June 23, 2025 • 16 mins
Discover the radical counterculture of joy through the lens of Philippians, a letter penned by a man awaiting possible execution. Pastoral Associate Sonja Knutson launches our new sermon series "Joy Anyway" by unpacking why this brief 104-verse book continues to captivate Christians worldwide despite—or perhaps because of—its origin story.
What kind of person writes about joy from a prison cell? Paul's extraordinary perspective challenges our modern understanding of happiness. While two-thirds of Americans report feeling unhappy despite unprecedented comfort and convenience, Paul demonstrates a resilient joy completely detached from favorable circumstances. This isn't about wearing fake smiles during difficult times—it's about finding strength beyond ourselves when life feels overwhelming.
Sonja beautifully distinguishes between fleeting happiness (tied to events and possessions) and deep-rooted joy (an inner contentment unshaken by external challenges). Through personal stories of loss and healing, she reveals how finding purpose through pain eventually leads to authentic joy. When faced with life's inevitable trials—whether personal struggles or global conflicts like the tensions between Israel and Iran—we have a choice: react negatively or respond with Christ-like perspective.
The most powerful revelation? Joy isn't the absence of problems but the presence of Christ within them. As we navigate an increasingly cynical, divided world, Philippians offers a revolutionary alternative—seeing our stories as expressions of Jesus' story and finding strength not in circumstances but in relationship. Ready to discover how you can experience joy anyway? Join us for this transformative journey through Philippians.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Good morning Central.
Thank you for coming today onsuch a hot day.
When I left for church thismorning my hair was about this
big, but you know, humidity willdo things to us that we don't
always love.
My name is Sonja Knutson.
I'm pastoral associate here atCentral.
I would love to get to know youand meet you.
(00:22):
If you haven't met myself orRyan or our team, please take
your time to introduce yourselfout in the lobby and, of course,
stop at the Connect Center andintroduce yourself to that team
as well.
We would love to just share inconversation with you.
Well, today, as Ben announced,we are kicking off our study of
the book of Philippians, withthe intent of making us
obviously more familiar with thebook, but also we want to
(00:46):
assure you that you can learnthrough this how to remain a
faithful community of Jesus andhave joy in a culture that is
resistant.
And isn't that so appropriatefor what we're walking through
right now in our world?
We hope this book and thisstudy will prayerfully capture
the hearts of all and guide usto a place of Christ-like
behavior, as we experience joyanyway, which is the name of the
(01:08):
series.
Let's begin with prayer.
Father, we thank you for thisopportunity to dive into yet
another one of your books andthis beautiful gift that is the
Bible.
We thank you for the author, wethank you for the encouragement
that it gives us, and we'vealready experienced joy through
the ordination of Jeremy and thebaptisms of these little ones.
(01:29):
We ask that you would place inour hearts and in our minds the
idea of joy, often even whenwe're walking through dark times
, and I think of this morning,as we learned and woke up to the
crisis that we are now involvedwith in Israel and Iran.
I pray for our anxiety and ourfear, and I pray that we are now
involved with in Israel andIran.
I pray for our anxiety and ourfear and I pray that we will see
you through all of this, thatthere is a purpose and that you
(01:52):
will bring us joy in it.
We love you, jesus.
In your name, we pray Amen.
Well, let me just say that Ilove the book of Philippians and
I don't think that I'm alone.
In fact, when I was in thesacristy earlier this morning
with Tina, she's like what areyou preaching on today?
And I said the book ofPhilippians and joy.
And she goes I love that book.
I'm like, yeah, so many do.
And when I sat down just hereearlier, sarah tapped me on the
(02:14):
shoulder and said thank you forthe scripture she was reading
for me and she said I love thisbook.
It I think many of us arefamiliar with it for many
reasons.
One of my main reasons it's abrief book.
It's only 104 verses.
It's snuggled right betweenEphesians and Colossians.
It's an easy read.
If you like a good nighttimeread or if you like a bathroom
read Maybe that's yourpreference for reading Take that
(02:36):
little book in there with you.
