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"What is Joy?"
What is joy? Webster’s dictionary says it’s “the emotion
evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the
prospect of possessing what one desires.” Certainly that
is what the world thinks of when they try to define joy. Are
you comfortable with that definition? Does joy come from
our possessions or good fortune? Or is it possible to
experience joy even when everything around you seems to be
falling apart?
Can you be joyful even when there’s not enough money to pay
the bills again this month? Or can there be joy when there’s
a disastrous tornado that levels an entire town? Is there
any joy while you watch a loved one suffer through illness
and die? I guess the question I’m asking is, is it possible
to be joyful even when you’re not happy?
Jesus confronts the disciples in John 16 with the reality
of his impending crucifixion. He knows that He will soon
be taken from them, handed over to be tortured and crucified.
He has great compassion on His disciples; in fact, right
after Jesus tells them these things He earnestly prays for
them, asking His Father to take care of them, that they may
have His joy fulfilled in themselves. [John 17:13] He tells
His disciples that for a time they will weep and mourn, but
soon after, they will see Him again, and then no one will
be able to take away their joy.
Do you suppose that, from the moment they first laid eyes on
their resurrected Lord, the disciples lived happily ever after?
Did they have well-being, success, wealth, and good fortune?
How can Jesus say that no one would take away their joy when
He knows quite well that life was going to be pretty unhappy
for His followers? Just look at the list of things that
happened to them because of Him! Persecuted, whipped, stoned,
imprisoned, crucified upside down, sawed in half – no, the
disciples did not have blue skies and smooth sailing ahead!
They were in for a rough ride! Did Jesus forget about this?
Life was not going to be happy for His disciples, and yet He
has the nerve to tell them that no one would take away their joy!
Perhaps there is more to joy than simple happiness. In the
world, joy is inseparably linked to happiness. If you’re not
happy, you can’t be joyful. The emotion of joy comes from
good circumstances in your life, so how much joy you feel
depends entirely on how good life is at the moment.
Have you ever fallen into the “if only” trap? You know,
“I’d be happier if only I had more money.” “If only I
had a better car, a better teacher, a better wife.” “If
only I had the job that I really wanted.” “If only I weren’t
facing so many health problems.” “If only my husband hadn’t
left me.” “If only, if only, if only…” It never ends. Even
if your desires are met, the “if only” just keeps getting
farther away. People buy lottery tickets because they’re
hoping that winning the lottery will take all their problems
away and bring them joy. Does it? Hardly.
In reality, people who think that life’s happiness will
bring them joy will never be joyful. We are living in a
world which has been corrupted by sin. It is sick and
dying. There is no pleasure in this life which will last,
no happiness which will not turn to sorrow. Sin has taken
God’s perfect creation and turned it upside down. Evil
things are considered acceptable choices. Good things
are considered undesirable. Advocate sin and you’re
exercising free speech and defending “rights”; speak
against sin and you’re insensitive and closed-minded.
The world is backwards! Is it any wonder, then, that
it thinks possessions produce joy while worship produces
boredom?
And it’s so easy to take the world’s view, paint it a
different color and call it Christian. Does your joy
come from St. Luke’s? Does it come from participating
in groups and activities here, from volunteering, from
being a part of all the wonderful things which we
accomplish together? These are all beneficial and
certainly bring satisfaction and happiness, but they
cannot and must not be your source of joy! If your joy
comes from St. Luke’s, then eventually, someday in some
way St. Luke’s Lutheran Church and School will fail you,
and your joy will be lost. The church is, after all, a
place where sinners gather together.
Perfect joy cannot come from what you have, either at home
or at church. It comes instead from who you are. In Baptism,
God placed His identity upon you. He declared you to be His
own child. Now there’s the true source of joy! Here in
worship we come face to face with that joy, the real, perfect
joy that God gives. At the beginning of every service, because
God has made you His children the pastor speaks in the stead
and by the command of Christ, “I forgive you your sins.”
From this, the entire service flows forth. We sing the
hymns and speak the creed. We offer our gifts and receive
Holy Communion. All of this because of the joy God has given
us, the joy of knowing that we are His sons and daughters,
ransomed, redeemed, forgiven by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus
Christ our risen Lord. No one can take away this joy!
And we get a real picture of this joy in the reading from
Revelation. Would you please take your bulletin out and
turn to page 8? Take a look at verses 3 and 4 of the
Revelation text. It’s one of my favorites, and I can
hardly read it without getting goosebumps. “Now the
dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them
and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their
eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying
or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
[Revelation 21:3-4]
Look at the beginning of verse three; look where this
voice is coming from! It’s the voice of God Himself.
If what God says is true – and you know it is – then
we can have joy even in the midst of life’s sorrows
and unhappiness, because the source of joy is not
the things around us, but our new identity in Jesus
Christ. Because of that new identity, we can be
joyful in everything! In good times, we see the
face of God reflected in the world. In sorrow and
suffering, we see our God, Himself no stranger to
sorrow and suffering, coming down from Heaven to
make his dwelling place with us and wipe every tear
from our eyes.
So what is joy? I like the answer of a song titled
“Joy”, written by Ralph and Dorothy Schultz for their
children.
Joy is budding trees and raindrops, sun-swept waves and
golden sand; Joy is amber-tinted forests, new white snow
from God’s own hand.
Joy is mother’s tender caring for her tiny newborn child;
Joy is father’s gentle pruning of the young tree growing wild.
Joy is faith and hope and loving, growing stronger through
the years; Joy is meeting life at sunset feeling no despair
or fear.
Joy is being truly thankful for the dawn of each new day;
Joy is working, praying, sharing, every step along the way.
Joy is telling little children Jesus shelters them from harm;
Joy is leading hopeless sinners to His ever-open arms.
Joy is Jesus’ strength around me, Joy is Jesus’ love within;
Joy is knowing my salvation, that I’m free from death and sin.
Joy is living here for Him who gave Himself for me; Joy is
living there in heaven to sing for joy eternally!
May the peace of God which passes all human understanding
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
[“Joy” © 1978 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Music
by Ralph C. Schultz, Lyrics by Dorothy R. Schultz.]
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