Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
Intro to Joy with Sonja Knutson
Discover the radical counterculture of joy through the lens of Philippians, a letter penned by a man awaiting possible execution. Pastoral Associate Sonja Knutson launches our new sermon series "Joy Anyway" by unpacking why this brief 104-verse book continues to captivate Christians worldwide despite—or perhaps because of—its origin story.
What kind of person writes about joy from a prison cell? Paul's extraordinary perspective challenges our modern understanding of happiness. While two-thirds of Americans report feeling unhappy despite unprecedented comfort and convenience, Paul demonstrates a resilient joy completely detached from favorable circumstances. This isn't about wearing fake smiles during difficult times—it's about finding strength beyond ourselves when life feels overwhelming.
Sonja beautifully distinguishes between fleeting happiness (tied to events and possessions) and deep-rooted joy (an inner contentment unshaken by external challenges). Through personal stories of loss and healing, she reveals how finding purpose through pain eventually leads to authentic joy. When faced with life's inevitable trials—whether personal struggles or global conflicts like the tensions between Israel and Iran—we have a choice: react negatively or respond with Christ-like perspective.
The most powerful revelation? Joy isn't the absence of problems but the presence of Christ within them. As we navigate an increasingly cynical, divided world, Philippians offers a revolutionary alternative—seeing our stories as expressions of Jesus' story and finding strength not in circumstances but in relationship. Ready to discover how you can experience joy anyway? Join us for this transformative journey through Philippians.
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Good morning Central. Thank you for coming today on such a hot day. When I left for church this morning my hair was about this big, but you know, humidity will do things to us that we don't always love. My name is Sonja Knutson. I'm pastoral associate here at Central. I would love to get to know you and meet you. If you haven't met myself or Ryan or our team, please take your time to introduce yourself out in the lobby and, of course, stop at the Connect Center and introduce yourself to that team as well. We would love to just share in conversation with you.
Speaker 1:Well, today, as Ben announced, we are kicking off our study of the book of Philippians, with the intent of making us obviously more familiar with the book, but also we want to assure you that you can learn through this how to remain a faithful community of Jesus and have joy in a culture that is resistant. And isn't that so appropriate for what we're walking through right now in our world? We hope this book and this study will prayerfully capture the hearts of all and guide us to a place of Christ-like behavior, as we experience joy anyway, which is the name of the series. Let's begin with prayer. Father, we thank you for this opportunity to dive into yet another one of your books and this beautiful gift that is the Bible. We thank you for the author, we thank you for the encouragement that it gives us, and we've already experienced joy through the ordination of Jeremy and the baptisms of these little ones. We ask that you would place in our hearts and in our minds the idea of joy, often even when we're walking through dark times, and I think of this morning, as we learned and woke up to the crisis that we are now involved with in Israel and Iran. I pray for our anxiety and our fear, and I pray that we are now involved with in Israel and Iran. I pray for our anxiety and our fear and I pray that we will see you through all of this, that there is a purpose and that you will bring us joy in it. We love you, jesus. In your name, we pray Amen. Well, let me just say that I love the book of Philippians and I don't think that I'm alone. In fact, when I was in the sacristy earlier this morning with Tina, she's like what are you preaching on today? And I said the book of Philippians and joy. And she goes I love that book. I'm like, yeah, so many do. And when I sat down just here earlier, sarah tapped me on the shoulder and said thank you for the scripture she was reading for me and she said I love this book.
Speaker 1:It I think many of us are familiar with it for many reasons. One of my main reasons it's a brief book. It's only 104 verses. It's snuggled right between Ephesians and Colossians. It's an easy read. If you like a good nighttime read or if you like a bathroom read Maybe that's your preference for reading Take that little book in there with you.
Speaker 1:It's also adaptable. It's relatively easy to understand. You know, I wear my glasses on my head for a reason. Right, I look down. I'm like I can't see what I'm writing. Take them off your hair. It's not a hairnet. It's also adaptable. It's relatively easy to understand. So as you read a scripture, you're like I like that. I can apply that to my life. And what I'm walking through right now Philippians is also memorable.
Speaker 1:Whether you are an avid reader of the Bible or not, at some point, if you have most likely come across one of the more popular scriptures, such as you know, there you go. I thank my God, I remember my God, do nothing out of selfish ambition. And one of my favorites that you might read like on a tattoo or on a grad invite is I can do everything in and through him, through his strength, which is exactly what I was saying yesterday as I was shoveling seven ton of mulch and five ton of rock with my husband. I can do everything through, in and through him as strength. I can do anything and everything in and through him with his strength. And I was also saying I hate my husband. Why are we doing this? It's really hot outside today, but I can do everything in and through him.
