Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)

How does that strike you? It probably depends on your state of mind. It can be encouraging and affirm the joy you’re feeling now. Or it can seem like an unattainable goal.

It is the Word of the Lord. And it’s mentioned twice. “Rejoice!” And again, “Rejoice!” So we want to listen to this Word from God and live it.

In an age in which we are all more aware of mental health considerations, we may run across a recent diagnosis of what is called “smiling depression.” One description of it was . . . . “fake it til you make it.” We’re rightly in tune with the idea that just putting on a show with a smile doesn’t necessarily mean that’s reflecting reality. Is that what the Scripture commands us to do? Pretend rejoicing? Not at all! That wouldn’t be God’s way.

Throughout the Word God gives us the strength to do what he asks us to do. In this section from Philippians 4 God says,

“Rejoice!”, and then right after that says, … in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6)

Whatever gets in the way of our joy, we present it to the Lord. If it’s loss, we take it to God for peace and trust. If it’s guilt, we request more confidence in Jesus’ saving sacrifice for all sin. If it’s anger at offense, we pray for a forgiving heart. In every situation, as the verse tells us, going to the Lord in his Word will lead to the Holy Spirit restoring our joy.

“Rejoice always” is one of those impossibly high Christian life goals that are still good to hear! Like “Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect” or “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But God in his wisdom continues to put them out in front of us and moves us toward them through the work of the Spirit.

Jesus Christ has given us a foundation of joy in his salvation that will always be a solid rock to stand on. When we go to the Lord our joy returns.

God Sends Us Through the Heavy-Duty Laundry Cycle

Doing the laundry is one of the classic family chores. In our family we had a part in the process when we were young, mostly in the clothes-folding stage after the clothes were cleaned and dried.

Most don’t relish the idea of having to do laundry, but we’re very aware life would be far less pleasant if we didn’t. Even just wearing the same socks two days in a row is enough to make us uncomfortable!

Different cultures have found ways to clean their clothes. In Europe there were communal areas in town where neighbors would gather to wash their garments in outdoor pools of water. That likely is still the method in some parts of the world. A few generations ago in our country there were ways to do laundry at home, but they required a large amount of manual labor. Mechanized washing and drying machines have changed that completely, although now we have more sets of clothing to wash than in the past.

The ancient Israelites would use an alkaline mixture likely from plants for the same purpose. God uses that picture in the book of Malachi to show his judgment on sin through the arrival of his messenger, Jesus Christ. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. (Malachi 3:2)

The people of Israel were complaining that God allowed sinners to flourish without seeming to care. God replies, “Not so fast! Sinners who do not repent are not getting away with their sinful actions. I myself will arrive as a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.” So I will come to put you on trial (Malachi 3:5).

The messenger confronts us all. We are called to repentance and cleansing. We can scrub and scrub, and scrub some more, but none of our cleansing agents will work. Although you wash yourself with soap and use an abundance of cleansing powder, the stain of your guilt is still before me,” declares the Sovereign Lord. (Jeremiah 2:22) We trust in God’s full cleansing in Jesus!

The spiritual laundry cycle of God’s preaching of the law to our hearts may leave us bruised and worn out. It’s necessary so we look to Christ, our Savior. Examine your hearts and live in repentance. Cleansing in ours in Jesus so we are able to endure with joy the day of his coming.

“I the Lord do not change. … Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty (Malachi 3:6-7).

A parent says, “I want to give my kids a real Christmas.” What do you think that parent means? Perhaps they are thinking of trimming a freshly cut tree or finding the perfect presents or spending the holidays with extended family. Perhaps they are thinking about all those things. “Then it will be a real Christmas!” Certainly, all those are wonderful things. However, none of them are what makes Christmas real. The sad truth is Christmas is the most beloved holiday of so many, yet so few know what Christmas is really about.
If you want a real Christmas, then you need to observe Advent. Advent is Latin for “coming.” In the season of Advent, Christians observe the connection between the first time the Son of God came into our world as the Savior and the second time he will come as the Judge. Advent prepares our minds and hearts, so that we might soon celebrate a real Christmas.

14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
15 “‘In those days and at that time
    I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
    he will do what is just and right in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved
    and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’

Be Merciful to Those Who Doubt Or Have Been “Stained”

As the traditional church year comes to an end this Sunday, we look also to the end of all years when Christ returns.

In a world where unexpected threats can appear, “preparedness” is the key. First, you prepare yourself, of course. But it would be unloving to be ready yourself, and then just watch as others flounder in the face of problems you know how to handle. In preparedness courses those who are in the know pass on their expertise to those who need it. Courses exist for practically any situation: natural disasters, winter weather hazards, cybersecurity, disease outbreaks, and many more. You name it. There’s likely a course for it.

Jude wants us to build ourselves up in the most holy faith (v.20) in preparedness for eternal life in Jesus. Then he also encourages us to . . . . help others who doubt (v.22) and who have been stained by corrupted flesh (v.23). We don’t want anyone to flounder as they await the return of Christ.

We especially think of those who have been in the church, and who maybe continue in the church, but have some weak areas, or have been led away into temptation by false teachings or a lifestyle that opposes the Word.

