Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 19th, 2021
"REJOICE in the Lord always . . . " (Philippians 4:4)
Have you ever tried to do something "non-stop"? In other words, you kept doing the same thing over and over and over. It's gets tiring after a while, doesn't it? And when we keep doing the same task over and over again, we get worn out from doing whatever we are doing. Whether it's always working on the same report over and over again or always working without any days off. Whether it's always fixing the same thing over and over and over again. And yet St. Paul is telling the Philippians to "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!" As human beings, we rejoice when we are happy. When our favorite sports team scores late in a game and wins, we rejoice. When we are with good friends that we haven't seen for a while, we rejoice. We rejoice when we get a raise at work. We rejoice when a project gets completed. We rejoice at many times over many things, don't we? And yet most people don't constantly rejoice, do they? Sometimes our favorite sports team doesn't win the game or the season, for that matter. I know . . . I'm a Cubs fan . . . . Sometimes we get overwhelmed at work. Sometimes we get bad news. Sometimes we get angry. Do we rejoice in these situations? No. And yet St. Paul reminds the Philippians . . . and reminds us as well . . . . to "Rejoice in the Lord always!" The key is to set our mind to rejoicing no matter what. The key is to remind ourselves that life is sometimes good . . . . sometimes it's bad. Sometimes we are healthy, other times we get sick. Sometimes we get a raise at work. But some times we get laid off from a job. Again, life is not one constant, straight path where nothing ever changes and always stays the same. If it was that way, it seems to me that it would be somewhat boring. Sometimes things get difficult in life. But if we remind ourselves that God is always with us, even in the bad times, then we can rejoice. Even in the times that things seem the darkest, as long as we keep our minds focused on God, we know that we will get through whatever faces us. God loves us more than we will ever know. How do I know this, you ask? I know it because He sent His only begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins. He sent His Son into the world to walk among us, to be with us, to eat with us, to talk with us, to witness our good times and our bad times. God knows that life is not always easy for us. And yet Our Blessed Lord is always with us . . . in the good times and the bad. And we are called to always rejoice in that fact. As we are on the doorstep of Christmas on this Fourth Sunday of Advent, let us not get overwhelmed by life, but rather let us rejoice that God sent His Son into the world to be with us always. Let us remember that God is with us when we are on the mountain top but He is also with us when we are far down in the valley. Let us rejoice that God is always with us.
Mass will also be celebrated Christmas Day, December 25th, at 10:30 AM in the Chapel.
Have you ever tried to do something "non-stop"? In other words, you kept doing the same thing over and over and over. It's gets tiring after a while, doesn't it? And when we keep doing the same task over and over again, we get worn out from doing whatever we are doing. Whether it's always working on the same report over and over again or always working without any days off. Whether it's always fixing the same thing over and over and over again. And yet St. Paul is telling the Philippians to "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!" As human beings, we rejoice when we are happy. When our favorite sports team scores late in a game and wins, we rejoice. When we are with good friends that we haven't seen for a while, we rejoice. We rejoice when we get a raise at work. We rejoice when a project gets completed. We rejoice at many times over many things, don't we? And yet most people don't constantly rejoice, do they? Sometimes our favorite sports team doesn't win the game or the season, for that matter. I know . . . I'm a Cubs fan . . . . Sometimes we get overwhelmed at work. Sometimes we get bad news. Sometimes we get angry. Do we rejoice in these situations? No. And yet St. Paul reminds the Philippians . . . and reminds us as well . . . . to "Rejoice in the Lord always!" The key is to set our mind to rejoicing no matter what. The key is to remind ourselves that life is sometimes good . . . . sometimes it's bad. Sometimes we are healthy, other times we get sick. Sometimes we get a raise at work. But some times we get laid off from a job. Again, life is not one constant, straight path where nothing ever changes and always stays the same. If it was that way, it seems to me that it would be somewhat boring. Sometimes things get difficult in life. But if we remind ourselves that God is always with us, even in the bad times, then we can rejoice. Even in the times that things seem the darkest, as long as we keep our minds focused on God, we know that we will get through whatever faces us. God loves us more than we will ever know. How do I know this, you ask? I know it because He sent His only begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins. He sent His Son into the world to walk among us, to be with us, to eat with us, to talk with us, to witness our good times and our bad times. God knows that life is not always easy for us. And yet Our Blessed Lord is always with us . . . in the good times and the bad. And we are called to always rejoice in that fact. As we are on the doorstep of Christmas on this Fourth Sunday of Advent, let us not get overwhelmed by life, but rather let us rejoice that God sent His Son into the world to be with us always. Let us remember that God is with us when we are on the mountain top but He is also with us when we are far down in the valley. Let us rejoice that God is always with us.
St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.
NOTE: Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.
Please Join us as we gather together as God's family to: hear the Word of God; listen as God speaks to each one of us in our hearts; worship God in song and in word; listen to the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer; and, finally, receive Our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion so that we can be nourished for the journey we call life. Take one hour out of your busy schedule to worship God, to honour God, to acknowledge the need for God in your life.
Mass will also be celebrated Christmas Day, December 25th, at 10:30 AM in the Chapel.
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