ones?

Before you answer those questions in your mind, and before you form such a plan of action, listen once again to Paul’s Advent theme: “The Lord is near.” With those words Paul reminds us that Jesus might return any second. He’s winding down all of time to that glorious moment. And nothing can stop it from happening just as he has determined. The absolute certainty of that event should fill us with Advent joy—a quiet and subdued joy—even as we face the crises of life.

So what does that Advent joy look like practically? Paul has a second description. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Advent joy is prayerful. Paul reminds us to be thankful first. Even in the crises of life. How can we be thankful when a crisis surrounds us? Because we know that Jesus surrounds us, too. We know that everything is in his almighty hands. We know and believe that we belong to him no matter if we live or die. We know that forgiveness of sins and heaven are ours by faith in him. So, be thankful as you pray.

And then “present your requests to God.” What’s on your mind? What’s heavy on your heart? What are your loved ones facing? Present your requests to God. That’s a result of your Advent joy. Advent joy knows that Jesus is near. He entered our world once to be our Savior. He’ll enter it again as King of kings and Lord of lords. And on that day he promises to claim us as his own.

What does Advent joy look like? It’s prayerful.

The pretense at this time of year is that all is well. We have everything under control. Our Christmas is going to be everything we dreamed it would be. The next two weeks of our lives are going to be so wonderful, we’ll be the envy of all who know us. That’s the pretense. The reality is that we have issues. Problems. Perhaps even a crisis or two. And you’re not the only one. We all do. Compound that with the fact that our daily sins create a crisis with our God and you really have a tragedy on your hands. So what’s a Christian to do this Advent season? Don’t despair! Rejoice! Find your abiding comfort in the truth that Jesus came to this earth the first time to deal with your sins once and for all. And be confident of your eternal glory because Jesus rose from the dead and assures you of it. With that confidence, present your requests to God. Be filled with the inner joy that Advent brings and pray about whatever life is throwing your way at the moment. That’s what Advent joy looks like. It’s prayerful.

Part III.

Next week you’ll hear these words of the Christmas angels, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.” But just what is Christmas peace?

It’s the peace we already enjoy in Advent, and that peace fills us with joy. It’s not the peace between individual humans or between two earthly nations. It’s the peace between the holy God and sinful human beings.

That peace is a done deal. It was established for us by Jesus. He accomplished it by living a holy life for us and then by dying for our sins. By faith in him his holy life is our holy life. By faith in him our sins are washed away. So the holy God has nothing against. We have peace with him.

Paul wrote, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The peace which Jesus established for us stands like an armed guard, allowing nothing to harm us spiritually. We live each day surrounded with that peace. We sleep at night, covered in God’s peace. And that fills our hearts with a quiet, inner joy.

What does Advent joy look like? It’s peaceful. May Advent joy overwhelm you! Amen.