{"id":3611,"date":"2017-12-22T00:03:08","date_gmt":"2017-12-21T23:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/?p=3611"},"modified":"2017-12-22T00:35:45","modified_gmt":"2017-12-21T23:35:45","slug":"2017-advent-joy-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2017\/12\/22\/2017-advent-joy-6\/","title":{"rendered":"2017: Advent Joy #6"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nTreacle<\/strong> – Lindy and Laurence’s dog – source of much joy and exercise
\n(Photo: Lindy Twaddle)
\n <\/p>\n

REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS <\/em><\/p>\n

Philippians 4:4-7<\/a>  (The Voice)<\/span><\/h3>\n

4<\/sup> Most of all, friends, always rejoice in the Lord! I never tire of saying it: Rejoice! 5<\/sup> Keep your gentle nature so that all people will know what it looks like to walk in His footsteps. The Lord is ever present with us. 6<\/sup> Don\u2019t be anxious about things; instead, pray. Pray about everything. He longs to hear your requests, so talk to God about your needs and be thankful for what has come. 7<\/sup> And know that the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus, the Anointed One. <\/p>\n

Reflection<\/h3>\n

My favourite letter of the Apostle Paul is to the Christians in Philippi. It is an incredibly upbeat epistle, considering that Paul is under house arrest. The underlying theme of the letter is ‘rejoicing’ and ‘joy’. Paul doesn’t seem in any way intimidated by his situation or restrictions on his movements. <\/p>\n

The fact that the gospel is being preached by others as a result of Paul’s imprisonment brings him joy, regardless of the motivation behind it (1:12-18). Paul rejoices in the life and ministry of Jesus the Christ, reminding the believers in Philippi that their attitude towards one another should be the same as that of Christ (2:5). Also, the friendships that he shares with Timothy and Epaphroditus bring him joy (2:19-30). Lastly, Paul is filled with deep joy at the ‘the peace that passes all understanding’ resulting from his prayer life, and he encourages the Philippian Christians to experience this for themselves.<\/p>\n

Advent is a time of preparation. We fill our time with too much busyness; present-buying, meeting up with friends, tidying the house for visitors coming to stay. Yet, it is not that sort of preparation that I am thinking of. In all of the ‘stuff’ that we do, let us take time to reflect on the Nativity story and ponder afresh on what God has done for us in giving us his incarnate Son. There we will discover deep joy, just as the Apostle Paul did.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n(Photo: Lindy Twaddle)<\/p>\n

Praying the psalms<\/h3>\n

9<\/sup> This is a good life\u2014my heart is glad, my soul is full of joy,
\n and my body is at rest.
\n Who could want for more?
\n10<\/sup> You will not abandon me to experience death and the grave
\n or leave me to rot alone.
\n11<\/sup> Instead, You direct me on the path that leads to a beautiful life.
\n As I walk with You, the pleasures are never-ending,
\n and I know true joy and contentment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Psalm 16:9-11<\/a> The Voice<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nXTRA XTRA XTRA<\/em>
\nChurch of Scotland Advent Calendar<\/strong><\/a>
\nJourney daily with characters in the Nativity through video, reflection and prayer\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