Speaker 1:And, lastly, it's a joyful book, which is suggested in our title, in our series Joy. Anyway, this book overflows with joy, with brightness and with warmth. I call it the feel-good book. However, this book's joy comes from a different place and all of the brightness and warmth and joy it is written in conflict and struggle, and yet the book encourages joy. So I love this book. But even if I've suggested the easy reasons, there is also great depth that we'll explore together in this next few weeks. So today, as an intro, I want to point and paint a bigger picture of our author and the theme and hopefully give you some backstory to the why and who and what this book is all about. Are you ready to dive in with me? Awesome, let's do this.
Speaker 1:Well, philippians was written to the people in the Church of Philippi, and its opening verse that Sarah read identifies both Paul and Timothy sending greetings as co-authors, but the Bible scholars suggest that Paul was the main writer, as it seems similar in style and context to the other letters that he has written throughout the Bible. The Apostle Paul did not write Philippians in response to a crisis. He wrote to express his appreciation and affection for the believers in Philippi who offered Paul support throughout his ministry. The events described in the book take place in the city of Philippi between the years 60 and 64 AD and was composed while Paul was in prison, and it can be divided into several key sections, primarily focusing on joy, unity and the example of Christ, which are interesting topics when you consider Paul was imprisoned while he was writing this book.
Speaker 1:Now, me, if I'm in prison and I'm writing a letter to those that I love, I'd be writing for a new toothbrush, toothpaste, maybe, some mints, some new books, but not our Apostle Paul. He cooks off this letter greeting with grace and peace and he writes I'm praying for your joy. As Sarah read earlier. How did he get there? Well, he started in Jerusalem when was falsely accused and arrested and taken to Rome. Now, paul always wanted to go to Rome to do some sightseeing, maybe bet on some chariot racing, but also to go and preach the gospel where Christ was not known. He got there just happened to be on a different tour bus that took him to prison. And while he was in prison, he wrote this book, the Philippians, otherwise known as the Epistle of Joy or the Letter of Joy, rejoicing in every circumstance and finding joy amidst his struggles. Now, he didn't know that he was going to be beheaded or if he would be released, but he rejoiced anyway.
Speaker 1:This letter gives us a unique window into Paul's heart and mind. He saw his entire life as a reenactment of Jesus' story, and as you read, you can easily sense his connection to the Messiah and his awareness that Jesus' love was present and very nearby, and that's what gave him hope and humility in his darkest hours. Paul shows us that knowing Jesus is, at its core, a personal, deep, relationship-forming encounter. This is the Jesus that Paul invites others to follow, and that's what his letter to the Philippians is all about. He knew, no matter what his end would be, that he would still win. If he dies in prison, he wins. He gets to be with his father and if he is released and shares the good news, he wins. He sees his relationship with Jesus as a win-win and he saw his story as an expression of Jesus' story and in that he was able to experience and live in joy, true, authentic joy, no matter his circumstance, the kind of joy that seeps from every inch of your being.
Speaker 1:Not just happiness, but deep-rooted joy. Happiness can be a component of joy, but it is rooted often in events, circumstances and things. Joy is the state of inner contentment that is not dependent on external circumstances or fleeting motions. State of inner contentment that is not dependent on external circumstances or fleeting motions. In a sense, deep-rooted joy is a resilient and lasting sense of well-being that comes from a strong foundation, that is often rooted in faith and love and purpose, and it is not easily shaken by life's challenges. Do you know this type of joy? My granddaughter experiences joy, as do many children I know. Isn't she cute? They come about it naturally because they are not disoriented by this world. Simple things like mud puddle jumping and planting seeds and dancing through a garden store bring them joy, while we often see happiness in those things, but we also can be distracted by work or cost or worldly ways that warp our mindsets. That, I believe, is why Jesus said let the children come to me, because he knows their joy, just like we know joy when we are around it or we see it in someone else.
Speaker 1:My mother-in-law lived real, authentic joy. When you met her, you just wanted to be around her, even if you didn't know who she was. There was just something about her that oozed joy and I can tell you it was Jesus and it was her faith. One time my son, when he was little, asked me why is Grandma always so happy, even when she should be sad? And I just smiled and I said it's Jesus. When she passed away unexpectedly, we just smiled and I said it's Jesus. When she passed away unexpectedly, we found totes full of Bibles and journals and as we read through them, they too, even in her vulnerable writing, shared the joy that she found in her struggles. One of her statements that I kept and keep with me near my Bible said I can't help but feel hurt by this mess, but Jesus cleans up my mess all the time. So I will move forward and I will find joy, and I will be better because of his love. What a gift. She found joy even in her mess, because of her faith. But unfortunately, that is not what we experience in our worldly lives.
Speaker 1:A recent study of the University of Chicago shared that, overall, two-thirds of Americans are unhappy. Think about that. Two-thirds of Americans are unhappy. That's like you guys are unhappy and you're happy. Good job, guys. Turn to your neighbor and say she's talking about you. Turn to your neighbor and say she's talking about you. Now say to yourself actually it's probably me. And why? Because we do way too much of this. Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm. And not enough of this. We allow the world to tell us what's going to make us happy. We need the right car, we need the right clothes, we need the right clothes, we need to have a certain income and live in this great big house. That's not what's going to make us happy.