It's also adaptable.
It's relatively easy tounderstand.
You know, I wear my glasses onmy head for a reason.
Right, I look down.
I'm like I can't see what I'mwriting.
Take them off your hair.
It's not a hairnet.
It's also adaptable.
It's relatively easy tounderstand.
So as you read a scripture,you're like I like that.
I can apply that to my life.
(02:58):
And what I'm walking throughright now Philippians is also
memorable.
Whether you are an avid readerof the Bible or not, at some
point, if you have most likelycome across one of the more
popular scriptures, such as youknow, there you go.
I thank my God, I remember myGod, do nothing out of selfish
ambition.
And one of my favorites thatyou might read like on a tattoo
(03:21):
or on a grad invite is I can doeverything in and through him,
through his strength, which isexactly what I was saying
yesterday as I was shovelingseven ton of mulch and five ton
of rock with my husband.
I can do everything through, inand through him as strength.
I can do anything andeverything in and through him
with his strength.
And I was also saying I hate myhusband.
Why are we doing this?
It's really hot outside today,but I can do everything in and
(03:43):
through him.
And, lastly, it's a joyful book,which is suggested in our title
, in our series Joy.
Anyway, this book overflowswith joy, with brightness and
with warmth.
I call it the feel-good book.
However, this book's joy comesfrom a different place and all
of the brightness and warmth andjoy it is written in conflict
(04:04):
and struggle, and yet the bookencourages joy.
So I love this book.
But even if I've suggested theeasy reasons, there is also
great depth that we'll exploretogether in this next few weeks.
So today, as an intro, I wantto point and paint a bigger
picture of our author and thetheme and hopefully give you
some backstory to the why andwho and what this book is all
(04:26):
about.
Are you ready to dive in withme?
Awesome, let's do this.
Well, philippians was written tothe people in the Church of
Philippi, and its opening versethat Sarah read identifies both
Paul and Timothy sendinggreetings as co-authors, but the
Bible scholars suggest thatPaul was the main writer, as it
seems similar in style andcontext to the other letters
(04:46):
that he has written throughoutthe Bible.
The Apostle Paul did not writePhilippians in response to a
crisis.
He wrote to express hisappreciation and affection for
the believers in Philippi whooffered Paul support throughout
his ministry.
The events described in thebook take place in the city of
Philippi between the years 60and 64 AD and was composed while
(05:08):
Paul was in prison, and it canbe divided into several key
sections, primarily focusing onjoy, unity and the example of
Christ, which are interestingtopics when you consider Paul
was imprisoned while he waswriting this book.
Now, me, if I'm in prison andI'm writing a letter to those
that I love, I'd be writing fora new toothbrush, toothpaste,
maybe, some mints, some newbooks, but not our Apostle Paul.
(05:31):
He cooks off this lettergreeting with grace and peace
and he writes I'm praying foryour joy.
As Sarah read earlier.
How did he get there?
Well, he started in Jerusalemwhen was falsely accused and
arrested and taken to Rome.
Now, paul always wanted to goto Rome to do some sightseeing,
maybe bet on some chariot racing, but also to go and preach the
(05:53):
gospel where Christ was notknown.
He got there just happened tobe on a different tour bus that
took him to prison.
And while he was in prison, hewrote this book, the Philippians
, otherwise known as the Epistleof Joy or the Letter of Joy,
rejoicing in every circumstanceand finding joy amidst his
struggles.
Now, he didn't know that he wasgoing to be beheaded or if he
(06:15):
would be released, but herejoiced anyway.
This letter gives us a uniquewindow into Paul's heart and
mind.
He saw his entire life as areenactment of Jesus' story, and
as you read, you can easilysense his connection to the
Messiah and his awareness thatJesus' love was present and very
nearby, and that's what gavehim hope and humility in his
(06:36):
darkest hours.
Paul shows us that knowingJesus is, at its core, a
personal, deep,relationship-forming encounter.
This is the Jesus that Paulinvites others to follow, and
that's what his letter to thePhilippians is all about.
