Rejoicing In The Lord

Reflection for Third Sunday of Advent
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
Based on Philippians’ 4:4-7, Psalm 84, John 1:19-28
“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4)

St. Paul in his letter to the people of Philippi sends us a very powerful message on living life especially during this season of advent as we prepare ourselves for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and the salvation his coming brought to all of the human race.
Paul tell us to; “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing, fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
Rejoice in the Lord! With so many today grumbling about one thing or another, with the daily news services reporting one horrible event after another. With the knowledge that so many children of God around the world are living in poverty, suffering from discrimination, homeless, and being killed because of the greed and power seeking of others. With multitudes of senior citizens lacking adequate medical care and struggling to have the basic needs of life, we might wonder how we could ever REJOICE IN THE LORD!
Possibly the cause of all the suffering facing the world today is that so many have put God far in the back of their minds. So many today do not consider God in their daily lives or take time to offer thanks for the gifts God has provided them. They claim that they are too busy to give God the time necessary and be successful.
If they would just take some time to think about their life and who gave them the abilities they posses to seek recognition in their chosen field of endeavor, they might come to the realization that Almighty God who created them infused them with those abilities. If they had come to that realization then maybe they might come to the awareness that they need to thank God for what He has provided them and take a more active participation in acknowledging God in their life.
All over the globe people are decorating their houses and purchasing gifts for celebrating Christmas and Chanukah both celebrations which honor God, yet most people focus on the commercial aspects of the holidays and forget about the true purpose of them, REJOICING IN GOD!.
Without God, there would not be either of these holidays. Let us focus on this and integrate God into all our preparations. Let us make sure that we have set aside times to thank God for all He has provided us. Let us plan to attend a religious ceremony as a part of our celebration plans. For those who are Christian, attend church and receive the Eucharist. For members of the Jewish faith attend Synagogue.
Remember the words of John The Baptist ““I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.” (John 1:26-27)
We know whom it was John spoke of, Jesus Christ. Christmas is the time we set aside to recognize His coming to live among us in order to teach us they way to happiness and everlasting peace and to gain for us eternal salvation. Let us acknowledge that precious gift from God, the Gift of His beloved son and make room in our lives every day to “Rejoice in Him” through prayer and deeds. Let us strive to live our life every day in a manner that is in accordance with the way Christ instructed.
Let us work toward being more considerate, compassionate, understanding, forgiving and caring more for all those around us rather than just concentrating on our own needs. What a wonderful way to present our gift to Almighty God in thanksgiving for all He has done for us.

PRAYER
Almighty and merciful God, we come to you this advent season to give you thanks and praise for the many gifts you provide us every day. We ask forgiveness for our transgressions and sins and promise to strive to live our daily lives according to the way you taught us.
Guide us by the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be more mindful of the needs of ALL your children and help us to do our part in bringing about the peace and brotherhood for all the children of God all over this world that was proclaimed by the angels on the night you were born. We ask this in the name of our redeemer and savior, Jesus Christ, your son, whose coming among us we celebrate this Christmas Season. AMEN