Speaker 1:If happiness is the fleeting emotion tied to events, circumstances or things, no wonder two-thirds of us are unhappy and discontent. Our joy will never come from things or from stuff or from people. Look at our story today. Paul's joy did not come from this situation. His joy was deeply rooted in and through his relationship with Jesus. Our joy, our deep-rooted joy, will only come from a deeper relationship and understanding that there is something bigger than the world is in front of us.
Speaker 1:What did I say earlier about joy? It is the state of inner contentment that is not dependent on external circumstances or fleeting emotions. It is a resilient and lasting sense of well-being that comes from a strong foundation, often rooted in faith, love or purpose, and it is not easily shaken by life's challenges. And Paul, in this lovely letter, is saying to the Philippi and to us choose joy, no matter what the circumstance is. Choose joy, because when we don't choose joy, we then choose the ways of the world a divided, angry, grumbling, hot mess of a world, a world that debates and is compatible, a world that is greedy and self-centered. And you know what I'm talking about because we see it everywhere on social media, in the news, in our communities, our schools, in our relationships, in our workplaces. And when we jump on that bandwagon along with everyone else, we go down a very dark path, led by cynicism and hate, slander, prejudice, self-loathing, self-righteousness, frustration, and in time we then will feel like we're barely hanging on.
Speaker 1:And I know you might be thinking but how can I find joy in my hurts and my trials? Some of them are small and some of them are very big and weigh heavily on my heart and in my mind, and the idea of finding joy in it makes me want to throat punch you, sonia, as one of my dear friends says often, and James would say to that consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. The word consider is very significant in that reading because consider has to do with making a certain choice. James is certain, when trials hit our lives, we are faced with a decision. You can decide to react negatively or you can decide to react Christ-like. You can choose to respond in a way that moves you forward or one that steps you backwards. Let me say that again moves you forward, or one that steps you backwards. Let me say that, again, you can decide to react negatively or you can decide to react Christ-like. You can choose to respond in a way that moves you forward or one that steps you backwards.
Speaker 1:This verse encourages believers to respond to difficulties with a positive attitude and a willingness to endure and persevere, knowing that the trials we face are ultimately for their own benefit. It's about finding joy not in the trials themselves, but in the opportunity they provide for spiritual growth and the development of a stronger faith, a stronger love and a meaningful purpose. Because you've been there, you've done that and you can now speak into other situations. When Jeff and I lost our children to miscarriages and to stillbirth, in the moments of the losses we were not finding joy. I was mad at God. I didn't understand. None of what we were walking through was joyful. But as time passed we were able to find joy in our healing, because then I could see a purpose, as I have guided other women and families through similar tragedies and journeys, and it was there where I sat in my own prison and saw my story in Jesus' story. It is there where the resurrection gave me a purpose. It is there, central, when the hurts of this world will bring you joy, as Jesus told his disciples when they shared their last supper together. He said you will grieve my death, but through that you will find wonderful joy. Jesus did not go to the cross happy. He actually pleaded his Father to take his cup, but also he said let your will be done in my life, because he knew the joy on the other side of the pain and the suffering, just as Paul explains in this beautiful letter. Paul leaned into Jesus' strength. For his joy, he lived in the truth of the resurrection and he focused on the other side. And when things feel hard and heavy for us on this side of heaven, we too find the joy of the Lord as our strength.
Speaker 1:As Pastor Ryan referenced a few weeks back in our celebration sermon when he encouraged us to make joy and celebration a rhythm and a pattern in our lives. Nehemiah in the scripture was encouraging the people of Israel during a time of mourning to find their. Nehemiah in the scripture was encouraging the people of Israel during a time of mourning to find their source of true strength in the Lord. As he emphasized, it did not come from their circumstances, but from their connection to God. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength. Is it easy? No, it's going to take discipline and practice, endurance and perseverance, but the end result is filled with a purpose and a destination far beyond our imagination.
Speaker 1:As Christ followers, friends, we face challenges every day, personal, deep challenges, loss and hurts that drain our hearts and our lives, and as you endure them, I would encourage you to find the joy of the Lord as your strength.
Speaker 1:We experience social, economic and political trials that are blasted on our media feeds fed by algorithms and outburst into protest that build our anxiety and fear, and we would encourage you to let the joy of the Lord be your strength. And when division and wars wars such as the conflict between Iran and Israel and now us are constant threat across the world, and shootings and violence seem to be creeping at the doorsteps every day. And it feels heavy and daunting, friends, pray and let the joy of the Lord be your strength, because for thousands of years, humans and this world have suffered in similar ways. None of this is new to our God. He sees it all and, as Ryan shared last week, god is reaching down to us, he's putting his hand over us and he's saying it's okay, I'm here for you. It feels dark and heavy and hurtful, but find joy anyway and let's do this together. He is saying live in my resurrection, see your story as an expression of mine and we will do life together. Amen.
