Count It All Joy
A sermon by Brent J. Eelman
November 5, 2006
Abington Presbyterian Church

Philippians 4:4-9
    Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. ⁵Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
    8 Finally, beloved, 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. ⁹Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
James 1: 2-4
 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, ³because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; ⁴and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.*
 

There is a story about a minister who put the following sign on his office door: “If you have difficulties, trouble and problems, come in and talk about them. If you don’t have any, please come in and tell me how you avoid them.” That sign reflects reality. Life is filled with difficult situations, troubles, and moments that cause us to grit our teeth. For some reason, people act like people and so life is not simple, it is complex and often trying. Most of us could probably sing the spiritual: “No body knows the trouble I have seen… No one but Jesus.” Certainly the apostle Paul could sing the blues. The letter that he wrote to the church at Philippi was most likely written from a Roman prison. There he would have been shackled and the act of writing would have been very hard. What does he tell that church: “Rejoice in the Lord.” He wanted to make sure that there is no question about what he is saying, so he continued: “Again, I will say it, Rejoice!”

Today we would say that Paul was behaving “inappropriately.” People who are imprisoned falsely do not rejoice in the Lord. What can we conclude?

Then we have the letter of James. It is one of the most interesting and troubling of the New Testament writings. James wrote: “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, count it all joy.” Once again, it doesn’t make sense: The message of the New Testament seems to fly in the face of common sense. It is, in the best sense of the term, counter-cultural. When we are facing trials, when we are dealing with tough times, when we have a burden that we are carrying, we seldom consider it a joy. It is a pain. And we have an entire industry built around mitigating the trials and pains that people experience.

Today is a big day in the life of Abington Presbyterian Church. Today we dedicate our commitment cards to the Capital Stewardship Drive and our Annual stewardship Drive. There has been a lot of work that leads up to this event, and there will be a great deal of work that follows it. During the next two weeks we will begin the process of following up on members and then in two weeks we will announce the final count. The final count, most of us are hoping for a number higher than 2 million. But God is hoping for a different count: God wants us to“count it all joy.”

Let me explain. Behind the scenes, a lot has been going on that leads up to this day. The group that is working with building plans has met for over 2 years. The Capital committee has met for over 18 months. Since May of this year, over thirty five members of the church were called upon to be leaders of 15 different committees in this effort. They, in turn, recruited an additional 200 individuals who would serve on their committees and help with this effort. There have been meetings, phone calls and task groups, the likes that I have never seen here. There has also been a level of stress and hassles that we probably have not known in 25 years. I have said many times, the easiest thing for me, and probably for the church, would be to leave things the way they are. It would have been the easiest, but it would have been wrong. And so we have embarked on this path. I don’t think that there has been much bloodshed, (perhaps the occasional paper cut from folding letters!) but there has been a great deal of sweat and tears. People have pushed themselves hard, and for many there have trials associated with this effort. I think we all want to do the right thing, but we have different ideas about what the right thing is. I am personally sure that the numerical count will be wonderful when it is announced in two weeks. But the count that is most important is: “Can we count this all joy!” Can all the hassles, all the headaches, all the moments when we felt like throwing in the towel, all those times… can they all add up to joy! Yes they can.

James used the metaphor of a marathon runner. The testing of faith produces endurance. In our case it also has stretched us. As I get older, one of the important exercises to do are stretching exercises. The purpose is to keep some flexibility in my body. These exercises hurt, but afterwards they feel good. This campaign of ours is a stretch, and for many it hurts, in more ways than just the pocketbook, But it is the kind of stretching that feels good. Count it all joy.

I would like to believe that in two weeks, when the numbers are totaled and announced, that it will all be over, but we know differently. We are about to embark on construction and we need to be ready to be inconvenienced. There are more trials ahead as we close down the Parish House. We are going to have to find new ways to hold our classes, our meetings and our social gatherings. We are going to have to stretch and be flexible in ways that we have not in 50 years. There are going to misunderstandings, and there will probably be an argument or two. But I believe with all my being, that we can “count this all joy”. Because in the midst of these difficulties and trials, as we rebuild, I believe that we too will be rebuilt into a community of faith that works closely together. We will be rebuilt into a community of faith that no longer fears to take the chance for faithful behavior. We will be rebuilt into a community of faith that has rediscovered one another and the joy of being together. We will be rebuilt into a community of faith, that in the words of Paul, is the body of Christ… indeed Christ for our time.

Count it all joy… Count it all joy…. And rejoice in the lord. Again I will say it. Rejoice.!!!!!

 
*The New Revised Standard Version Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, Pennsylvania,  www.apcusa.org