Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
(Philippians 4:4, NRSV)

We live in a dangerous and frightening world. Rejoicing and celebration are seldom words that come to mind when we read the daily headlines, examples of which include:

“Israel deploys soldiers after deadly Palestinian attacks”
“Obama warns Afghanistan fragile, will leave 5,500 U.S. troops”
“Turks, Kurds trade blame for bombings”
“Hastert attorney says former speaker intends to plead guilty”
“Landlord with records of negligence jailed for failing to pay fines”

And that is just a sample from one day. In the face of such a daily barrage of news, it is not uncommon for many of us to feel frustrated, anxious, angry or afraid. Facing this daily catalogue of crisis, we may find ourselves wondering: how can we find reason to rejoice and celebrate?

In an atmosphere fraught with anxiety, Paul’s words still echo across the years: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Really, Paul? Rejoice always? Rejoice when lands are decimated by war? Rejoice when our leaders are arrested? Rejoice when our loved ones die? Rejoice when our homes are battered by unemployment and crises in relationship? Paul’s response to us today may sound something like:

“Yes, that is exactly what I want you to do. I am not naïve to painful realities in life! I wrote those words from prison – separated from friends and familiar things. I have survived a shipwreck, been abused by those who disagreed with, had people try to murder me. Yes, my friends, I know pain and need; but I know something even more powerful: God’s love and strength constantly in and with me, something in which I can always trust regardless of the circumstances. That is why I can urge you to ‘Rejoice in the Lord always.’”

Paul isn’t asking us to be happy with all that happens in life. Paul isn’t asking us to be satisfied with oppressive and painful situations in our lives and worlds. Instead, Paul is asking us – in the face of all of the headlines and painful personal – to continually remind ourselves that, even then, God’s love and strength can be trusted to see us through to a new day.

That joy – the joy that Paul challenges us to embrace – is at the core of the spiritual discipline of celebration. This discipline, like all of the rest, can transform our lives as it allows us to know a God of grace, mercy, and love whose presence and power can always be trusted. Imagine a world in which headlines were read with the trust in this God of love. Imagine a world in which all of our painful life experiences were met with a knowledge of the trust in a God of wisdom who will see us through.

I invite you to identify ways and places, subtle and quiet though they may be, where you come to know God at work daily. I invite you to thank God for a constant presence in our lives. I invite you to join Paul in rejoicing in the Lord always not because all is right and peaceful and loving in our world, but because, even when it is not, God is there. Celebrate God today. Be transformed by the renewed trust that such celebration can engender. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”