Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
Weekly sermons from our Central Lutheran Church preaching team plus quick reflections from Pastor Ryan Braley.
Real talk, ancient wisdom, and honest questions — all designed to help you learn, grow, and find encouragement when you need it most.
At Central, our mission is simple: FOLLOW Jesus together, be a community where you BELONG, and LOVE our neighbors across the street and around the world.
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Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
Joy Anyway, through the Ups and Downs with Sonja Knutson
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" These words, penned by the Apostle Paul from a Roman prison cell, stand as either the most audacious command in scripture or the most profound key to unlocking a life of genuine joy. What does it mean to rejoice when circumstances are anything but joyful?
Pastor Sonja Knutson tackles this apparent contradiction head-on in this compelling exploration of Philippians 4. Paul wasn't writing platitudes from a position of comfort—he was imprisoned for his faith, had been beaten, shipwrecked, and left for dead multiple times. Yet somehow, he maintained an attitude of contentment that transcended his dire circumstances. This message unpacks how Paul's radical perspective applies directly to our modern struggles with anxiety, disappointment, and loss.
Drawing from a powerful image of a man standing unfazed in a doorway while massive waves crash around him, Pastor Sonia illustrates what it means to remain anchored in faith when life's storms threaten to overwhelm us. Unlike the world's approach of applying band-aids to our pain through quick fixes and temporary relief, Paul challenges us to start with our faith and eternal perspective before working inward to address our feelings. "Your citizenship is in heaven," he reminds us, offering a cosmic viewpoint that places our current trials in proper perspective.
The message takes a deeply personal turn as Pastor Sonia vulnerably shares her own journey through multiple miscarriages and fetal loss, revealing how surrender to God's perspective brought peace when nothing else could. Even more powerfully, she shares testimonies from parents who lost children in recent Texas floods yet somehow maintained their faith and gratitude to God despite unimaginable grief. These examples aren't meant to minimize suffering but to demonstrate that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" isn't just a motivational quote—it's a lifeline when everything falls apart. Whether you're facing minor frustrations or devastating loss, this message offers a path to a peace that truly surpasses understanding.
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My name is Sonia Knutson. I'm pastoral associate here at Central, as Ryan and Ben mentioned earlier. If you have not had a chance to meet our team, please take the time to introduce yourself out in the lobby when you can. I'm so excited to be here. I love it when Richard reads. I could actually hear Paul reading it from prison this morning, couldn't you? We are in our fifth week of our series called Joy.
Speaker 1:Anyway, a journey through the book of Philippians. Anyway, a journey through the book of Philippians, and we tend to favor this book, as I mentioned in our first week, because it's a short book. I love it as my bathroom read sometimes, which sounds weird, but it's an easy read. It's also memorable and it's applicable to our lives. Would you agree, after hearing Ryan and Ben preach the last couple weeks, yes, very much so. So so far, we've learned some really cool Greek words, such as koinonia, which means sharing I happened to learn that when I was in third grade at Bible camp. Yay, sonia. And pronesis, which is a way of thinking that helps shape a person, so it reminds us to be like Christ-like in our thinking. There was pepotheus, which was last week's work from Ben, which means confidence and trust and skubula. Do you remember that word? What's it mean? Can confidence and trust and scubala? Do you remember that word? What's it mean? Can't say it. I love it. It means waste or rubbish, or Ben referred to it as kind of bull scubala, if you know what I mean. Yeah, last week after church some friends of mine and I went out hiking to Hassan and we were on this little, my little jaunt and we don't like mosquito spray. So about two miles in On the way there, we were talking about this sermon, we're like, oh, let's talk about joy and how does it impact our life. And about mile two the mosquitoes hit us and we're like this is scuba. So if you know what that means, after that you can take it and apply it to your life. Today and next week we'll be bringing this book to a close with chapter four. I'm going to start the first part of chapter four. Ryan will close it off and then he's going to do a conclusion and we're going to then move into our you Pick series, which we really enjoy. That around here. It's questions that you have asked and we're going to do our best to answer those through the end of July and then the month of August and the first part of September.
