Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Philippians 4.4-9
The bible reading today is part of what we call Paul’s letter to Philippians, that is the Christian community that Paul founded in this ancient city in the North East of modern day Greece. It is famously called his “Epistle of Joy.” Why? Because Paul mentions “joy” or “rejoice” sixteen times across four chapters. “Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say: Rejoice!”
Think of the most joyful person you have ever known. Just so we can put some flesh and blood on joy “incarnate” we say in the church – on what could otherwise be a somewhat vague wispy abstract concept. We don’t need an abstract concept of joy we need more joyful people.
Bring this person to mind. Finally, my brothers and sisters, set your minds on all that is true, and pure, just, and honourable. Set your minds on all that is pleasing, and admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.
That is what we are talking about. Set your mind on your joyful person as we share this reflection.
Normally we do not think we will be getting advice or counsel about how to live the good life from a person incarcerated in prison. Much less about such a thing as Joy.
But thats the crazy thing: Philippians is a prison letter. Paul was incarcerated when he wrote his Ode to Joy. So how could Paul be urging his readers to experience the depths of joy?
Joy is something that comes from a deeper place than other emotions. The way I am thinking about is that happiness is typically a more fleeting emotion, often sparked by a particular moment or event that brings a sense of excitement or exhilaration. Joy, on the other hand, is a more long-lasting state of being, characterized by contentment and satisfaction with life overall.
Paul is urging us to go deep. And in our troubled age the world sorely needs people who are prepared to take on the discipline of going deep rather than wide. To become embedded in the faith and traditions they belong to rather than skimming across the surface picking a quote or a single teaching or a practice of many traditions all cobbled together.
Thomas Merton (arguably the most influential American Catholic author of the twentieth century) said, “You find peace (but lets substitute Joy) not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.”
Emotions are mostly a response to environmental events. Although they could be a response to a memory or a thought. In the face of uncertainty we experience anxiety and fear. In the face of loss or setback we experience sadness. When facing a violation of our, or someone else’s, rights or dignity we experience indignation or anger. When something good happens we experience surprise and delight. And overall, these feelings help us navigate our world and we should be in touch with our feelings. They are a vital part of our life and to be honoured.
But the problem, of course, is that this makes our flourishing dependent upon circumstance. Our emotions go up and down depending upon what’s happening to us. And this situation has always posed a problem for religion: How can we experience inner peace, calm, and joy if we’re so dependent upon and triggered by circumstance?
The answers here vary. Some wisdom traditions suggest some sort of emotional disengagement to achieve internal tranquillity. Buddhism and Stoicism are examples. Mindfulness is a good modern spin on this approach. By being present and mindful we put some distance between ourselves and our emotions.
How can you get emotional delight that’s consistent and constant regardless of circumstance? Well, you have to find and ground this delight in something outside and beyond circumstance. And that, like faith and hope, requires a religious stance.
Paul writes, I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
The religious posture required for joy doesn’t have to be Christian, but joy does demand some source of delight that exists beyond physical, observable circumstances. Otherwise, joy becomes, like all emotions, contingent upon circumstance, rather than constant “in each and every situation.” Paul has found it in the risen Jesus Christ. His call to the Philippians is not just Rejoice but Rejoice in the lord
Finally, my brothers and sisters, set your minds on all that is true, and pure, just, and honourable. Set your minds on all that is pleasing, and admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.
