The Apostle Paul once wrote, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Very rarely in scripture does Paul, or anyone else for that matter, say this clearly: This is God’s will for you. But here it is.  And it’s very simple – very spelled out. But by no means easy.

To rejoice is to take delight in, find pleasure in, revel in – relish, savor.  In fact, Paul wrote this letter in Greek, and the word he used is the word for rejoice – is the word chara. Have joy. Chara comes from the root word Charis – which means gift.  

If joy comes from charis – gift, then perhaps to rejoice, at least in part, is to become aware of the gifts: gifts of life, gifts of breath, gifts of forgiveness, gifts of reconciliation, gift of being able to get up in the morning; gift of the summer sunshine on my back. All gifts. 

To rejoice then, is to become aware that all of life is a gift. This moment is a gift. These people are a gift. The ability to communicate is a gift. My family and friends are all gifts.

Now if we look at this a little closer we see that rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks are integrally linked as rejoicing and giving thanks are prayers in and of themselves. It is really an outlook on life that Paul is encouraging. And it is an outlook that implies the need to stop and notice – to look around. 

When I was writing this, I had to pause for just a moment and take this advice myself. I was outside on my back porch and I noticed the birds singing, the cicada chirping, the morning sunlight streaming through the trees. By stopping and noticing – and delighting in it – I felt an almost immediate upwelling of joy.

I leave you a challenge. As you go throughout each day this week, I invite you to intentionally pause momentarily from time to time – find something to appreciate. Allow a full 15 – 30 seconds for it to fully sink in. Delight in. Let it soak in, and give thanks.  

Let us pray: Continue to open our eyes, O God, to the many gifts that surround us on every side. As we notice, open too our hearts, that we would find ways to respond. In Christ’s name. Amen.

Dick Howser was a much-loved manager of the Kansas City Royals baseball team in the 1980s. When he resigned due to brain cancer, his wife Nancy said, “As a child, I was brought up to believe that it is not whether or not you won or lost, but how you played the game that mattered. Then in the real world, I learned you had to win to get anywhere and it didn’t matter how you did it. But now after what has happened to Dick, I realize the old way is the right way. It really and truly is how you play the game.”

It is indeed the vulnerable moments of life that cause us to rethink what is really important, and the way in which we are living. 

We have only one shot at this life, and we will not always get it right. But let’s not make the mistake of waiting until the end to be in touch with deeper meaning and purpose. Let’s not wait until the end, to make adjustments to the way we are playing the game. Today, may you reflect on the people and values you deeply cherish. Give thanks to God for them, and think again about their place and priority in your life. 

Let us pray: Gracious God, we thank you for the gift of this day and indeed for the gift of life itself. Some of us today may feel as though our lives have lost meaning and hope. Others of us may feel lonely and others still may feel very far from you. Meet us this day right where we are. Work healing into our lives, and reconnect us to what is truly important, truly good, truly life-giving. Empower us again to order our lives in such a way that we both find hope and offer hope to others. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 133 reads: How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! 

Anyone living with multiple teenagers in their house can attest to just how true that is! And many times over the years when my girls have started to pick at one another or fight between themselves, I’ve quoted the first part of this Psalm – changed just slightly: How very good and pleasant it is when sisters live together in unity! (They love it when I do that, by the way!)

But this Psalm is getting at something larger than just the immediate family. In fact, it is part of a collection called the Psalms of Accent, which were chanted or sung by groups of people while making an annual pilgrimage up to the temple in Jerusalem. These psalms make use of family imagery to speak about the larger community of faith.

It is a short Psalm, and if you read it in its entirety, it is beautiful. This theme of unity is tied together with two similes.

First, the Psalmist says, this unity is like precious oil. In biblical days, olive oil was a sign of hospitality and joy. You would anoint a guest with oil when they came to visit. And think about Psalm 23 – Lord, You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows… This same oil was also used to consecrate kings and priests. 

Second, the Psalmist says, that this unity is like the dew descending on the mountains of Zion. In a very dry, dusty Middle Eastern culture, dew was life-giving and life-sustaining.

The message is clear: when God’s people live together in unity, it is a precious, joyful, even sacred – holy thing. It is like oil that consecrates. It is life-sustaining like dew. And it is there – in that unity – that the Lord has promised blessing. 

As I think about this Psalm today, I can’t imagine a more needed time than now to hear its message. As a nation, we are more divided, and more polarized than ever. And these divides even cut across our churches. In response to God’s desire for us, I wonder what you and I might do to help foster unity, and in doing so, experience God’s blessing more fully.

Let us pray:  We remember, O God, your desire for us to love our neighbor and to live as one. Grant us your grace that we might listen deeply to those who see the world differently. Even as we seek to express our views, help us to show humility, build trust, and thereby witness to your love and grace. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 46 is one that is definitely close to my heart. I remember on the evening of September 11, 2001, our church had a prayer vigil, and we read this text. Then, just as Covid was picking up steam, cities were shutting down and hospitals were filling up, this is the text that God placed on my heart – and the one I preached on that Sunday.

If there were ever a text to memorize, to have in your back pocket, or to have in your heart as a life-line, this would be a great one:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea…

This psalm has spoken so powerfully to people across the ages for a reason. It moves us from a place of fear and anxiety to a place of trust and faith; to God’s presence in the midst of what often feels like a crumbling world.

Do you remember what the most frequent command is in the Bible? You would think it would be “Love God” or “Love your neighbor.” According to Jesus, together those are the greatest commandments, but, they are not the most frequent. The most frequent command is, “Fear not!” Far more than any other command, over and over we read the words, “Fear not.”   Fear not.

Why do you suppose that is?

Maybe it is because when we are afraid when we let fear dominate, 
we do stupid things. 

Maybe because our fear will often divide us from other people. 

Maybe it is because fear can paralyze us from taking the next leap of faith 
or doing the right thing. 

Maybe it is because fear keeps us from seeing the beauty of God’s presence 
in others and all around us.

It’s not that there is nothing to be afraid of in life. There is plenty.  But the witness of the community of faith over thousands of years is that even in the face of it, even when the mountains shake, and the earth changes and all we know seems uncertain, God is with us.

Let us pray: Holy God, you are our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear…  We will not fear the other… We will not fear change… We will not fear the future…  We remember that in Jesus, you conquered even death. Help us to trust… and grant us your peace…. Amen.