In the summer of 2003, the year before I was ordained, I was filling in for a minister on sabbatical in Milford. Now I had been doing pulpit supply there for a couple of years by that time, but this was the first time I had been in charge so to speak. I still remember that Sunday afternoon phone call from the RCMP telling me the Jeff Smith, a Quebec Major Junior hockey player who was home for the summer had died in an accident and could I come be with the family.

I immediately kicked into high gear. And it consumed my entire week. His funeral was a Thursday afternoon in the arena in Milford, partly because he spent so much of his growing years there, partly because e that was only place large enough in the community to hold the expected crowd.

It was a hot Thursday afternoon; and after it was all over, I went home and looked at the readings for the coming Sunday, and it was the reading you are about to hear, the reading where Paul is exhorting the church in Philippi to ‘Rejoice in the Lord, Always!’

Let’s listen to his words in chapter 4, verses 4-9: ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹ As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and noticed in me, do them, and the God of peace will be with you.

You can imagine my thoughts! How on earth was I was supposed to preach that passage after burying an 18 year old young man? I know what I would do now, I would simply change the reading… but back then, in that church, the readings were set for the year, and we didn’t change them! 😉

As I pondered and prayed, suddenly, almost in a blinding flash of light, I realized that the reading said, “Rejoice in the Lord!” It didn’t say that we had to rejoice for what happened. That despite anything and everything we could ‘rejoice’ in the Lord.

First of all, you need to know that Paul writes this letter to the church in Philippi from prison. He’s not been to a spa and reached some higher plane… he’s in prison, perhaps rock hewn, probably damp and cold overnight and hot and sweltering in the day. And yet, he still is exhorting the fledgling church in Philippi to rejoice!

So what does this have to do with thriving churches? Thriving churches are joyful… not because they don’t have any challenges, but because they meet those challenges with a spirit of yes! We can tackle that! And why are thriving churches joyful? Because they are connected to the sacred. They are intentional about practices that join them to God… to something bigger than themselves… something that enables them to rejoice in the Lord always, no matter their circumstances.

They are intentional about providing opportunities other than Sunday morning for people to connect to the divine, recognizing that not everybody resonates in the same way. In the study group that is just winding down, people had all kinds of opportunities to connect to the spirit, all kinds of ways to pray, each week they had homework! 😉

Many of us, including me, have very busy lives, and perhaps think we don’t have room to squeeze prayer, or some other spiritual practice in. I’m as guilty as the next person… when faced with my long to do list… I just want to get it done… I don’t have time for prayer! And yet… when I skip connecting with God… I might not notice it immediately, but within a few days I do… my list, which is primarily my ministry with you, seems to become insurmountable… and not only that, but a burden, instead of a joy.

Consistent spiritual practices/habits/disciplines, whatever you want to call them, help us stay grounded when the going gets tough. They help connect us to something beyond ourselves… they not only help us connect to the divine which has been traditionally thought of us ‘up’ but also to the earth, the very ground beneath our feet, earth that is in desperate need of care and healing. When we connect to our body/minds/spirits with one another and with God, that spills out onto the world. We feel connected and indeed we often feel ‘grounded.’

So, to end this reflection, we are going to close with a spiritual practice. I invite you to sit comfortably.

Tap your forehead to bring your attention to the moment. Then place one hand on your forehead and the other over your heart. Breathe slowly, and keep the hands in place for about a minute. While keeping one hand over the heart, move the other hand to the side of the head with the heel of your hand over your temple and the fingertips touching the top of your head. Hold in place for a minute. Then switch hands, placing one over the heart and the other sideways over the back of the head with the thumb touching the nape of the neck. Hold for a minute. Keeping one hand over the heart, move the other hand to the other side of the head and hold for a minute.

During stress and in shock or emotional angst blood leaves the frontal lobe of the brain. Holding the forehead is calming and helps blood return to this area. Holding all four positions helps to calm the nervous system, allowing you to be more fully present in the moment. It can move you from the worries and concerns of the future to a place of gratitude in the present. It also helps relieve middle-of-the-night worries that keep us awake. (Spiritual Practice taken from Thriving Congregations: Urban and Rural Success Stories by Loraine Mackenzie Shepherd)

And when you are ready… you can open your eyes… This is just one of the ways in which we can ‘rejoice in the Lord, always.

Thanks be to God for the challenge and the opportunity, amen.

Philippians 4: 4-9

April 21, 2024 – St. James

Thriving Churches Series

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