Advent at the Table: A Devotional for the Third Sunday in Advent
Village pastors Revs. Rodger Nishioka, Maggie Johnson Phillips, Zach Walker, and Anna Owens have written a devotional for each Sunday in Advent. Each devotional is meant to be read as you light the Advent candle on your wreath at home each week. We will publish each week’s devotional here, but you may also stop by the church and pick up a printed devotional booklet to take home with you. These can be used from year to year; start a new holiday tradition with your family!
If you prefer, you may download the PDF file here with all five weeks of devotionals.
Read
Philippians 4:4-7, 10-13
“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…
“I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me but had no opportunity to show it. Not that I am referring to being in need, for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Reflect
Many of you might have read Rev. Tom Are’s book, “Joy Even on Your Worst Days,” which was a reflection on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. These verses were central to that book; we are reminded that Paul writes these words while he is in prison. Yet, even in his difficult circumstances, he encourages the church in Philippi to rejoice in all circumstances. It’s one thing if you are told to rejoice by a stranger who is having an easy go of life. It is quite another when you are told to hold joy in all circumstances by a person you know well and who is in very difficult circumstances.
Tom writes, “The culture in which we live is not a particularly joyful culture. We are better at anger and understandably so. There is a lot of fear, and that’s not likely to change.” Those words have been echoing around my head a lot—both because they continue to ring true, and so does Paul’s call to be joyful.
If both things are true, then I have some work to do. I can’t change the culture around me, but I can change—or at least pay attention to—how I operate in the midst of it. If I am called to rejoice in all things, it means joy is the lens through which I view this life and how I operate in it. Joy will be what anchors me. If I can hold on to that, it changes how I live and how I respond to what is happening around me.
Questions for Reflection:
- What are some areas in your life where joy is easy to find?
- Where are some areas in your life where joy feels distant?
- What is one way you can bring joy into an area of your life that needs it?
- Who is someone you can show joy to in the coming week? How will you do that?
Close with Prayer
God, there is much I struggle with; there are a lot of reasons to be angry or fearful. Listen as I name a few of those things that give rise to anger and/or fear in me…
But I also know, God, I am called to rejoice. I am called to this because there are certainly reasons for joy in my life such as…
I am also called, God, to live with a foundation of joy even when I am angry and fearful. In this Advent season, keep joy as an undercurrent in my life. I pray that I would not ignore my anger or my fear, but that my response to those feelings would be informed by joy. Amen.
Want more devotionals?
Subscribe to Advent daily video devotionals from our pastors, published each day during Advent. You can get them directly in your email inbox, or view them on our YouTube channel.
See all that’s happening at Village this Christmas at villagepres.org/christmas.