22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. (Jude 22-23)

Jude himself, as one of Jesus’ brothers, must have not believed in him at one point (John 7:5). He was shown mercy by God, brought to faith, and became an author of a New Testament book.

We have a responsibility of compassion and love in Christ to our family of believers. Listen to their doubts and take them to the Word. Snatch them from the fire if necessary. We’ve been given mercy in Jesus. Be merciful in taking the time to encourage others in their spiritual struggles.

To shine is to give out a bright light. Stars shine. According to Google AI “stars” and “stardom” started to be applied to people in the 1800s, especially in the theatre. Now it’s common for anyone that “shines” or stands out for their talent to be called a star. That’s true for sports, movies, politics, and any number of other fields.

People shining as stars goes back to at least the book of Daniel though. The Holy Spirit through the prophet shows us a “time of distress” near the end. God’s people will be protected by . . . . the archangel Michael. In the judgment, some will go to “everlasting life” and some to “everlasting contempt.”
Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever (Daniel 12:3).

There’s that picture! Shining like the brightness of the heavens and like stars for ever and ever. It’s not the most talented. Not the baseball star. Not the star of the stage. Not the rising star in a political party. The stars in God’s prophecy are the wise, and those who lead many to righteousness. They don’t get the title from their own ability, but from the Lord’s work in them and through them.

The wise are wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (v.15). They know their sin and their Savior. They care about their salvation and lead others to righteousness and holiness in Jesus’ forgiveness. They’re God’s lights and God’s stars.

After this life we don’t literally turn into stars in the sky that people can look up to at night, as cute as that idea might be. But we are stars in God’s view if by his grace we know salvation in Christ and bring others to him. That’s a light that will never go out. Shine on, people of the Lord!

When we walk into Safeway and fill our cart with cereal and vegetables and chicken and frozen pizzas, we know how much we have to give before leaving the store. The tags on the shelves tell us, and if we don’t add them up as we go along, the scanner will when we check out. There’s not much doubt as to how much is going on our credit card before we walk out the doors.

How much do we give before walking out the doors of church on a Sunday? Or any offering for the Lord’s work any day for that matter?

In some ways the offerings and tithes of the Old Testament were a little easier. They were more set and determined. Bring your sacrifices at the proper times. Give your tithes when required. Participate in occasional special offerings. For the most part, then you’ve been faithful.

The New Testament is more open. The Old Testament ceremonies no . . . . longer apply, and neither does the tithing system. So we look to several principles in the New Testament books on how to give.

We can learn much from the widow’s offering in Mark 12:41-44. There are amounts there, not as rules, but as examples. The rich threw in “large amounts.” The widow gave two very small copper coins, which was everything she had.

That doesn’t help us if we’re looking for a quick amount or an exact percentage so we can get giving over and done with. God doesn’t let us off the hook with a simple number. He points us to the heart.

In the previous verses the teachers of the law walked around in flowing robes, looked for places of honor, somehow unethically grabbed the houses of widows, and then covered it all up with flowery prayers. In their hearts was greed, self-importance and deceit.

Then the rich offer their large amounts. That’s nice, but Jesus comments that they gave out of their wealth (v.44), implying it wasn’t a great sacrifice. Maybe their hearts were lacking in generosity.

The widow offered little, but offered all. In her heart was trust that God would care for her no matter what, and the simple, but deep, desire to give.

Both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, we are called to examine our hearts in giving. Are we giving out of faith and trust and generosity, no matter what the amount is? What God looks for and commends is the attitude of the heart that is moved by the generosity of Christ to us.
 

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:43-44)

The Day of All the Saints
“I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.” That lyric from 1977 is typical of how people tend to associate “saints” with their own holy living (which in this case was not very exciting according to Billy Joel). We can and do remember those who in faith leave a “saintly” example for us to imitate. However, when we see the word “saints” used in the Bible, it’s not on account of their holy lives, but their being made holy by Christ. Ephesians 5:25-26 tells us how we become saints: Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.

“Saints” in the Bible is another word for . . . . believers or Christians. If we believe in Jesus as our Savior and are baptized, we are washed clean and are holy before God. It’s not what we do that makes us saints, but what Christ did for us.

All Saints’ Day is a centuries-old tradition that appears to have begun to remember the martyrs. It grew to include all those who have passed on to glory as believers in Jesus. Revelation 20:4-6 presents them to us in a vision given to John, focusing especially on those who were put to death for their faith:
And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God….  6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4,6)

In this picture language those who share in the first resurrection (being brought to faith during their lives on earth) will not experience the second death (eternal condemnation). They rule with Christ for a thousand years (the time from Jesus’ first coming to his second coming) in heaven.

The saints are, of course, not just those whose names we know in history or only those who have been called to the ultimate sacrifice for their faith. They are the grandmothers who faithfully trusted in their Lord, passed on the Word to their children and grandchildren, and are now enjoying the blessed life in heaven. They are the teachers and preachers who stayed true to God’s teaching in their own belief and in their proclamation of the gospel and are now at God’s side.

Perhaps in our time in the Word and our prayers today we can take a moment to reflect on the great and wonderful heritage we have received. Countless believers, made saints by God’s grace in Christ, have passed on to life eternal. What a treasure we have in their stories, chiefly as a testimony to God’s tirelessly merciful work in the world!