Rejoice
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, think about these things…and the God of peace will be with you.
-from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians
For so many of us, this is a season of despair, anger, and anxiety. Things are bad. Our spirits are aggravated and dysregulated. Every day, we feel pummeled with news filled with whatever is untrue, whatever is dishonorable, whatever is wrong, whatever is impure, whatever is ugly, whatever is reprehensible, things that are terrible and worthy of condemnation. We think on these things…and we have no peace.
It’s a good time to be reminded that we have been taught another way. Paul wrote this letter from prison in Rome, sometime between A.D. 60 and 62. The culture of ancient Rome was violent and bloodthirsty, and its leaders were infamous for their ruthless, tyrannical reigns of terror. Things were bad. It seems impossible that he could even write these words, let alone practice them and encourage others to do the same.
And yet, he did, and we have this guide for living with the peace of God, held and surrounded by the God of peace, if we are willing to follow Paul’s advice. What that looks like for me is intentionally limiting the time I watch, listen to, read, discuss, or think about the news and intentionally naming to myself and taking a few moments to “soak” in every little bit of beauty and purity and goodness and joy and gratitude and connection and contentment and love and justice work I experience or see enacted in the world. Others write these things in a journal, commit to talk about them with others, or make art, food, gardens, and music.
What can you think on this week that will lead you to rejoice?
God of peace, may our joy be both strength and resistance, fueling us to do your work of justice, healing, liberation, and restoration, in the way of Jesus. Amen.
Roxanne finds joy in her family, friends, music, the warmth of sunshine, and her cats, who have made it very difficult to type this devotion by demanding they curl up on her lap in the space where her laptop should be.