He knew, no matter what his endwould be, that he would still
win.
If he dies in prison, he wins.
(06:58):
He gets to be with his fatherand if he is released and shares
the good news, he wins.
He sees his relationship withJesus as a win-win and he saw
his story as an expression ofJesus' story and in that he was
able to experience and live injoy, true, authentic joy, no
matter his circumstance, thekind of joy that seeps from
(07:20):
every inch of your being.
Not just happiness, butdeep-rooted joy.
Happiness can be a component ofjoy, but it is rooted often in
events, circumstances and things.
Joy is the state of innercontentment that is not
dependent on externalcircumstances or fleeting
motions.
State of inner contentment thatis not dependent on external
circumstances or fleetingmotions.
(07:40):
In a sense, deep-rooted joy isa resilient and lasting sense of
well-being that comes from astrong foundation, that is often
rooted in faith and love andpurpose, and it is not easily
shaken by life's challenges.
Do you know this type of joy?
My granddaughter experiencesjoy, as do many children I know.
Isn't she cute?
They come about it naturallybecause they are not disoriented
(08:04):
by this world.
Simple things like mud puddlejumping and planting seeds and
dancing through a garden storebring them joy, while we often
see happiness in those things,but we also can be distracted by
work or cost or worldly waysthat warp our mindsets.
That, I believe, is why Jesussaid let the children come to me
(08:25):
, because he knows their joy,just like we know joy when we
are around it or we see it insomeone else.
My mother-in-law lived real,authentic joy.
When you met her, you justwanted to be around her, even if
you didn't know who she was.
There was just something abouther that oozed joy and I can
tell you it was Jesus and it washer faith.
(08:45):
One time my son, when he waslittle, asked me why is Grandma
always so happy, even when sheshould be sad?
And I just smiled and I saidit's Jesus.
When she passed awayunexpectedly, we just smiled and
I said it's Jesus.
When she passed awayunexpectedly, we found totes
full of Bibles and journals andas we read through them, they
too, even in her vulnerablewriting, shared the joy that she
found in her struggles.
One of her statements that Ikept and keep with me near my
(09:10):
Bible said I can't help but feelhurt by this mess, but Jesus
cleans up my mess all the time.
So I will move forward and Iwill find joy, and I will be
better because of his love.
What a gift.
She found joy even in her mess,because of her faith.
But unfortunately, that is notwhat we experience in our
worldly lives.
(09:31):
A recent study of the Universityof Chicago shared that, overall
, two-thirds of Americans areunhappy.
Think about that.
Two-thirds of Americans areunhappy.
That's like you guys areunhappy and you're happy.
Good job, guys.
Turn to your neighbor and sayshe's talking about you.
Turn to your neighbor and sayshe's talking about you.
(09:53):
Now say to yourself actuallyit's probably me.
And why?
Because we do way too much ofthis.
Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm.
And not enough of this.
We allow the world to tell uswhat's going to make us happy.
We need the right car, we needthe right clothes, we need the
(10:14):
right clothes, we need to have acertain income and live in this
great big house.
That's not what's going to makeus happy.
If happiness is the fleetingemotion tied to events,
circumstances or things, nowonder two-thirds of us are
unhappy and discontent.
Our joy will never come fromthings or from stuff or from
people.
Look at our story today.
Paul's joy did not come fromthis situation.
(10:40):
His joy was deeply rooted inand through his relationship
with Jesus.
Our joy, our deep-rooted joy,will only come from a deeper
relationship and understandingthat there is something bigger
than the world is in front of us.
What did I say earlier about joy?
It is the state of innercontentment that is not
dependent on externalcircumstances or fleeting
emotions.
It is a resilient and lastingsense of well-being that comes
(11:01):
from a strong foundation, oftenrooted in faith, love or purpose
, and it is not easily shaken bylife's challenges.
And Paul, in this lovely letter, is saying to the Philippi and
to us choose joy, no matter whatthe circumstance is.
