When I get up each morning (unless I sleep until noon) I usually listen to the radio during my morning ablutions. My preference is talk radio shows on the AM dial, which can be entertaining and, at the same time, help me keep up with the news. Unfortunately, they can also be discouraging, as the hosts and guests tend to focus on the problems we face in our country and world. The problems can be the actual developments – bad news – or the disagreements and arguments about those developments which seem to divide our country and its people. A person can come away from those talk shows feeling down about what the future may hold for us all.
Well, last Saturday I turned on the radio again, only to find the AM dial to be a wasteland of infomercials, you know, the kind that are structured to sound like real news stories or interviews, but are really just advertisements for some product or service. There’s nothing wrong with companies using such programs to sell their wares; I just don’t want to listen to them. And so, yesterday I switched to the FM dial, planning to listen to some music.
After scanning the available frequencies I finally settled on a station that was playing classic Christian hymns: songs like “Crown Him With Many Crowns” and “Holy, Holy, Holy.” I was enjoying the music while I shaved, trying not to cut myself while singing along with my resonant, bass voice. Then, one of the songs ended, and the announcer identified the program as “Rise and Rejoice.” I liked that phrase.
This is not an endorsement of that show, which is found on the Family Radio network, because I haven’t had the chance to listen to their commentaries and teachings enough to vouch for them. What I am endorsing is the concept that as Christians we should “rise and rejoice,” that is, begin each day by rejoicing in God our Savior.
This was a good reminder to me that my Christian walk is about more than doctrinal statements or theological study. Such things are good and necessary, but I have been too focused on believing and articulating the “right” beliefs, that I have sometimes forgotten to thank God for what he has done and rejoice in knowing him and his grace. As I considered this call to rejoice, I thought about the ways in which rejoicing is beneficial to me and to everyone who come into contact with me. So, what is so good about rejoicing?
It is commanded in Scripture. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4); “And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake” (Deuteronomy 12:18); “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!” (1 Chronicles 16:10 and Psalm 105:3). Because Scripture commands it, we rejoice whether or not we feel like rejoicing. It is like generosity, forgiveness, and service: we do those things because they are right for a Christian to do, regardless of any special giftedness or desire to do them. We owe it to God to rejoice in him.
It follows the example of Christ himself. Luke 10:21 tells us that Jesus rejoiced: “In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.'” Christ was righteous in his act of rejoicing, and he set an example for us to do the same.
It is a positive way to begin each day. If we were to get up and take a long car trip, we would make sure we had a full tank of gas before starting out. Likewise, a good breakfast helps us have the energy and nutrients needed to face the day ahead. How much more should our spirits be focused on God before we do anything else? Think of the difference it would make to face the day’s challenges knowing in your heart that God loves you and has already blessed you greatly! Instead of starting out glum (thanks to the news), we can start out refreshed and encouraged, ready to face whatever lies ahead.
It is a counter to the unending stream of bad news that assails us. It is easy to become glum when we are constantly bombarded by stories of crime, war, injustice, terrorism, and political squabbles and lies. But when we consider what God has done for us through Jesus Christ, how can we not be uplifted? We have a loving God who made us, redeemed us and reconciled us to him though we were his enemies, and who has prepared a place for us in heaven for all eternity to come. How great is that! Plus, even in this life he has given us gifts, and works through us to bless others. Isaiah 16:10 gives us good reasons for rejoicing: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Our rejoicing is based on the objective facts of what God has done for us.
It puts reality into true perspective. If all you hear are the news media (whatever political slants are favored), you come to define the world around you – in fact, all of reality – in political or sociological terms. Your priorities become what the news tells you is important, and you are subject to their manipulations. You find yourself running to and fro, following one person and angry at another, only to switch when new stories come out. But if you turn off the chatter and listen again to God through his Word, you come to realize that no matter what happens around you in the visible world, there is an invisible reality in which God works. As the Nicene Creed says, Christ is the Creator of things, “visible and invisible.” The hymn, “This is My Father’s World,” says, “That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.” We would forget that truth if all we saw, heard, and thought were limited to the secular media. What is real and true goes so far beyond what the world says is so important.
It blesses others around us. We can see how rejoicing lifts our spirits and “centers us” on what is important and real in this world and beyond. But beyond us, the impact of our rejoicing can have a dramatic and beneficial effect on other, as well. When we are uplifted and encouraged, our joy can be contagious. Even among nonbelievers, it helps them to interact with someone who is happy; how much more so among other believers, when our rejoicing reminds them of their own blessings in Christ. When we rejoice, we are witnesses to Christ for those who don’t know him yet (“You are my witnesses” Isaiah 43:10), and encouragers for those who do but are having tough times or are even wavering in their faith (Hebrews 10:24-25). To not rejoice is to deprive our fellow Christians of something we owe them.
It glorifies God and helps fulfill the 1st Commandment. One of our sinful tendencies, if not the greatest one, is our tendency to look anywhere except God when it comes to recognizing our blessings. We thank other people, the economy, our education and training, our own abilities, our “connections,” luck (“our lucky stars”), or something else, when it comes to finding the source of the good we have in life. “I earned it!” we think, forgetting that God gave us the life, the abilities, and the situations which have blessed us. Luther reminded us of this in his explanation to the First Commandment, saying, “For even though otherwise we experience much good from men, still whatever we receive by His command or arrangement is all received from God,” and “For creatures are only the hands, channels, and means whereby God gives all things.” When we recognize and rejoice at what God has done for us, we are recognizing him as God above all other so-called gods of money, possessions, pride, and nature. We see the Creator, and not the creation as the source of all good things.
So, then, I encourage you to follow my lead in rejoicing at the start of each day – in song, in prayer, and in the Scriptures. I am sure I will forget to do so some days, or be distracted by various things (such as the smell of breakfast cooking – another reason to rejoice!). But if we consider all his benefits, how can we not rejoice in God our Savior?
Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.
Read: Isaiah 43, Philippians 4