Finding Joy Always
October 18, 2026
Sermon: “Finding Joy Always”
Scripture: Philippians 4: 4-13
Reverend Betty Jo Sims
Invocation
Gracious and loving God, You invite us to come to the feast of your abundant grace, to gather at your table, and to share in the joy of your kingdom. You call us from the busyness of our lives, from the distractions that claim our attention, and from the places where our hearts have grown weary or distant.
Lord, open our hearts to hear your invitation anew. Clothe us in the righteousness of Christ, that our lives may reflect your love, our hands may serve our neighbors, and our hearts may be transformed by your Holy Spirit. Remind us that your grace is a gift freely offered to all, and teach us to respond with faith, humility, and faithful discipleship.
As we worship today, prepare us to receive your Word, to celebrate your presence, and to go forth as witnesses of your welcoming love. May we never take your invitation for granted, but live each day with gratitude for the privilege of being called your people.
Come, Holy Spirit, and make this gathering a foretaste of your heavenly banquet, where all
are welcomed into the fullness of your love.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen
Scripture Philippians 4: 4-13
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. 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. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
This is the word of God for the people of God ….
Thanks be to God.
Prayer
Gracious and loving God,
We come before You with grateful hearts, seeking the joy that comes not from perfect circumstances, but from the assurance of Your abiding presence. In a world that often feels heavy with worry, uncertainty, and sorrow, remind us that our joy is rooted in Your unfailing love and the hope we have through Jesus Christ.
Lord, open our eyes to the blessings that surround us each day—the beauty of Your creation, the kindness of a neighbor, the comfort of a friend, and the quiet moments when we sense Your Spirit near. Help us to recognize Your goodness even in seasons of struggle, trusting that You are at work in ways we may not yet understand.
Through the grace of Jesus Christ, renew our spirits and restore our hope. By the power of the Holy Spirit, fill us with a joy that sustains us through difficult days, strengthens us in times of weakness, and inspires us to share Your love with others. Teach us that true joy is not simply found in what we possess or what we accomplish, but in knowing that we are loved, forgiven, and called to live as Your faithful disciples.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who brings us abundant life and everlasting joy.
Amen.
“Finding Joy Always”
Joy is not determined by what you have or lose. Imagine a farmer who spends months preparing his land, planting seeds, and praying for rain. But a severe drought comes. His crops wither, his income disappears, and the future of his farm becomes uncertain.
A neighbor asks him, “How can you still come to church and praise God when you've lost so much?”
The farmer replies, “I prayed for a harvest, and I still believe God is good.
The drought may have taken my crops, but it cannot take away my faith, my family, or the God who walks with me.”
Paul did not say he was happy about every circumstance. He said he had learned to be content in every circumstance. Contentment is not pretending that pain does not hurt. It is trusting that God remains faithful when life does not go according to plan.
The farmer's circumstances changed, but his source of hope remained the same. Some people lose jobs, relationships, health, or financial security. We can grieve what we lose without surrendering our trust in God. Our joy rests in God's presence, not merely in His blessings.
The drought may destroy the harvest in your field, but it does not have to destroy the faith in your heart. If God does not change your circumstances today, can you still trust Him to sustain you through them?
I do not know about you, but oftentimes, joy feels like a luxury. An add-on. An I’ll-get-to-that-if-I-ever-have-free-time kind of thing. So, when Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice,” I am tempted to respond, “I’ve Got that covered on Sundays, but there is too much going on in this world to spend time on joy or rejoicing the other six days of the week.”
But then, I come across an article that stops me in my tracks and calls me out on just how wrong I am. What Paul knew, that I all too quickly forget, is that joy is not a luxury or a distraction. Joy is vital. We cannot do this thing called life without it.
And more importantly, we do not have to manufacture it. Joy is a gift, an act of grace in our lives that points us back to God and flows out of us to others. Joy gives us sustenance to maintain life, hope, resilience, and perseverance, even in the most impossible circumstances.
Joy Is not an escape. True joy accompanies us in and through the realness of our lives.
So, even as we focus on rejoicing today, we want to Speak the truth about how we fall short. We can rejoice in God because in all of our faults and our pain, we are not alone. God is with us. Let the joy come in response to God’s never-ending, always-loving presence among us, in response to God’s acts of pardon, nurture, and provision.
Consider this man who spent years climbing the corporate ladder. He believed that if he earned a higher salary, bought a bigger house, and drove a better car, he would finally be happy.
Eventually, he got the promotion he wanted. His income increased, and his possessions multiplied. Yet he was exhausted, distant from his family, and constantly worried about keeping what he had gained.