Choose joy, because when wedon't choose joy, we then choose
(11:23):
the ways of the world a divided, angry, grumbling, hot mess of
a world, a world that debatesand is compatible, a world that
is greedy and self-centered.
And you know what I'm talkingabout because we see it
everywhere on social media, inthe news, in our communities,
our schools, in ourrelationships, in our workplaces
(11:44):
.
And when we jump on thatbandwagon along with everyone
else, we go down a very darkpath, led by cynicism and hate,
slander, prejudice,self-loathing,
self-righteousness, frustration,and in time we then will feel
like we're barely hanging on.
And I know you might be thinkingbut how can I find joy in my
hurts and my trials?
(12:04):
Some of them are small and someof them are very big and weigh
heavily on my heart and in mymind, and the idea of finding
joy in it makes me want tothroat punch you, sonia, as one
of my dear friends says often,and James would say to that
consider it pure joy, mybrothers and sisters, whenever
you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the
(12:25):
testing of your faith producesperseverance.
The word consider is verysignificant in that reading
because consider has to do withmaking a certain choice.
James is certain, when trialshit our lives, we are faced with
a decision.
You can decide to reactnegatively or you can decide to
react Christ-like.
You can choose to respond in away that moves you forward or
(12:48):
one that steps you backwards.
Let me say that again moves youforward, or one that steps you
backwards.
Let me say that, again, you candecide to react negatively or
you can decide to reactChrist-like.
You can choose to respond in away that moves you forward or
one that steps you backwards.
This verse encourages believersto respond to difficulties with
a positive attitude and awillingness to endure and
(13:09):
persevere, knowing that thetrials we face are ultimately
for their own benefit.
It's about finding joy not inthe trials themselves, but in
the opportunity they provide forspiritual growth and the
development of a stronger faith,a stronger love and a
meaningful purpose.
Because you've been there,you've done that and you can now
speak into other situations.
(13:30):
When Jeff and I lost ourchildren to miscarriages and to
stillbirth, in the moments ofthe losses we were not finding
joy.
I was mad at God.
I didn't understand.
None of what we were walkingthrough was joyful.
But as time passed we were ableto find joy in our healing,
because then I could see apurpose, as I have guided other
(13:52):
women and families throughsimilar tragedies and journeys,
and it was there where I sat inmy own prison and saw my story
in Jesus' story.
It is there where theresurrection gave me a purpose.
It is there, central, when thehurts of this world will bring
you joy, as Jesus told hisdisciples when they shared their
last supper together.
He said you will grieve mydeath, but through that you will
(14:15):
find wonderful joy.
Jesus did not go to the crosshappy.
He actually pleaded his Fatherto take his cup, but also he
said let your will be done in mylife, because he knew the joy
on the other side of the painand the suffering, just as Paul
explains in this beautifulletter.
Paul leaned into Jesus'strength.
For his joy, he lived in thetruth of the resurrection and he
(14:40):
focused on the other side.
And when things feel hard andheavy for us on this side of
heaven, we too find the joy ofthe Lord as our strength.
As Pastor Ryan referenced a fewweeks back in our celebration
sermon when he encouraged us tomake joy and celebration a
rhythm and a pattern in ourlives.
Nehemiah in the scripture wasencouraging the people of Israel
during a time of mourning tofind their.
Nehemiah in the scripture wasencouraging the people of Israel
(15:00):
during a time of mourning tofind their source of true
strength in the Lord.
As he emphasized, it did notcome from their circumstances,
but from their connection to God.
Let the joy of the Lord be yourstrength.
Is it easy?
No, it's going to takediscipline and practice,
endurance and perseverance, butthe end result is filled with a
(15:21):
purpose and a destination farbeyond our imagination.
As Christ followers, friends, weface challenges every day,
personal, deep challenges, lossand hurts that drain our hearts
and our lives, and as you endurethem, I would encourage you to
find the joy of the Lord as yourstrength.
(15:42):
We experience social, economicand political trials that are
blasted on our media feeds fedby algorithms and outburst into
protest that build our anxietyand fear, and we would encourage
you to let the joy of the Lordbe your strength.
