True Joy

Chapter One
Ode to Joy
Text Phil: 1: 1-2
Most of us have had seasons where regular trips to the mailbox brought a great sense of anticipation—like the anticipation of a small child about to be tickled in the hope that laughter will quickly consume the room. Some of us approach the mailbox with dread. Tentative, short, cautious steps are taken because of some struggle in our lives or we anticipate bad news like jury duty or a bill.
Some travel down long gravel drives to Quonset shaped containers. Others open brass flaps in our doors. Some walk a half block to a big green box housing 16 small locked cubicles. Others have purse sized metal containers nailed or screwed into the side of their house. Each is a receptacle of communication from people we either love or detest.Most of the time we bound to the mailbox wondering what surprise awaits us. We wonder what letter will bring us great joy! Certainly Christmas cards and letters catch us up on what is happening in the lives our friends and loved ones. Occasionally, there is a parcel that brightens our day. We know that someone has taken special effort to communicate love and encouragement. Somehow it is more special than an email or Face book entry. Even with social networking, there is an anticipation of what might be delivered to our home. We frequently get notes from people we have not heard from in years. We find great delight in hearing about what has happened to them. We often hear about their successes and or their challenges. Most of them end with the blessing of joy for the season.The sending and receiving of cards is somewhat like a time of prayer. The writing and reading of notes causes us to pause in the midst of our own schedule to think and reflect. The words that flow from our own pen or desktop computer require conscious thought. It is not automatic. It takes time and effort to say ‘just the right thing’. Paul has done this in this letter! He gives us a great gift. So, as we work through Philippians we have the opportunity to consider not only what has challenged him but us in regards to loving and expressing joy. It gives us a chance to express our mood and our present reality. We give thanks and express joy that, in spite of it all, God has blessed us or has provided for us in ways beyond our comprehension; both in abundance, when it does not feel like it, and in ways we could not have imagined until reflecting on it much later.The Letter to the Philippians is somewhat like at Christmas letter to dear friends. It is letter of joy! It is a special joy experienced by those centered in the mighty acts of God in Christ! To share in their joy we must know their Christ! That is right! We must know their Christ! There is no other source for the kind of joy being offered here! To be truthful, we must admit that we don’t always share in the joy of our friends. Every year I receive a Christmas letter from a family whose children are always number one in their class, captain of the football team or dance troupe. They never seem to have problems. They are absolutely perfect in everything. Do you know people like this? Do you receive letters like this? The good news in Paul’s letter is that it is honest. The church in Philippi is having some serious challenges, but then so is Paul. The letter is not written to either hide or hype the truth. It is an honest exchange of hope, which produces authentic joy. We may have a hard time understanding this because joy is not about the absence of pain or friction. Yet in the midst of both Paul’s ministry team and the Church, he finds a joy in Christ that moves them beyond myopic preoccupation and spiritual paralysis. By being united in Christ they find joy in the face of all their struggles.
Let me ask you a question. What could come in your mailbox that would give you the greatest joy? If you are like many Americans it would be a sweepstakes entry, or better yet a confirmation of winning. For many of us the notice from Readers Digest, Publisher Clearinghouse, or notice from the Prize Patrol is our greatest desire.
Why? Because-- It would allow us to fulfill our wildest dreams. We believe that joy is a result having all we have ever wanted. Joy comes with prosperity, success, prestige, and power. Joy, we believe, comes from the outside, not the inside. For many, joy is not even a spiritual matter. It is a material blessing that allows us to do or be whatever we want – whenever we want.
Many of us find life so unbearable that we live for our escapist dreams. To many, joy is the lack of pressure from jobs and families. For some, it is the absence of hardship and peril. Most believe we don’t want a Biblical joy that comes in the midst of travail. We want all pain, struggles and challenges to go away. Knowing that God is with us in Emanuel does not always comfort us. We want Emanuel to resolve the issue or change it for us. We don’t want to work through the difficulty and emerge at the place where joy emanates from us. We want God to take care of it for us. For many of us to develop this ‘Ode to Joy’ that Paul describes to the Philippians will require a different way of thinking and behaving. That kind of joy will require us to find a new path, a way of being which matches the will of God. We, at the Lynn household have watched the mailbox in recent years for more than Christmas cards. My son and daughter, for example, exhibited unusual joy when they were accepted to the college of their choice. I confess-- mom and Dad did too! Why? Because-- we love them. Of course we had our own dreams, hopes, and plans for them, but the letter symbolized something much deeper than that.
The letter from a college represents a next step. There is future and potential to develop a life track that has enormous possibilities. No magic wand has been waved. No full ride scholarship has been granted. Career guarantees are not sealed. No job is promised upon completion of an academic program. No promises have been made to insure a trouble free experience.
Why then the joy? Because their opportunity allowed them the chance to make choices and decisions that formulated a way of life. They were in environments that forced them to evaluate their belief systems and values. Each had to live their faith in ways that, we pray, will bring joy to life. A doorway had been opened that sets a course and a direction.Did you know that is one definition of an Ode? Webster says an Ode is a way or path. I am confident that is what Bryce and Nikki are still finding. I am equally sure that as we unfold this Philippian letter, we will see that more joy comes in defining our path as congregations and individual believers, than in pursuing escapist dreams.We will also see that this letter is truly an Ode to Joy. Webster also defines ode as a lyric or poem addressed to some person characterized by a lofty feeling or dignified style. Philippians is a poetic expression written not just to a person but to all believers with extremely lofty feeling. The challenge to the Church will result in dignity and style. A path, a course of action is clearly revealed. In our union with Christ we will redefine joy. We will come to understand that joy comes not in the absence of suffering but in spite of it.