Speaker 1:Let's begin this morning in prayer. Father, we thank you for this opportunity to live in joy and yet often we forget to apply it to our life and to find joy even in the hard circumstances. And as we've been walking with Paul through this book of Philippians, we pray that something has planted a seed in our heart and in our mindset in this crazy world that we live in that often doesn't remind us of joy. This morning, I ask that my words are a vessel into hearts and in minds that are willing to hear it in a new way, and I ask that you would be impactful through our words. Lord Jesus, we love you. In your name we pray Amen. So the name of my sermon today is Joy.
Speaker 1:Anyway, through the Ups and Downs, which is Paul's general message throughout this letter, everyone wants joy in your life, amen. But we often confuse it with happiness. But either way, we desire the feeling of joy. So Paul's words today are some of the simplest scripture to read in terms of desire, as he shares. Rejoice in the Lord always. But it's not necessarily the easiest thing to accomplish in life and often I wonder if we see the scripture and think rejoice in the Lord always. Is it really possible? Sure, in the ups it's easy to rejoice in the Lord, right? That's an easy thing to understand. I can praise Jesus when things are going well, but are we expected to be joyful in the down moments or are we just to be joyful all the time and live this Disney kind of life no offense to Ben and wearing this perpetual smile on our face even when our circumstances are filled with pain and sorrow and sadness and uncertainty? And it's not enough that Paul, our writer, says it once, but he actually emphasizes it twice, as we heard earlier from Richard Rejoice in the Lord always. I say again rejoice. Now. As a reader, if you don't know or understand the scripture or the context behind this or the man, paul and you may be living in some crisis that is placing a roadblock between you and joy. These words can sting a bit, do you agree? So what is Paul saying? And who is this annoying apostle that feels like the optimistic, happy uncle who bleeds, puppies and balloons everywhere he goes? If you're new here, if you've maybe been up north to the cabin for a couple weeks, we've been scratching around this book of Philippians and this idea of joy and who Paul is, and we know that he doesn't have a reason to be joyful, at least on the earthly level of his life. A quick summary would share that.
Speaker 1:Paul, our author, wrote this letter in prison to his supporters of the Church of Philippi. He is in a Roman prison for casting out demons of a slave girl and while in prison he is sharing the gospel with other prisoners and guards and politicians and whoever else will hear him preach or sing which, by the way, if you're in Rome, if you're not preaching and praising the Rome emperor, nero, you're basically cutting off your own head. But he doesn't care. He viewed his imprisonment as an opportunity to share the gospel and to emphasize unity and living out of faith with joy, even in your suffering, and suffering was second nature to him. Ben shared 2 Corinthians last week and he painted a clear picture of his journey of suffering when we read he was beaten with rods, he was lashed, stoned, shipwrecked, left for dead, cold, hungry, held up, thirsty and naked, and he was constantly on the run.
Speaker 1:Paul lived through some pretty intense trials and could have easily lived a life of despair and sorrow, but he viewed his trials in the light of God's word and he submitted to God's sovereignty over his imprisonment, over his misery and even over his impending execution. He was living the gospel to proclaim Christ in every way, because he understood to live in Christ is to gain and to die in Christ is to gain. In other words, winner, winner, chicken dinner. So rejoice in the Lord. Always, again, I say rejoice. But this concept is not easy to understand, especially when circumstances are dark and heavy. So Paul shares in this letter ways to achieve the joy we desperately desire, which brings us to our reading today.
Speaker 1:That Richard read in chapter four and his command. That implies we cannot be held hostage to our circumstances. Now think for a moment of the circumstances that you have lived or you are currently living that hold you hostage. Is it a loss? Is it a transaction that's gone wrong? Maybe it's a breakup, a disagreement, a toxic relationship or a health scare. How does that feel? Is it crippling, paralyzing, controlling, overwhelming? Is it numbing to you? What if, instead that, instead of it making you feel lonely and crippling, it was described as joyful? Can you imagine the freeing feeling you would have? I know it may feel impossible and I'm sure at some point Paul felt the same. How could he not through all of his sufferings.