And when division and wars warssuch as the conflict between
Iran and Israel and now us areconstant threat across the world
(16:04):
, and shootings and violenceseem to be creeping at the
doorsteps every day.
And it feels heavy and daunting, friends, pray and let the joy
of the Lord be your strength,because for thousands of years,
humans and this world havesuffered in similar ways.
None of this is new to our God.
He sees it all and, as Ryanshared last week, god is
(16:25):
reaching down to us, he'sputting his hand over us and
he's saying it's okay, I'm herefor you.
It feels dark and heavy andhurtful, but find joy anyway and
let's do this together.
He is saying live in myresurrection, see your story as
an expression of mine and wewill do life together.
(16:46):
Amen.
Good morning Central.
Thank you for coming today onsuch a hot day.
When I left for church thismorning my hair was about this
big, but you know, humidity willdo things to us that we don't
always love.
My name is Sonja Knutson.
I'm pastoral associate here atCentral.
I would love to get to know youand meet you.
(00:22):
If you haven't met myself orRyan or our team, please take
your time to introduce yourselfout in the lobby and, of course,
stop at the Connect Center andintroduce yourself to that team
as well.
We would love to just share inconversation with you.
Well, today, as Ben announced,we are kicking off our study of
the book of Philippians, withthe intent of making us
obviously more familiar with thebook, but also we want to
(00:46):
assure you that you can learnthrough this how to remain a
faithful community of Jesus andhave joy in a culture that is
resistant.
And isn't that so appropriatefor what we're walking through
right now in our world?
We hope this book and thisstudy will prayerfully capture
the hearts of all and guide usto a place of Christ-like
behavior, as we experience joyanyway, which is the name of the
(01:08):
series.
Let's begin with prayer.
Father, we thank you for thisopportunity to dive into yet
another one of your books andthis beautiful gift that is the
Bible.
We thank you for the author, wethank you for the encouragement
that it gives us, and we'vealready experienced joy through
the ordination of Jeremy and thebaptisms of these little ones.
(01:29):
We ask that you would place inour hearts and in our minds the
idea of joy, often even whenwe're walking through dark times
, and I think of this morning,as we learned and woke up to the
crisis that we are now involvedwith in Israel and Iran.
I pray for our anxiety and ourfear, and I pray that we are now
involved with in Israel andIran.
I pray for our anxiety and ourfear and I pray that we will see
you through all of this, thatthere is a purpose and that you
(01:52):
will bring us joy in it.
We love you, jesus.
In your name, we pray Amen.
Well, let me just say that Ilove the book of Philippians and
I don't think that I'm alone.
In fact, when I was in thesacristy earlier this morning
with Tina, she's like what areyou preaching on today?
And I said the book ofPhilippians and joy.
And she goes I love that book.
I'm like, yeah, so many do.
And when I sat down just hereearlier, sarah tapped me on the
(02:14):
shoulder and said thank you forthe scripture she was reading
for me and she said I love thisbook.
It I think many of us arefamiliar with it for many
reasons.
One of my main reasons it's abrief book.
It's only 104 verses.
It's snuggled right betweenEphesians and Colossians.
It's an easy read.
If you like a good nighttimeread or if you like a bathroom
read Maybe that's yourpreference for reading Take that
(02:36):
little book in there with you.
It's also adaptable.
It's relatively easy tounderstand.
You know, I wear my glasses onmy head for a reason.
Right, I look down.
I'm like I can't see what I'mwriting.
Take them off your hair.
It's not a hairnet.
It's also adaptable.
It's relatively easy tounderstand.
So as you read a scripture,you're like I like that.
I can apply that to my life.
(02:58):
And what I'm walking throughright now Philippians is also
memorable.
Whether you are an avid readerof the Bible or not, at some
point, if you have most likelycome across one of the more
popular scriptures, such as youknow, there you go.
I thank my God, I remember myGod, do nothing out of selfish
ambition.
