“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4 · KJV
Philippians 4:4 comes from a letter Paul wrote from prison — chained in Rome, waiting on the verdict of an emperor who would have him killed. In circumstances that should have produced despair, he wrote the household of the church his 'letter of joy.' This hymn borrows his handwriting and lets a household today put it to a tune.
“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” Philippians 4:4-5 · KJV
Companion passages: Nehemiah 8:10 ("the joy of the Lord is your strength") · 1 Thessalonians 5:16 ("Rejoice evermore") · Habakkuk 3:17-18 ("yet I will rejoice in the Lord") · John 15:11 ("that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full").
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Paul does not tell the church to rejoice when they feel like it. He tells them to rejoice always — a rejoicing that survives chains, poverty, and the empire's threats because it rests on the risen Christ, not on circumstance. The joy of the Christian household is likewise not borrowed from the world's fortunes; it is a joy Christ purchased with his blood, and no one can write it down as canceled.
Father, teach this household to rejoice not in the passing fortunes of the world but in the finished work of Christ. Let gladness be the wedding gown we put on each morning, and let the letter of thy joy be read aloud in this home every day. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Read Philippians 4:4-7 aloud before the day begins. Sing Verse 1 as a call to the whole household to rejoice.
Sing the Bridge slowly. Name one reason the Lord has given this household to rejoice today.
Teach the children the Bridge as a clap-along song. Ask them: what makes a joy that no one can take away?