4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
4:5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
4:6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to
God.
4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Comments:
I am considering a sermon with the simple title: REJOICE! The
central idea will be: The joy of gifts given and received quickly
fades but the joy of Christ lasts forever. Any ideas?
Fred in NC
I just finished reading the two comments posted on the OT page
regarding Zephaniah. They comments reminded me that Christmas
actually is about receiving; it is about God's gift of Jesus Christ
to us. They also reminded me that it is God who rejoices the most at
Christmas time (or any other time for that matter).
So how does this stack up to the Phillippians passage? At first I
thought, 'What an interesting contrast! On one hand, God rejoices,
and, on the other hand, we are commanded to rejoice.'
Yet a closer look at this passage reveals God's willingness to give
("let your requests be known" 4:6). Christ is always here to guard
us and give us peace.
As of Monday morning, my sermon will wrestle with the question of
"how can we rejoice?" Then it will turn its direction to God's
rejoicing and selfless giving.
DSS
One other thing, what is the connection between the two thoughts in
verse 5?
Are we being gentle because we are excited that the Lord is near?
Are we making our gentleness known to everyone because Christ is
coming and we had better be on our best behavior?
Does Christ's presence somehow enable us to be more gentle? (We know
this to be true anyway, but was this Paul's point?)
Or, does Christ's nearness relate more to what follows in verse 6
than what precedes it in verses 4 and 5?
DSS
My sermon will deal with peace. Paul gives us ways to experience the
peace of Christ: Rejoice (be glad) Be gentle (actually the Greek
means to be "pliable" like the clay in a potter's hand). Do not
worry (Again, in the Greek, "do not be distracted". Doesn't that
speak to us in Advent!). Pray (The type mentioned in the Greek means
"to be poured out") and give thanks. This is the way to peace.
Blessings,
Jim in Atlanta
I read somewhere that the word rejoice means "to be about joy".
Seems like a good way of being in the world. What does it look like
for us "to be about joy"? PL in RI
To DSS: When I read your comments about gentleness, the verses of
the Suffering Servant "A bruised reed he will not break" and a
"flickering flame he will not put out" came to mind. This type of
behavior, modeled by Jesus, gives us reason to rejoice (O.T.)and is
another way of answering "What should we do?" (Gosp.) Thanks for
bringing it to mind. -Fisherfolk in OH
I am working with the theme,"It is better to Recieve that to give."
The point being we must first receive God's grace before we can
properly give in faith and love.
I felt called by the brief statement: the Lord is near. Each of the
readings seems to bring some piece of what it means for us to know
that Jesus is near. Seems to be both about be-ing and about do-ing,
especially in regard to John the Baptist. We draw closer to Dec. 25,
creeping ever nearer. A young couple in my congregation had their
first baby this week and as I stood with them in the NICU and heard
them talk about the miracle and saw the joy in their faces, I was
reminded of what it can mean when I know that the Lord is near. I
talked last week about repenting, changing direction and starting
over. This Sunday it seems important to stand with some awe and
wonder at God's nearness, to listen for the beating of our own heart
and to see the brokenness of sisters and brothers surrounding us.
How will we make this "nearness" near for others? Thanks for your
thoughts. Doug/ChapPA
I have had three funerals this week for church members and a fourth
is near death. Oh the joy of a larger church. Still it forces you to
reflect on what it means to "rejoice always."
Fred in NC
DSS Yes we rejoice in Christmas as a time of giving, as God gave us
his Son, Jesus, but it is also a time of receiving as well. We must
receive God's gift for it to be meaninful to us. Money is just paper
until it is used for its intent. Pretty presents are just pretty
presents until they are received, opened and received! Loving others
can't happen until we love ourselves. Others cannot rejoice unless
we, who are leaders in our faith are rejoicing in what we have
received. Hey, it really works! Rejoice in God always! Rejoicing!
pastordave in La.
