A Season of Joy

         Karl Barth once said that, “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” In our Christian tradition we are taught that joy is a deep, lasting inner happiness and contentment that arises from a relationship with God and a choice to trust God’s promises to us.  Mother Teresa defines joy as a prayer, strength, and love. “Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” Joy is active, not passive. It inspires us to do  our best and to appreciate every moment of our lives.

  During our April Presbytery meeting in Virginia Beach, Transitional General Presbyter Rev. Dr. Lissa Sumnter Long spoke on finding our love language. The 5 Love Languages are a framework developed by Dr. Gary Chapman on how people experience and express love. These love languages include words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. These ‘experiences’  reflect our personality and our values and are often second nature to us. We are most comfortable encountering the world and each other in these ways. It is how we best experience joy. Rev. Long then asked us to consider which language best reflected our ministry.  In simple terms…Where do we find our Joy? 

We are in the midst of the Easter season; a season of Joy. Easter is a time to celebrate the good news of our resurrected Lord. It is a time to rejoice and give thanks for the greatest gift the world has ever known. The best way to say thank you to God is to live a life with joy. Last week I came across Psalm 150 in my lectionary readings which expresses ways  in which we can live out our joy to God:

Hallelujah!

Praise God in his holy house of worship,

    praise him under the open skies;

Praise him for his acts of power,

    praise him for his magnificent greatness;

Praise with a blast on the trumpet,

    praise by strumming soft strings;

Praise him with castanets and dance,

    praise him with banjo and flute;

Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,

    praise him with fiddles and mandolin.

Let every living, breathing creature praise God!

    Hallelujah!

The psalmist calls us to express our joy for God with all we have, all we are, and everywhere we go.  Theologian Henri Nouwen encourages us to search out the ways God brings joy into our lives: 

“Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let’s not be afraid to receive each day’s surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy. It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity.”

This Easter season is a gift of time to consider not only where our joy lies but also how we can reflect our joy to others. I encourage you to name your love language and share the joy you find within it. To quote Lord Byron, “All who joy would win must share it. Happiness was born a twin.”

 Rev. Julie Sterling