One evening, after missing another family dinner because of work, he realized something painful: he has spent years pursuing the things he thought would give him joy while neglecting the people and relationships that made life meaningful.
He begins making changes. He spent more time with his family, served others through his church, practiced gratitude, and made room for prayer. His financial situation did not immediately change, but his priorities did. he Discovered That Money Could Not Buy Joy and that Having more does not necessarily mean having joy.
Paul says he knows how to live when he has plenty. That is important because contentment is tested not only in poverty but also in prosperity. Sometimes hardship tempts us to despair. Sometimes abundance tempts us to believe that we no longer need God.
Paul teaches that neither having much nor having little should control our inner life. Our relationship with Christ must remain at the center. A bigger paycheck cannot guarantee a peaceful heart. Success is not wrong, but success becomes dangerous when it becomes our source of identity.
Joy grows as we learn gratitude, generosity, fellowship, and dependence on God. You see You can have everything you ever wanted
and still feel empty if you have forgotten to include God, whom your soul needs most.
Question for thought today: Are you pursuing God's blessings so intensely that you are neglecting the joy of walking with God Himself?
Paul wrote Philippians while imprisoned. In verses 9–13, he points believers toward practicing what they have learned, received, heard, and seen in him, while trusting the God of peace and the strength Christ provides.
Paul's joy was not based on having control over his surroundings. His confidence rested in Christ.
Scripture does not tell us that we Christians can achieve every personal ambition. It does say Christ strengthens believers to endure and remain faithful in both abundance and need. No matter our circumstances, our hearts can be transformed.
You may be confined by grief, regret, illness, loneliness, or circumstances beyond your control.
You may not be able to change everything around you, but with God's help you can begin changing how you respond.
Christian joy is not denial of suffering; it is hope that survives suffering. We can decide whether or not we will trust the God who meets us in our circumstances.
Question for thought: What if the joy you are waiting to experience after your circumstances change is a joy God wants to begin growing in you today?
So, the farmer teaches us that we can have joy when we lose what we worked for. The successful man teaches us that we can have plenty and still need to learn contentment. When we think about Paul, writing and teaching from prison, he teaches us that even when our freedom is limited, our hope in Christ can remain alive.
Paul learned to live through all these seasons. He knew what it meant to have plenty and what it meant to suffer need. His confidence was not in his circumstances but in Christ, who strengthened him.
You see, Joy is not the absence of trouble. Joy is the presence of Christ in the middle of trouble.
So, whether you are standing in a season of abundance or walking through a season of hardship, keep practicing what God has taught you, keep trusting His peace, and keep depending on His strength. You may not be able to control every season of life, but through Christ, you can learn to remain faithful in every season.”
“Always” is a hard word. In many ways, it’s an inhuman word. Always. Who says that? How do we guarantee “always” in a temporary kind of world? Who knows what might be next? I heard about a wedding couple who wanted to change the vows from “until death do us part” to “as long as love shall last.” Now, it is possible that they meant always, that they were confident in that love.
It was an Irving Berlin kind of love.
“I’ll be loving you Always / with a love that’s true Always / when the things you’ve planned / need a helping hand / I will understand Always.”
Maybe that is what the couple meant when they wanted to change the vows to “as long as love will last.” Maybe they were proclaiming an Irving Berlin kind of love. Always. Or - How about a Jon Bon Jovi love? “And I will love you, baby - Always / And I'll be there forever and a day - Always / I'll be there till the stars don't shine / Till the heavens burst and / The words don't rhyme / And I know when I die, you'll be on my mind / And I'll love you - Always.”
Okay, Maybe they are not the best illustrations, but always is still a big word, a romantic word, not a very practical word. Always—not a very doable word. Always—for now, that fits, that works. For a while, we can handle that.
But who has the capacity to say “always”? Not me. And I suspect, not you. Am I right? Always does not fit every circumstance. But Paul wrote,
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” So, Paul. Why did you throw that word in there? That unreachable, impossible word? That “always” word.
Take that word out, and this is a nice little passage about being happy, finding your joy, walking on the sunny side of life. “It’s got a nice beat, and you can dance to it.” A spoonful of sugar, and all that. You wanted something more, something deeper. You wanted something (dare I say it?) eternal.
What a wonderful life we Would have if this life was like a Walt Disney cartoon, and we could skip down the yellow brick road of life hand-in-hand with God, flowers blooming on either side, animals applauding and birds singing above our heads.
Unfortunately life is not like that.
So would anyone object to saying, “Rejoice in the Lord.” Well, of course not! Who would say no to that? “Again, I say rejoice.” Sure, keep reminding us; we need the boost. we also need to be reminded of the source of this joy: “Rejoice in the Lord.” Certainly, we can do that. we have done that. We can remember a time when there was joy in the Lord, in worship, in fellowship. Sure, it happens. Been there, done that. But always??
