Sermons from St. John the Divine
Oct 11, 2026 · 14 min · 7 segments
How can we rejoice when life is filled with worry and uncertainty? In this concluding sermon from Philippians 4, we discover that true joy and peace are not found in the absence of hardship, but in…
Kira Moolman PettitGuest
But when we look at this verse, I think a lot of us read it and we start looking for an asterisk.
Right after always, there must be a footnote that says, rejoice in the Lord always unless you are in this difficult situation, unless something hard is going on in your life, unless, unless, unless.
I know when I read this verse, there's a part of me that is looking for that clause, that escape clause.
And I know that looking out at this room, there are things that we're all struggling with and we're all anxious about.
I actually did a little bit of research for you to see what is stressing Americans out the most right now.
But the number one topic is the availability and affordability of healthcare.
Right below that, the economy, inflation, federal spending, and just below that, hunger, homelessness, and the environment.
Underneath those questions and anxieties are really tender and vulnerable questions like, who is going to take care of me when I am at my most vulnerable? Who is going to take care of my family? Who is taking care of the vulnerable, like the homeless or our environment? And then on top of all of that, we have our more particular concerns.
That relationship that we really thought was going to work out and it was going to fix everything and it fell apart.
Or just the news headline that you can't get out of your mind and you keep fixating on.
And I think as Christians, we hear a passage like this and we think, this is what I'm supposed to do, but I'm really anxious and overwhelmed by all the topics that we just discussed.
And it's like Paul knows that this is what our reaction is going to be because he immediately starts talking about prayer and anxiety and peace.
So we get these not escape clauses that excuse us from rejoicing, but we get an explanation of how and why we can rejoice.
So we get these verses that say, "'Do not be anxious about anything.'" But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.
But when we look at this verse, I think a lot of us read it and we start looking for an asterisk.
Right after always, there must be a footnote that says, rejoice in the Lord always unless you are in this difficult situation, unless something hard is going on in your life, unless, unless, unless.
I know when I read this verse, there's a part of me that is looking for that clause, that escape clause.
And I know that looking out at this room, there are things that we're all struggling with and we're all anxious about.
I actually did a little bit of research for you to see what is stressing Americans out the most right now.
But the number one topic is the availability and affordability of healthcare.
Right below that, the economy, inflation, federal spending, and just below that, hunger, homelessness, and the environment.
Underneath those questions and anxieties are really tender and vulnerable questions like, who is going to take care of me when I am at my most vulnerable? Who is going to take care of my family? Who is taking care of the vulnerable, like the homeless or our environment? And then on top of all of that, we have our more particular concerns.
That relationship that we really thought was going to work out and it was going to fix everything and it fell apart.
Or just the news headline that you can't get out of your mind and you keep fixating on.
And I think as Christians, we hear a passage like this and we think, this is what I'm supposed to do, but I'm really anxious and overwhelmed by all the topics that we just discussed.
And it's like Paul knows that this is what our reaction is going to be because he immediately starts talking about prayer and anxiety and peace.
So we get these not escape clauses that excuse us from rejoicing, but we get an explanation of how and why we can rejoice.
So we get these verses that say, "'Do not be anxious about anything.'" But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.
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