For the Sake of Joy

Joy can be a hard thing to nail down. Last week, we talked about defining yet not grasping faith. The substance of faith sweeps us with it toward the “better country.” This week, we turn to joy. But not just any joy—Jesus’ joy. Have you ever thought about Jesus having joy? We encounter Jesus suffering in the Passion, but we don’t often think about Jesus having emotions. Yet surely he did. Fully God and fully human. Fully human people tend to experience emotions. But then, is joy an emotion? Or something more? Like, an emotion+? I’m not going to pretend to have all of the philosophical answers to this, and philosophers, theologians, pastors, and lay people have spent a lot of time and ink to write about all these things and more. But, if we plan worship around joy, then worship has to include joy. Our congregations don’t need to just hear about joy. They need to experience it.

So, what can we tease out about joy from this passage? First, joy is an emotion connected to purpose. Joy points us toward the kingdom of God that is both here and not yet. Second, Jesus is the model for living in joy. “Who for the sake of the joy set before him, endured the cross…” We do not wait to experience joy until suffering and difficulty are past. We can encounter joy amid hardship because joy points us toward the reality of God’s dream for all creation. Third, joy has something to do with community. Throughout today’s passage, we read story after story of people of faith who came before, all of which culminates in the call to persevere in the faith because we are surrounded by the cloud of witnesses. That cloud of witnesses are the saints who have gone before, yes, but they are also the saints that surround us when we gather for worship or potlucks or Sunday school, or when we go grocery shopping or pick kids up from school or stand in line at the DMV. We practice the joy that Jesus demonstrates in community.

We must also remember that it is not our job to manufacture joy. We want to avoid any temptation to manipulate or force happy feelings in worship. This defeats the purpose of practicing joy even in the midst of adversity. We do not have to feel happy to encounter and experience joy in the midst of worship. So, select music that reminds your church of their story. Lift up prayers that address the difficulties in your community while also pointing to joy that is before, the ways that the kingdom of God is breaking through. Share stories of hope and encouragement. When you pass the peace, maybe you also pass the joy—“The peace and joy of Christ be with you…and also with you.” Pray for the Spirit to renew a sense of joy in your worship, then trust that God may surprise you with joy from unexpected places. And then, bless your congregation to go out and be attentive for joy to take them by surprise because the joy set before us is real and lasting, already here and not yet fulfilled.