Joy

Theologian Karl Barth observed,

“Joy is the rarest and most infrequent thing in the world.”[1]

How about that uplifting quote for the third week of Advent! He goes on to say,

“We already have enough fanatical seriousness, enthusiasm, and humorless zeal in the world. But joy?”1

Unfortunately, I deeply resonate with his observation. You have probably heard preachers compare happiness to joy as they point out that happiness is usually a byproduct of a particular set of circumstances in your life. You got the gift you wanted for Christmas. You got the promotion at work. Your kid made the select team. These things make us happy. But they tell you joy is something deeper, something that you experience even when those things are taken away. I get it. There is truth to all that. But for me, it has never really hit home. From a young age, joy is something I have rarely experienced. There has always been a deep sadness in my soul, a longing for something more. Even now, I struggle to put words to what it is I am longing for.

As I have been meditating and reading about joy in the Christian tradition,I have come to realize that joy is not something we can come by on our own. If we are trying to find joy, we will often miss it and settle for happiness. (Don’t get me wrong, I am all for being happy) Roman Catholic priest and theologian Ronald Rolheiser helped me discover this truth.

“Joy is always the byproduct of something else. We can never attain joy, consolation, peace, forgiveness, love, and understanding by actively pursuing them.”[2]

One of my heroes of the faith, Eugene Peterson, said it even more bluntly,

“Joy is not a requirement of Christian discipleship; it is a consequence.”[3]

As I have been thumbing the pages of Scripture, trying to synthesize what these ancient saints have to say about joy, I have been surprised to see that the joy the Scriptures present to us is not our joy. It is the Lord’s joy that he gives to us. This was made most clear to me by Jesus himself.

In John 15 Jesus is speaking to his disciples and preparing them for his soon approaching death. He uses the imagery of a tree and fruit, and likens them as branches, and he is the tree, and for them to bear fruit, they must remain in him. It is beautiful. I encourage you to go read it for yourself. At the end of it, he says,

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. - John 15:11

Jesus wasn’t telling his disciples to muster up joy or to go out and find joy. He invited them to receive his joy.

This is Jesus’ invitation to us this week. To receive his joy.

Barth ends his thought with,

“When we have found God our Savior- or when he has found us- we will rejoice in him.”

So, I invite you to join me this week in not searching for joy. Seriously, stop it. You can’t find it in your Instagram feed, in your Amazon shopping cart, or even in your favorite Christmas Spotify playlist.

Let Jesus find you and give you his joy.

So, take a moment to PAUSE.

Be still.

Surrender your attempts to find joy this season and pray,

“Jesus, I receive your joy. May it be complete in me.”

Amen.

[1] The first paragraph is from Karl Barth, Insights: Karl Barth’s Reflections on the Life of Faith, ed. Eberhard Busch, trans. O. C. Dean, Jr. (Westminster John Knox, 2009), 13. The second paragraph is also widely attributed to Karl Barth.

[2] Ron Rolheiser, “A Meditation on Joy,” RonRolheiser.com, December 15, 2002, ronrolheiser.com/ a-meditation-on-joy/ #.W9oFTxNKgWo.

[3] Eugene H. Peterson, The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways That Jesus Is the Way (Eerdmans, 2011), 18.

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