Philippians 4:4-7 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
First Sunday of Advent Sunday, November 30, 2025 “Rejoice In the Peace of God”
It was October 18, and an errand took me on a drive through downtown Tucson. There I noticed several people with signs walking up and down the sidewalk. I had heard this event or activity was coming. I didn’t really know what to expect or how many people would be involved, but I knew this was the “No Kings Rally.” These people were expressing their concern that our current president was becoming too powerful and that the checks and balances built into our Constitution would not be adequate to the situation. No matter how important or valuable or useful you feel such a protest might be, it seems to represent a certain perspective we tend to share in the United States of America. The very checks and balances I mentioned in the Constitution are there precisely to keep someone from becoming the sort of ruler the founding fathers of our country experienced under their previous king. They wanted to preserve rights and freedoms that a ruler who was too powerful could potentially take away. They did not want a king. Since many today only know kings as something to avoid and someone to be afraid of, there seems to be a disconnect between our cultural perspective and the lessons of Scripture that portray Jesus as a king. In fact, Jesus is not only a king, he is the King of kings, the greatest of kings. But what does that mean for us? What does it mean when we speak of the imminent arrival of the King? The lesson that we’re focusing on most in our sermon does not actually call Jesus a king. For the most part, it assumes that we know something about Jesus. We know he is a king, something our Gospel clearly portrayed as it showed us Jesus entering Jerusalem triumphantly. We saw Jesus fulfilling Old Testament prophecy about the King. We saw him riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, just like God had his prophet foretell long before. But there is obviously something different about this king compared to others. He doesn’t have his own horse or chariot. He doesn’t even have his own donkey that he could press into emergency use. He borrows a humble donkey colt on which to ride into Jerusalem. That whole episode is a study in contrasts. Things are different than how they appear. This man, riding a donkey, is also true God and king of the universe. People who, like us, did not always appreciate an earthly king offered their praises to this unique king. And he rode on not to conquer armies or rule an earthly nation. He rode on to die for the sake of a spiritual nation. He rode into Jerusalem to die for the sins of the world to give the gift of eternal life and salvation to all who believe in him. That’s the king we see as we begin our Church Year, based on his life, by looking ahead at end of his ministry. That’s the king whom the Apostle Paul served. It is the King to whom he introduced so many, especially so many Gentiles, on his missionary journeys. He is the king whom he introduced to the believers in the city of Philippi, the first Christian mission work in what we now call Europe. And this Philippians reading drives home what the work of this King meant for those Christians and what it means for you and for me. It is appropriate that a major emphasis of this reading is peace. Peace is the job of a king. When the Old Testament people of God, the Israelites, had good and faithful kings, their reigns brought peace. Enemies were not a constant threat. Borders were not under siege. The people did not have to live in constant fear. They could have calm and comfortable lives. Peace was exactly the thing kings were meant to offer their people. Now look how Paul describes the way that Christians can live in the peace that King Jesus brings. Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! Cleary this situation is something special. Rejoice always. This isn’t rejoicing about specific circumstances or particular situations. You can’t rejoice always if it is dependent on what is going on. Life in this world has its ups and downs. Sure, we might have our Thanksgiving celebrations and our yummy desserts, we might have fun times and entertaining moments. But we also have all the other stuff. You get sick. You get sad. You have challenges. You have events and activities that don’t go as planned. How do you rejoice in all of that? Paul says don’t even try. Rejoice in the Lord. Jesus took your sins on himself and gives you his righteousness. This gift is something no one and nothing can take away. So rejoice. Rejoice always. This is always true and real and reliable.