Is there Joy?

Groucho Marx once quipped to a priest, "I want to thank you for all the joy you've taken out of this world." Is there joy and anticipation when you think about church? The Psalmist thought so as the group of pilgrims was approaching the temple in Jerusalem.

¹ I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” (Psalm 122)

Apparently the church in Rome had the purist Christians who tried to do everything right and tried to get everyone else to do everything right, according to their standards. And so there was the discussion of what food to eat and what drinks to drink. And Paul reminds them and us:

¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. ¹⁹ So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. (Romans 14)

Richard Bimmler (formerly of Wheat Ridge) wrote a book entitled: “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.” In our Christian faith, we often take ourselves too seriously. We try and live God-pleasing lives, but we often forget that because of God’s grace and forgiveness that it’s not about us. It is about all that God has done. And so we are freed of the burden of proving ourselves. So we need not take ourselves so seriously.

⁷ For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸ For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. (Romans 14)

We are now in the time in the church between the holidays and celebrations. Christmas and Easter are past, and will be months until we come to the next church holidays. Joy is not just for the holidays. As we gather to hear the Word of God and join together in community, may it still be a time of joy and peace, strengthening us for the difficult times.

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15)

I pray that this is reflected in our life together. We take God seriously so we do not have to take ourselves so seriously. And let’s have fun together.