And one of my favorites thatyou might read like on a tattoo
(03:21):
or on a grad invite is I can doeverything in and through him,
through his strength, which isexactly what I was saying
yesterday as I was shovelingseven ton of mulch and five ton
of rock with my husband.
I can do everything through, inand through him as strength.
I can do anything andeverything in and through him
with his strength.
And I was also saying I hate myhusband.
Why are we doing this?
It's really hot outside today,but I can do everything in and
(03:43):
through him.
And, lastly, it's a joyful book,which is suggested in our title
, in our series Joy.
Anyway, this book overflowswith joy, with brightness and
with warmth.
I call it the feel-good book.
However, this book's joy comesfrom a different place and all
of the brightness and warmth andjoy it is written in conflict
(04:04):
and struggle, and yet the bookencourages joy.
So I love this book.
But even if I've suggested theeasy reasons, there is also
great depth that we'll exploretogether in this next few weeks.
So today, as an intro, I wantto point and paint a bigger
picture of our author and thetheme and hopefully give you
some backstory to the why andwho and what this book is all
(04:26):
about.
Are you ready to dive in withme?
Awesome, let's do this.
Well, philippians was written tothe people in the Church of
Philippi, and its opening versethat Sarah read identifies both
Paul and Timothy sendinggreetings as co-authors, but the
Bible scholars suggest thatPaul was the main writer, as it
seems similar in style andcontext to the other letters
(04:46):
that he has written throughoutthe Bible.
The Apostle Paul did not writePhilippians in response to a
crisis.
He wrote to express hisappreciation and affection for
the believers in Philippi whooffered Paul support throughout
his ministry.
The events described in thebook take place in the city of
Philippi between the years 60and 64 AD and was composed while
(05:08):
Paul was in prison, and it canbe divided into several key
sections, primarily focusing onjoy, unity and the example of
Christ, which are interestingtopics when you consider Paul
was imprisoned while he waswriting this book.
Now, me, if I'm in prison andI'm writing a letter to those
that I love, I'd be writing fora new toothbrush, toothpaste,
maybe, some mints, some newbooks, but not our Apostle Paul.
(05:31):
He cooks off this lettergreeting with grace and peace
and he writes I'm praying foryour joy.
As Sarah read earlier.
How did he get there?
Well, he started in Jerusalemwhen was falsely accused and
arrested and taken to Rome.
Now, paul always wanted to goto Rome to do some sightseeing,
maybe bet on some chariot racing, but also to go and preach the
(05:53):
gospel where Christ was notknown.
He got there just happened tobe on a different tour bus that
took him to prison.
And while he was in prison, hewrote this book, the Philippians
, otherwise known as the Epistleof Joy or the Letter of Joy,
rejoicing in every circumstanceand finding joy amidst his
struggles.
Now, he didn't know that he wasgoing to be beheaded or if he
(06:15):
would be released, but herejoiced anyway.
This letter gives us a uniquewindow into Paul's heart and
mind.
He saw his entire life as areenactment of Jesus' story, and
as you read, you can easilysense his connection to the
Messiah and his awareness thatJesus' love was present and very
nearby, and that's what gavehim hope and humility in his
(06:36):
darkest hours.
Paul shows us that knowingJesus is, at its core, a
personal, deep,relationship-forming encounter.
This is the Jesus that Paulinvites others to follow, and
that's what his letter to thePhilippians is all about.
He knew, no matter what his endwould be, that he would still
win.
If he dies in prison, he wins.
(06:58):
He gets to be with his fatherand if he is released and shares
the good news, he wins.
He sees his relationship withJesus as a win-win and he saw
his story as an expression ofJesus' story and in that he was
able to experience and live injoy, true, authentic joy, no
matter his circumstance, thekind of joy that seeps from
(07:20):
every inch of your being.
Not just happiness, butdeep-rooted joy.
Happiness can be a component ofjoy, but it is rooted often in
events, circumstances and things.
Joy is the state of innercontentment that is not
dependent on externalcircumstances or fleeting
motions.
State of inner contentment thatis not dependent on external
circumstances or fleetingmotions.
