Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

“What brings a smile to your face?”

That’s a question that I asked a number of people this week. Here are some of the answers I received:

“What brings a smile to your face?” Freshly baked Christmas cookies.

“What brings a smile to your face?” No lines at Target.

“What brings a smile to your face?” Finding a great sale with one item left on the shelf.

“What brings a smile to your face?” My Christmas shopping is finished.

“What brings a smile to your face?” Holding my newborn grandson.

“What brings a smile to your face?” Feeling soft cat fur.

“What brings a smile to your face?” Experiencing love from family and friends.

How about you? Think for a second. What brings a smile to your face?

Today is Gaudate Sunday. That’s a term that hasn’t been used in the Church, at least not the Lutheran Church for years. Gaudate is Latin for “Rejoice.” It comes from the traditional antiphon read on the Third Sunday in Advent – “Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again, ‘Rejoice!’” That word is also used in our Second Reading today – “Be joyful always!”

You may have noticed that we lit the pink candle on our Advent Wreath today. That’s because during this season of generally heavy messages about preparation, about getting ready, about things to keep in mind and things to do as we draw closer to the celebration of Christ’s first coming and as we also draw closer to Christ’s second coming, today’s service reminds us to lighten up a bit, to enjoy life, to let there be a smile on our face.

Isaiah certainly had a smile on his face [Isaiah 61:1-3, 10-11]. In the midst of all the heavy messages laid upon his heart and spoken through his mouth by Almighty God, he also got the opportunity to experience the goodness of Almighty God, to know that he had been set apart, called, anointed and empowered by God Himself, to know that God had a plan and a purpose for him that was totally separate and different from anything his own eyes saw going on around him.

That’s actually the same joy that I experience as a pastor, knowing that God called me very early in life, that He led and equipped me through experiences in my life to be the person I am today, to be – I hope – a respected person in your lives, the one charged with the ultimate leadership of and responsibility for this congregation, the one to whom you can go in time of trouble, the one who can frequently remind you of the goodness of God.

John the Baptist had a smile on his face [John 1:6-8, 19-28]. In the midst of ministry challenges – people not listening to him, people not listening to what he had to say, people misunderstanding him and confusing him to be the Messiah himself, even moments of all that in his own life – he found comfort and joy in knowing that his earthly, human message and his earthly, human ministry was just a tiny, insignificant part of God’s own message and ministry, a message and a ministry that was so much greater than his own, a message and a ministry that would reach so many more people in so many more significant ways than his own.

That’s actually the same joy I experience as a pastor, which can sometimes be an otherwise lonely and frustrating calling. Sometimes my own humanity can get in the way and keep people from hearing, seeing and experiencing God. Sometimes people’s own humanity can get in the way of them hearing, seeing and experiencing God. Yet, through it all, God is greater than any person’s human plans. His ways always win out. His plans always have a way of coming to full fruition the way He intends.

St. Paul knew that and that personal, first-hand knowledge put a smile on his face [1 Thessalonians 5:16-24]. That’s why he called upon the Christians living in Thessalonica to “Rejoice Always.” You see, St. Paul knew what conversion was all about. St. Paul knew what it was like to have to sacrifice himself – all his desires, all his plans, all his own agendas, all his own preconceived ideas. St. Paul knew what it was like to step out into the great unknown where he was no longer in control, where he was not calling the shots, where his plans and purposes really didn’t matter. Yet, he found joy. He had a smile on his face knowing that in his human weakness, God never relinquished His strength.

That can also bring a smile to each of our faces, whether we’re stressed out about everything that still has to be accomplished during these next 11 days or whether we’re stressed out about our standing in God’s eyes.

I had a great conversation yesterday with a woman who was heading out to do some Christmas shopping. We talked about the crowds. We talked about the cost of things. We talked about the uncertainty of the economy. We talked about how 18% of Americans are still working to pay off last Christmas’ gifts. Then she said something that brought a smile to my face – and a smile to her face. She said that as her kids were growing up she taught them that “Jesus was the reason for the Season,” that Christmas has everything to do with Jesus, that Christmas has everything to do with simply being together and celebrating God’s goodness.

Ten years ago, my Grandfather had a great conversation with my Grandmother. As many of you know, the last several years of Grandma’s life were not pleasant. She was immobile on her own, dependent upon Grandpa for literally everything, even simple things like getting out of bed and getting onto and off of the toilet. She spent the last 9 months of her life in a nursing facility, the first time in her entire life she didn’t live with family. She had been largely stolen from us through dementia. A couple weeks before her death, as her human decline was speeding up and the reality of her upcoming death was becoming even more apparent to all of us, Grandpa asked her, “Do we ever have to be afraid to die?” That question snapped Grandma back into reality for just an instance and in her own humanly weakened state, she strongly answered, “No, why should we be afraid? We get to see Jesus!”

My friends – and I don’t use that term lightly – we need both of those insights today for those insights bring smiles to our faces.

“Jesus is the Reason for the Season!” He came to this earth for us. As He was born in Bethlehem’s manger, He was thinking of us. Thirty-three years later, as He painfully hung on Calvary’s Cross, He was thinking of us. As He was born and as he died, He had a smile on His face, knowing that what He was doing would make a difference in our lives, our lives here on earth and our lives in life after life on this earth.

“We get to see Jesus!” We do! We really, really do! Not because of us. But because of Jesus!

So, my friends, put a smile on your face! “Rejoice in the Lord Always!” “Be joyful always!” “Jesus is the Reason” and because He is “We get to see Jesus!”

Rejoice!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena