Summer Preaching Series June 28-29, 2025
“Joy” Philippians 4:4-7
Rev. John R. Larson Ascension Lutheran Church Littleton, Colorado
Here are two names for you. Euodia. Syntyche. Familiar with them? Maybe not. But they both have their names in the Bible. They were part of the house church that was in Philippi. They were active in that fellowship. Paul remarks that “these women have contended at my side for the cause of the gospel.” (Philippians 4:3)
But they are remembered for how contentious they were with one another. Paul makes an appeal to them, “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with one another in the Lord.” (Philippians 4:2) I don’t know what their beef was with one another, but I know it hurt the whole church. It made the congregation uneasy. Two believers acting as unbelievers. Paul asks two of the folks in that church to meet with the two that didn’t get along.
How does history remember those two ladies? It remembers them for their worst moment. Paul pleads with them to be remembered for something better and greater.
How will we be remembered? Maybe we don’t want to know. In one of my preaching journals one pastor tells of a memorial service that he conducted for a member who was still alive. The man, who was dying with advanced cancer, treasured all the people in his life, his family, friends and neighbors and so he asked if they could do the memorial when he was still living. He wanted to sit in the front row and take everything in. Hymns, Scripture, Sermon, Obituary, (except for the date, of course). Even the meal following the service. He wanted to know how he would be remembered. He wanted to hear the promises of his God to him.
Two other ladies in our congregation suggested our text for today. The reading is: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7) One of those ladies wrote, “My favorite Bible passage is Philippians 4:6-7. It is clear about how I am to cast my cares entirely on Him and live with a peaceful, worry-free mind, knowing that God has it all under control.”
Let’s pick this passage apart to find words about who we are and how we should be remembered by those who know us best. Who are we? We are people of joy. I saw a sign going into a small town which said, “Welcome to our town. 2,000 pleasant people and a few grumps.” Which one are you? We do have a choice about this, after all. We are people who rejoice in the Lord always. Now, we don’t always dance. We don’t always have a giant grin. But we have a confidence and a joy that we are cared for, and loved by, our God.
The Old Testament tells us that joy is more than a smile and even more than laughter. The prophet Habakkuk says, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)
Joy is not ours simply because we have the best circumstances. And we can’t manufacture our joy. It is not something that comes to us if we just try a little bit harder. It comes from God, as do all good gifts. It is given to us when we take stock of the truth that God receives us sinners into His fold. He takes all of us who are sick and makes us whole and healthy by His forgiveness. He puts His name on us in Baptismal waters. He gave us a full confidence that Jesus is our Savior. Remember how this verse was put together, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Joy comes from the Lord and when we are in the Lord.
How will you be remembered? We have sung the song “Let it Be Said of Us” in worship here at Ascension. The final verse says:
Let it be said of us, we were marked by forgiveness;
We were known by our love and delighted in mercy;
We were ruled by His peace, heeding unity’s call,
Joined as one body that Christ would be seen by all.
How will you be remembered? How about being a person who simply took God at His word and trusted Him at all times? Isn’t that the greatest thing that you can model to another person? You speak and live with a confidence that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. You live knowing that you haven’t deserved God’s love and goodness but you know that He is good and He delights in caring for you. You live in faith in Jesus.
Verse 6 in our text pits worry and anxiety against prayer and thanksgiving. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Paul, at times, is effusive about how good God is. He says, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:17-21)
Some years ago I heard how joy becomes ours. It is an acronym, taking the first letter from three names and putting them in the right order. Jesus. Others. You. Joy. Jesus. Others. You. We get into trouble and can never spell joy when we get these folks out of order. But that is what we can do. Who wants to be first? Me. Self. You. Our world revolves around self and what we need. It doesn’t work. You’ve seen it in your life. You’ve seen it in the life of others. We’re quick to tell others that they have their priorities messed up. But the same is true for us. Ultimately, looking for lasting joy in self leaves us empty.
Our joy is in Jesus. The old hymn has it right, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)
We have joy because our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We have joy because God considers us righteous through the actions of Jesus for us. Christ is our foundation. He is first. He is our only hope.
And then others go in front of us. Earlier in Philippians Paul gave us this direction, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4) Doesn’t that give you joy? Loving and serving other people. Providing your time or abilities or gifts for others who are in need, is pure joy. The Bible says, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10)
I asked you, “How will you be remembered?” Really, that is secondary. We are to be a light to the world. And whom do we reflect? God. Our Lord Jesus. Will they remember that we reflected the ways of God, the mercy of Jesus, and the gift of faith? I hope so. I hope we are telling the world all about true joy. Jesus. Others. And you. Amen!!