(07:40):
In a sense, deep-rooted joy isa resilient and lasting sense of
well-being that comes from astrong foundation, that is often
rooted in faith and love andpurpose, and it is not easily
shaken by life's challenges.
Do you know this type of joy?
My granddaughter experiencesjoy, as do many children I know.
Isn't she cute?
They come about it naturallybecause they are not disoriented
(08:04):
by this world.
Simple things like mud puddlejumping and planting seeds and
dancing through a garden storebring them joy, while we often
see happiness in those things,but we also can be distracted by
work or cost or worldly waysthat warp our mindsets.
That, I believe, is why Jesussaid let the children come to me
(08:25):
, because he knows their joy,just like we know joy when we
are around it or we see it insomeone else.
My mother-in-law lived real,authentic joy.
When you met her, you justwanted to be around her, even if
you didn't know who she was.
There was just something abouther that oozed joy and I can
tell you it was Jesus and it washer faith.
(08:45):
One time my son, when he waslittle, asked me why is Grandma
always so happy, even when sheshould be sad?
And I just smiled and I saidit's Jesus.
When she passed awayunexpectedly, we just smiled and
I said it's Jesus.
When she passed awayunexpectedly, we found totes
full of Bibles and journals andas we read through them, they
too, even in her vulnerablewriting, shared the joy that she
found in her struggles.
One of her statements that Ikept and keep with me near my
(09:10):
Bible said I can't help but feelhurt by this mess, but Jesus
cleans up my mess all the time.
So I will move forward and Iwill find joy, and I will be
better because of his love.
What a gift.
She found joy even in her mess,because of her faith.
But unfortunately, that is notwhat we experience in our
worldly lives.
(09:31):
A recent study of the Universityof Chicago shared that, overall
, two-thirds of Americans areunhappy.
Think about that.
Two-thirds of Americans areunhappy.
That's like you guys areunhappy and you're happy.
Good job, guys.
Turn to your neighbor and sayshe's talking about you.
Turn to your neighbor and sayshe's talking about you.
(09:53):
Now say to yourself actuallyit's probably me.
And why?
Because we do way too much ofthis.
Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm.
And not enough of this.
We allow the world to tell uswhat's going to make us happy.
We need the right car, we needthe right clothes, we need the
(10:14):
right clothes, we need to have acertain income and live in this
great big house.
That's not what's going to makeus happy.
If happiness is the fleetingemotion tied to events,
circumstances or things, nowonder two-thirds of us are
unhappy and discontent.
Our joy will never come fromthings or from stuff or from
people.
Look at our story today.
Paul's joy did not come fromthis situation.
(10:40):
His joy was deeply rooted inand through his relationship
with Jesus.
Our joy, our deep-rooted joy,will only come from a deeper
relationship and understandingthat there is something bigger
than the world is in front of us.
What did I say earlier about joy?
It is the state of innercontentment that is not
dependent on externalcircumstances or fleeting
emotions.
It is a resilient and lastingsense of well-being that comes
(11:01):
from a strong foundation, oftenrooted in faith, love or purpose
, and it is not easily shaken bylife's challenges.
And Paul, in this lovely letter, is saying to the Philippi and
to us choose joy, no matter whatthe circumstance is.
Choose joy, because when wedon't choose joy, we then choose
(11:23):
the ways of the world a divided, angry, grumbling, hot mess of
a world, a world that debatesand is compatible, a world that
is greedy and self-centered.
And you know what I'm talkingabout because we see it
everywhere on social media, inthe news, in our communities,
our schools, in ourrelationships, in our workplaces
(11:44):
.
And when we jump on thatbandwagon along with everyone
else, we go down a very darkpath, led by cynicism and hate,
slander, prejudice,self-loathing,
self-righteousness, frustration,and in time we then will feel
like we're barely hanging on.
And I know you might be thinkingbut how can I find joy in my
hurts and my trials?