Speaker 1:But Paul made a deliberate choice to have an attitude of contentment and hope that transcended his circumstances and in his command to rejoice always. We have that choice as well, because if we don't, we will be left for ruins. Look around this world, not just at your circumstance, but all around this world. This world is a mess. Things in our control and things out of our control are spiraling, and people say that the Bible isn't irrelevant. Please, isn't it? A book that speaks for thousands of years to the human condition and lays a foundation of moral and spiritual guidance. A book that paints values for individuals and families and communities. A word that fights off evil. Check out this video. I love it. The Bible is stable, no matter what was being thrown at it. Right, and this is the word that poured over Paul while he sat in prison and spoke of his strong faith. He said Satan, you've got nothing over me that God can't defeat. I am like a rock, and it's not because of anything in me, it's because of who I know, and because of who I know I can withstand the trials of this life.
Speaker 1:His faith and story reminds me of this picture, taken in 1989 off the coast of France. Do you see the man in the doorway standing supposedly unfazed by the waves crashing in? Paul was this man. The waves of his struggles are crashing in around him and he stands firm in his faith. And Paul is commanding us to live in this image, in the arrogance almost of joy and trust in his faith, in a stoic nature, when the world is crashing in around us. And he says do not be anxious about anything, it's not going to be easy, but be in prayer. And and he says do not be anxious about anything, it's not going to be easy, but be in prayer and petition and thanksgiving and bring your trials to God and let him meet you there.
Speaker 1:Paul is not saying don't feel the feels, but let's start with your faith. First, start big in the cosmic picture of your trial and move small. Then dealing with the struggles, which is opposite of what the world tells us. The world says instead, start small and move small than dealing with the struggles, which is opposite of what the world tells us. The world says instead, start small and move outwardly. The world tells us to put band-aids on things and medication and read more self-help books and use white noise and do yoga and count and breathe, and none of these things are bad. But Paul is commanding the opposite. He says let's attack with the big and work our way inward. Start with your faith, see the cosmic picture and allow that to speak into the circumstance and to give you perspective.
Speaker 1:He argues remember your citizenship. He says your citizenship is in heaven. Who, by the power that in it? Whoops, sorry, your citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like this glorious body which tells us that our future transformation and destination is the foundation of which we stand firm in the Lord. So take a look at the cosmic picture, the big picture, when your trial hits, because, guess what? Our lives come and go. Ryan talks about it all the time. Our lives are vapor. So don't be anxious, but rather be in prayer and petition and thanksgiving. Feel the feels.
Speaker 1:For sure no one is saying don't place value in the feelings and emotions that come with pain and suffering, but don't let the pain be your destination, which is our natural human desire. We naturally create tension when our human desires and needs are not met, and then we are met with anxiety and stress, sadness and depression. But through understanding yourself and the nature of God and depression, but through understanding yourself and the nature of God, we can find peace that transcends and surpasses the earthly struggles that we face. And it is there where we will find a calm in our hearts and in our mindset that will guide us through even the darkest places of our hurts and our pains. I know I've shared our personal story of loss of children before, but it connects to this chapter so well that this verse played repeat in my mind.
Speaker 1:During a very difficult time in our lives, prior to our son Philip's birth, jeff and I experienced miscarriage after miscarriage, and then we had a fetal loss at 17 weeks that we birthed, and then we were forced to have a DNC at the hospital for a possible second baby or a twin. And then we had a fetal loss at 17 weeks that we birthed, and then we were forced to have a DNC at the. To say the least, it was ruining our picture of a perfect family with a picket fence around it. I'll never forget coming home from the hospital devastated by what had happened that was out of our control. I retreated to our basement to argue and cry and shake my fist at God, only to surprisingly repeat the words Sonia, do not be anxious about anything and surrender. Do not be anxious about anything and surrender. Do not be anxious about anything and I surrender to you, god, for whatever reason in my young faith, god placed in my mind and my heart do not be anxious, lean into me and surrender. And through lots of tears and prayers and the release of my control, somehow we found contentment, not in the circumstance, not at all, in what we had walked through, but through my faith and my relationship with Jesus. How, honestly, I have no idea, other than I was tired of desiring something so much, only to be hurt time and time again. I had nothing else to turn to and I refused to live in the pain and be defined by the loss. It wasn't easy, but we found provision in circumstances because of Jesus. And, just like Paul, I found wisdom and protection in our father and we were content. And in time we were blessed with our son Philip and eventually our second son, connor, who challenged us enough to ask why, god, why do we continue to suffer?
