Count It All Joy
A sermon preached at the Installation of Judith Dwyer
Northampton Presbyterian Church
April 3, 2022
James 1:2-4
My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Members of the Presbytery of Philadelphia; members and friends of Northampton Presbyterian Church, friends and family of Judy, and you, Judy Dwyer: Rejoice in the Lord! Again, I will say it. Rejoice!
Those words of the Apostle Paul were written to the church at Philippi. It is one of the later letters of Paul and reflects a pensive, mature, and reflective individual. Facing the possibility of his own crucifixion, he was looking back on his life and reflecting on what was important and what was not. As he wrote or dictated those words he was in a Roman prison. He was likely shackled to another prisoner, thus limiting his mobility and any sense of privacy. It was a miserable circumstance, and yet the words flowed from his pen, “Rejoice!”
The letter of James declared to the early Christian communities, “whenever you face trials of any kind, count it all joy…”. This was a time of oppression, deprivation, and hardship for the early Christian community. It was a time of martyrdom for many who would read or hear these words of James, “whenever you face trials of any kind, count it all joy….”
This afternoon, I, first, want to reflect on our own context in terms of these admonitions to joy from James and Paul. Second, I want to examine the nature of joy within our lives and ministry. Third, how does the admonition to joy speak to the church in 2022? How does it speak to Northampton Presbyterian Church? How does it speak to Judy Dwyer?
I
Fifteen years ago, Judy began to struggle with a sense of call to the ministry. She was working with me and others at Abington Presbyterian Church. I went back and looked at some of my sermons and notes from that period of time. What was consuming most of our time back then? What was keeping us up at night?
- Building renovations
- Stewardship Drives
- Youth programs
- Mission trips
- Proofing the bulletin
- Updating the web page
- Session meetings
- Committee meetings
- Organizing and reorganizing the deacons
- Visiting the sick and the shut-ins
- Meeting and sometimes cutting the budget.
You get the idea…. Oh yes, at least once or twice a month there was the complaint about the condition of the bathroom, a matter of pastoral importance! It all seemed so important then.
At that time our congregations were getting older and smaller, yet sadly, much of our ministry was spent doing “event planning” and tending to the trivial. We clergy would get together and compare calendars (our “busy books”), often moaning, (but really bragging) about how busy we were….And we were. It was in this context that you, Judy, began to sense a call to ministry. I am not sure what your vision of ministry was, and I am not sure it even matters. You are not called to ministry to deal with the challenges of 15 years ago. You are called, educated, and ordained to minister in this moment and this time. The challenges are wholly different. A great deal has changed.
Two years ago, we found ourselves in the midst of a pandemic. A virus, one of the smallest biological entities in creation, attacked humanity and wreaked suffering and death throughout the earth. In response to this pandemic we shut down. This was the responsible thing to do. For churches it meant that we no longer gathered together for worship. Congregations developed “Covid Response Teams” that made decisions about:
- opening and closing worship.
- How to worship.
- Whether to wear masks.
- Whether to sing or not.
- How to respond to the latest wave of infections.
The techies in the congregation soon developed online worship, virtual meetings, classes and the like. We began to suffer from “zoom fatigue” and developed YouTube worship syndrome (worshiping in pajamas with a cup of coffee, a donut and siting in a recliner!). All this, we hoped was a temporary response, and we would get back to “normal” some day.
The reality is that we will not return. This little virus has held up a mirror to our society and to the church and has dared us to look at who we are. It has opened up some of the ugly realities that we have hidden for a long time.
The realities of racism, long covered up, has reared its ugly head. We have seen it overtly manifest in the streets of Charlottesville. But its systemic realities touch almost all areas of our lives including our congregations.
- We have a political process and politicians who are more concerned with sound bites, “gotcha” moments, and getting elected or re-elected, than with the hard realities of governing.
- We have gross inequities in healthcare that have been laid bare by this virus and the system is nearly broken.
- Economic inequities were exposed by the virus. We declared some laborers as “essential workers,” but treated them as expendable, failing to compensate them with a living wage and healthcare benefits.
- We have an epistemic crisis where we are silo’d in our media echo chambers, watching and listening to one view of things and condemning any diverging view as falsehoods.