And then, Paul says, let it spill out. That joy in the Lord is not just for you, not just so that you get a boost, a lift, a skip in your step. Let it come out. “Let your gentleness be known to everyone.” Gentleness? Hmm. I am not sure that is the best word, actually. It is a good word, but maybe not the best.
It does not quite convey what Paul is getting at here. “Patience,” some say, “forbearance,” if anyone uses that word anymore; “magnanimity,” if you want a real tongue twister. Peterson’s The Message says, “Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you are on their side, working with them and not against them.” I like that version.
A different paraphrase said, “Let all the world know that you will meet them half-way.” It is about hospitality, welcome, inclusion; it is about the fact that we are not the judge; we do not point fingers; we do not accuse; we dropped our stones long ago, since Jesus told us that only the sinless can throw them. We are not looking to pick fights, to call names.
What we have to share is joy—joy in the Lord. “Let your gentleness be known to everyone.” Everyone? Paul almost slipped in another “always” there, didn’t he? Hmmm.
Do not worry about anything. Yeah, ok, thanks, Paul. But no thanks. I mean, how in the world are we going to do that?
It is one thing to know we are not supposed to worry, but how do we stop? And then, because we cannot stop, we end up worrying about worrying.
I guess that is why there is a comma there and not a period. “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
“Do not worry,” says Paul, but get on your knees. Do not worry, but pour it out. Do not worry, but beg and plead and pound on the doorways of heaven with both fists, even as you know—not hope, not assume, but know—that you are heard and that answers are already all around you
when you open your eyes again and put one foot in front of the other.
Do not worry because you do not have time to worry, you are so busy bending God’s divine ear. Do not worry because your life is now a prayer, and the answers are coming fast and furious and surprising.
Do not worry, because from somewhere comes this sense that maybe, just maybe, you are not alone in the universe—this sense that maybe you do have a place, a home, an identity, an existence right here and right now that is meaningful, useful, transformed, and transforming.
From somewhere, who knows where, God, it must be, comes a peace that even on your best days you cannot define or even describe. It just is, passing all understanding, or your understanding anyway. Where does it come from?
Choose joy. Rejoice in the Lord. Always. We have come back to that. It is still there.
We can ignore it only for a time. Rejoice in the Lord, always. Maybe we could negotiate with Paul. Rejoice in the Lord, when it is convenient. Rejoice in the Lord, when we’ve got the time, when we’re in the mood, when the world hasn’t taken yet another sideswipe at my confidence. Rejoice in the Lord when I’ve run out of excuses not to.
Rejoice in the Lord ... Always. Always?
How do we do that? Focus. “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.” Think on, dwell on, meditate on, take your cue from, be obsessed with these things.
Look at the list: True, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy. What is that? Who is that? Implied in the directive is the confidence that there is enough of this out there to fill us up, and not only fill us up, but give us joy—real joy, in the Lord joy. Always joy.
Paul says, "Go find Christ in the world." Go find the one you love, the one who loves you, focus on that, and you will know joy. The fruit of the Spirit is love that then brings us into joy, the joy of the Lord, always. Always.
Let us continue to open our hearts as God shapes us to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.
In the name of the Father,
The Son, and the Holy Spirit.
I want to teach you a breath prayer to draw attention to God’s acts and our joyful response: (Breathe in) I rejoice in God, (breathe out) because God’s love will never let me go.
You can use it to focus attention on God’s love at work among us and the joy that sustains us as we press on together. Let’s try it together -------
Pastoral Prayer
Loving God, As United Methodists, may we embody the holiness of heart and life to which You call us. Let our joy be evident in our acts of mercy, our works of justice, our compassion for those who suffer, and our willingness to serve our neighbors. May our lives become a testimony to the transforming power of Your grace.
God of hope, help us to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. When our joy feels distant, remind us that we do not walk alone. You are our strength, our refuge, and the source of everlasting hope. Send us forth with joyful hearts, ready to love boldly, serve faithfully, and reflect the light of Christ wherever we go.
O God, hear our prayers and answer them as you know is best for us,
We know that those who call upon your Name rejoice.
Help us rejoice anew as we pray for these …..
our police officers, EMTs & firefighters, all in our military service & their families, our nation, our church, all unspoken prayer concerns, people of Ukraine & Russia, the Middle East, Cuba & Venezuela, Japan, Nepal, all victims of violence
And others we carry in our hearts ……………
Give us a new peace this day. Help us to pray and listen for you.
Now may we boldly pray together the prayer
you taught us - - saying
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us, not into temptation
but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.