Speaker 1:Paul found this godly contentment, not because it was birthed to him. He painfully and tediously developed it by walking with the Lord. So he learned to be content with anything, to live out of pain and to be spiritually unaffected by circumstances. Verse 11 reads I'm not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstance. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in everything, every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Speaker 1:Did Paul feel the feels? Of course he did. Look at that face Worry and stress and brokenness. How could he not? Trials naturally bring worry, as it did for many Bible characters that leaned into their faith to teach us how to trust our Father in all of the mishaps of life. Look at Jeremiah and Moses, joseph, ruth and Job. Who doesn't feel for Job and all of his brokenness? He lost everything, but he was content through his faith.
Speaker 1:And then there was Elijah and the bleeding woman that bled for 12 years. Ladies, she bled for 12 years and she was content and she trusted in her faith. And then there was Peter oh Peter, who denied Jesus three times. And yet Jesus said you're my guy, I will build my rock, my foundation, on you, and the gates of Hades will have no power of you or anything that you lead. And of course, for us, there was Jesus, the one who models contentment and peace that transcends all human understanding, as he died brutally on the cross for us. And yet he shared his words remove my cup. He asked his father to remove his pain and his suffering and then he continued but your will be done in my life Because of his faith. He found contentment and peace in his faith.
Speaker 1:Friends, this journey of contentment in our pain will be a struggle, but if we view our trials through the lens of scripture and Jesus and we live through our faith and not our feelings, those struggles will be less hard and Paul's final challenge in his letter can be attainable when he shares I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, even in the hardest trials, in suicide, in addictions, in health scares, in broken families. I can do all things in and through Christ who strengthens me. Things in our control and things out of our control, such as job loss, homelessness, social and economic struggles. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Natural disasters that burn our land, that destroy our homes and sweep our children away in floods I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Knowing Christ in this cosmic ending place, we know we can do all things through Christ, even in the worst situations.
Speaker 1:I can't help but watch and listen for the news from the Texas floods that happened on July 4th, our country's day of freedom, ironically. A flood that killed over 135 people and 100 people are still missing, many of those children that participated in a Christian camp. And you know what floods my brain more than anything, more than the tragic mess, more than the homes that are gone and the cleanup that they're going to be devastated by. It's the contentment and faith of the parents who lost their children, contentment and faith of the parents who lost their children. The Jacob family who lost their daughter, mary Kate, shared. She was the light of our lives. She was tiny but mighty, full of love and joy, with a smile that melted your heart. We are utterly shattered and forever changed, but grateful to God for her presence that blessed our lives. I can do all things in and through Christ, and the Lawrence family shared, who lost their eight-year-old twin daughters, hannah and Rebecca, brought so much joy to us, to their big sister, harper, and so many others. We will find ways to keep that joy and continue to spread it for them.
Speaker 1:Can you imagine finding that type of commitment, contentment, peace in your faith, to express those words after such a tragic loss? I can only hope and pray that I will trust him well and that I understand and face peace in the worst of the worst circumstances in my life. But as Christ followers, this is what we are called and commanded to do, no matter what the dire is. Andrew Davis shares in his book the Power of Christian Contentment. Contentment in Christian perspective must never be confused with mere stoicism, proud self-denial, determined self-sufficiency or condescending aloofness. Rather, it is the project of knowing Christ so well and trusting him so fully that the vicissitudes of life, no matter how dire, cannot hold a candle to the joy of steadfastly trusting our Heavenly Father. Central Lutheran Church today. May your faith and relationship with our Father be so great and so deep, so trustworthy, that your life and trials will be filled with a contentment and peace that allows you to praise God always, to rejoice in the Lord always and to share his word with a world that is desperate for a new narrative. Amen.