- We are experiencing wild fires in the west, tornadoes in the center, hurricanes and tropical storms on our coasts. They are more prevalent and severe than ever. Sadly, we are divided about the nature of the realities of our changing climate.
- We are experiencing the first major land war in Europe in 80 years, with the potential of spiraling into a nuclear holocaust. Ironically, in a survey done on Feb. 9th, only 34% of Americans could even locate Ukraine on a map!
What is that old “Chinese curse?” “May you live in interesting times.”
Things were different, Judy, when you struggled with your sense of calling to the ministry…. But this is precisely the world in which you are called to minister. This is the world that Northampton Presbyterian Church is called to be the body of Christ, a community of healing and reconciliation. These are, indeed, interesting times….but they are our times, and by the grace of God, they are good times!
It is a good time to be a pastor!
It is a good time to be the church!
Rejoice in the Lord! Again I will say it, Rejoice! As you face these trials, count it all joy!
II
There is an irony in Paul’s admonition to rejoice. As I mentioned, he wrote or dictated his letter to the Philippians while in a Roman prison. He was likely facing his own death by crucifixion. He was probably shackled to another prisoner to bar escape. As he wrote this letter, he was involved in an introspective evaluation of his life, in which he concluded that much of it was a big waste of time. His words were, “all these things I count as loss….”
His congregations were about to enter a period of persecution and I suspect that Paul intuitively realized this. And yet…. And yet…. He admonished his readers to rejoice. His words have the authority of one who suffered pain and endured life in the midst of a time of historical discontinuity, (not unlike what we are experiencing today!).
It is fair to ask, why and how should we experience joy in our time? What was the foundation, the truth if you will, of Paul’s admonition to joy? Given his circumstances, his words seem almost inappropriate and delusional.
At the heart of Paul’s world view was a belief that the Resurrection of Jesus was a moment that revealed the future. Creation, the world itself was in the travail of birthing a new order. The immediate future may hold suffering, even death, but the ultimate future was the victory of life itself and all that is good. While human existence may at times be puzzling, indeed an insoluble mystery… Paul lived with the assurance that this mystery ended gloriously. So with shackles on his legs and wrists, he could “rejoice!”
III
Contemporary ministry is hard. From the luxury of retirement I observe my colleagues carrying the burden of the challenges that have arisen. If the truth be told, I am somewhat envious. Why? This is an awesome time to be a pastor! It is a time to rejoice. Why?
- All the “administrivia” that consumed pastors for decades has also been exposed and we have a clearer understanding of what is important and what is not. We need the guts to say with the Apostle Paul, “all these things I count as loss.” Literally garbage!
- It is a time for pastors to wear the mantle of the prophets in our pulpits, speaking the truth with love to our congregations.
- It is time to expose the lies and falsehoods that have been masquerading as truth in our world.
- It is a time to use the fabulous seminary education we have, encouraging our congregations to think theologically and realistically about the world.
- It is time we stop being mere ecclesiastical managers!
- It is a time for congregations to become communities of reconciliation, bringing together those who have been divided by ideology, class, race, gender, and all the other things that divide us.
- It is a time to take to heart the words and actions of our Lord who blessed the peacemakers, healed those who were ill, and welcomed those who were alienated from society’s mainstream. Do the same in Christ’s name!
- It is a time for congregations to fulfill that great end of the church, to “exhibit the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.” This transactional world needs to see communities that model the grace of God, the love of Jesus Christ, and indeed are communities of the Holy Spirit.
The pastor in me is envious of the immense challenges and opportunities for ministry that clergy and congregations face. These are, indeed, interesting times!, They are exciting times! It is time to be bold in ministry!
Judy, you have been called, set apart, and nurtured to be a minister to this congregation, this community of faith, this people of God. Be that minister, and count it all joy.
Members of Northampton Presbyterian Church, you are a community of faith, called by the Spirit, to witness to the Kingdom of Heaven and the grace of God to the world outside these walls. You have called Judy to lead you as together you fulfill this sacred task. Allow her to be your pastor. Give her permission to preach the truth. Do not tie up her time and energy in that which is trivial and ultimately unimportant. Be gracious when she stumbles… pray for her.
Rejoice in the Lord! Again, I will say it. Rejoice! …. Indeed, count it all joy! Amen.