TIP … from the blog<\/strong>
\n3 Prayers for Wayfarers<\/a>
\nFor when you’re travelling, to help you tune in to God\u2019s presence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Treacle – Lindy and Laurence’s dog – source of much joy and exercise (Photo: Lindy Twaddle)   REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS Philippians 4:4-7  (The Voice) 4 Most of all, friends, always rejoice in the Lord! I never tire of saying it: Rejoice! 5 Keep your gentle nature so that all people will know what … Continue reading “2017: Advent Joy #6”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13,14,99],"tags":[96,100],"class_list":["post-3611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-meditation","category-psalms","tag-advent-2017","tag-joy"],"yoast_head":"\n2017: Advent Joy #6 - Prayer matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Paul's letter to the Christians in Philippi is an incredibly upbeat epistle, considering that he wrote it while under house arrest. 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Except for two people in our congregation who had water\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "on the news"","block_context":{"text":"on the news","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/on-the-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sri_lanka_emergency_800.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sri_lanka_emergency_800.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sri_lanka_emergency_800.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sri_lanka_emergency_800.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7405,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2019\/05\/10\/theme-rejoice-in-the-lord-always\/","url_meta":{"origin":3611,"position":1},"title":"Theme: Rejoice in the Lord always","author":"Irene Bom","date":"May 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"PDF version \u00a0 This prayer sheet is inspired by a recurring theme in Scripture: the phrase, \u201cRejoice in the Lord\u201d. \u00a0 For personal use or to share. Joy is distinctly a Christian word and a Christian thing. It is the reverse of happiness. Happiness is the result of what happens\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "prayer sheet"","block_context":{"text":"prayer sheet","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer-sheet\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3499,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2017\/12\/17\/2017-advent-joy-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":3611,"position":2},"title":"2017: Advent Joy #1","author":"Andrew Gardner","date":"December 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Photo: Lindy Twaddle) On this third Sunday of Advent, we begin a new mini-series, this time on Advent Joy, featuring reflections by Rev. Andrew Gardner of the Scots Kirk in Brussels. YOU SHALL GO OUT WITH JOY Isaiah 55:12-13 \u00a0(The Voice) 12 For you will go out in joy, be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bible"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/tree_house_cows.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/tree_house_cows.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/tree_house_cows.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/tree_house_cows.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3514,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2017\/12\/19\/2017-advent-joy-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":3611,"position":3},"title":"2017: Advent Joy #3","author":"Andrew Gardner","date":"December 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Photo: Lindy Twaddle) \u00a0 JOY TO THE WORLD Luke 2:8-12 \u00a0(The Voice) 8 Nearby, in the fields outside of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were guarding their flocks from predators in the darkness of night. 9 Suddenly a messenger of the Lord stood in front of them, and the darkness\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bible"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/madonna_and_child.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/madonna_and_child.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/madonna_and_child.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/madonna_and_child.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3307,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2017\/12\/11\/2017-advent-hope-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":3611,"position":4},"title":"2017: Advent Hope #2","author":"Kim Hurst","date":"December 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Photo: Lindy Twaddle) \u00a0 ADVENT HOPE Isaiah 9:6\u20137 \u00a0(NRSVA) 6 For a child has been born for us, \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 a son given to us; \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0authority rests upon his shoulders; \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 and he is named \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Wonderful Counselor,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bible"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/checkpoint_charlie.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/checkpoint_charlie.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/checkpoint_charlie.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/checkpoint_charlie.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3506,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2017\/12\/18\/2017-advent-joy-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":3611,"position":5},"title":"2017: Advent Joy #2","author":"Andrew Gardner","date":"December 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Photo: Lindy Twaddle) \u00a0 SURPRISED BY JOY 1 Peter 1:8-9 \u00a0(The Voice) 8 Although you haven\u2019t seen Jesus, you still love Him. Although you don\u2019t yet see Him, you do believe in Him and celebrate with a joy that is glorious and beyond words. 9 You are receiving the salvation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bible"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/flowers_and_fountain.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/flowers_and_fountain.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/flowers_and_fountain.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/flowers_and_fountain.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Andrew Gardner","author_link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/author\/andrew-gardner\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/\" rel=\"category tag\">bible<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/meditation\/\" rel=\"category tag\">meditation<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/psalms\/\" rel=\"category tag\">psalms<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Treacle – Lindy and Laurence’s dog – source of much joy and exercise (Photo: Lindy Twaddle)   REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS Philippians 4:4-7  (The Voice) 4 Most of all, friends, always rejoice in the Lord! I never tire of saying it: Rejoice! 5 Keep your gentle nature so that all people will know what…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3611\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}