(12:04):
Some of them are small and someof them are very big and weigh
heavily on my heart and in mymind, and the idea of finding
joy in it makes me want tothroat punch you, sonia, as one
of my dear friends says often,and James would say to that
consider it pure joy, mybrothers and sisters, whenever
you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the
(12:25):
testing of your faith producesperseverance.
The word consider is verysignificant in that reading
because consider has to do withmaking a certain choice.
James is certain, when trialshit our lives, we are faced with
a decision.
You can decide to reactnegatively or you can decide to
react Christ-like.
You can choose to respond in away that moves you forward or
(12:48):
one that steps you backwards.
Let me say that again moves youforward, or one that steps you
backwards.
Let me say that, again, you candecide to react negatively or
you can decide to reactChrist-like.
You can choose to respond in away that moves you forward or
one that steps you backwards.
This verse encourages believersto respond to difficulties with
a positive attitude and awillingness to endure and
(13:09):
persevere, knowing that thetrials we face are ultimately
for their own benefit.
It's about finding joy not inthe trials themselves, but in
the opportunity they provide forspiritual growth and the
development of a stronger faith,a stronger love and a
meaningful purpose.
Because you've been there,you've done that and you can now
speak into other situations.
(13:30):
When Jeff and I lost ourchildren to miscarriages and to
stillbirth, in the moments ofthe losses we were not finding
joy.
I was mad at God.
I didn't understand.
None of what we were walkingthrough was joyful.
But as time passed we were ableto find joy in our healing,
because then I could see apurpose, as I have guided other
(13:52):
women and families throughsimilar tragedies and journeys,
and it was there where I sat inmy own prison and saw my story
in Jesus' story.
It is there where theresurrection gave me a purpose.
It is there, central, when thehurts of this world will bring
you joy, as Jesus told hisdisciples when they shared their
last supper together.
He said you will grieve mydeath, but through that you will
(14:15):
find wonderful joy.
Jesus did not go to the crosshappy.
He actually pleaded his Fatherto take his cup, but also he
said let your will be done in mylife, because he knew the joy
on the other side of the painand the suffering, just as Paul
explains in this beautifulletter.
Paul leaned into Jesus'strength.
For his joy, he lived in thetruth of the resurrection and he
(14:40):
focused on the other side.
And when things feel hard andheavy for us on this side of
heaven, we too find the joy ofthe Lord as our strength.
As Pastor Ryan referenced a fewweeks back in our celebration
sermon when he encouraged us tomake joy and celebration a
rhythm and a pattern in ourlives.
Nehemiah in the scripture wasencouraging the people of Israel
during a time of mourning tofind their.
Nehemiah in the scripture wasencouraging the people of Israel
(15:00):
during a time of mourning tofind their source of true
strength in the Lord.
As he emphasized, it did notcome from their circumstances,
but from their connection to God.
Let the joy of the Lord be yourstrength.
Is it easy?
No, it's going to takediscipline and practice,
endurance and perseverance, butthe end result is filled with a
(15:21):
purpose and a destination farbeyond our imagination.
As Christ followers, friends, weface challenges every day,
personal, deep challenges, lossand hurts that drain our hearts
and our lives, and as you endurethem, I would encourage you to
find the joy of the Lord as yourstrength.
(15:42):
We experience social, economicand political trials that are
blasted on our media feeds fedby algorithms and outburst into
protest that build our anxietyand fear, and we would encourage
you to let the joy of the Lordbe your strength.
And when division and wars warssuch as the conflict between
Iran and Israel and now us areconstant threat across the world
(16:04):
, and shootings and violenceseem to be creeping at the
doorsteps every day.
And it feels heavy and daunting, friends, pray and let the joy
of the Lord be your strength,because for thousands of years,
humans and this world havesuffered in similar ways.
None of this is new to our God.
He sees it all and, as Ryanshared last week, god is
(16:25):
reaching down to us, he'sputting his hand over us and
he's saying it's okay, I'm herefor you.
It feels dark and heavy andhurtful, but find joy anyway and
let's do this together.
He is saying live in myresurrection, see your story as
an expression of mine and wewill do life together.
(16:46):
Amen.
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