12/16/18 “Celebrating Joy: A Short Meditation” by Nancy Petty
The Greek word for joy is χαρα, (chará [car-a]). It is used approximately 58 times in the New Testament (Second Testament). The Hebrew word for joy is simcha (seam-ha) and is used somewhere around 114 times in the Hebrew Scriptures (First Testament). And so it would seem that there is at least some joy to be found in the Bible. It’s biblical meaning is associated with other words like: delight, gladness, mirth, rejoice, and even happiness. In the Greek its root xar means “extend favor, lean towards, the awareness of grace, favor, joy.”
But what is joy: an idea, emotion, virtue, philosophy, ideal, or something else? Is it what I feel or taste when I indulge in eating my favorite dessert—a piece of chocolate pie? That smooth and decadent taste brings me a lot of pleasure. Is it the greeting I encounter when Louis, my four-month-old puppy, licks the skin off my face when I come home at the end of the day? His greeting sure feels like joy. Could it be the calm and confidence I recognized, even when in the midst of pain and struggle, that assures me that God is with me?
In our speech today, the words joy and happiness are often used interchangeably. And that is understandable since the two are connected. What brings joy brings happiness and what brings us happiness often connects us to a sense of joy. And yet, in my experience, the two originate from very different places. I often find that my happiness comes from external circumstances—that piece of chocolate pie or the face licks that Louis shares with me after a day apart. But joy—joy comes from something deep inside. It is internal. It comes, I believe, from a state of mind and an orientation of the heart.
Joy as a state of mind.
Our joy is dependent on how we choose to think about our world and our lives in this world. And I don’t mean to imply in that statement that we ignore the pain and injustices and atrocities that are all around us. To simply ignore all the hard stuff, or pretend that the evil in our world and lives does not exist does not lead us to joy. And yet, our state of mind makes a huge difference in how we deal with all the injustices and pain we see and experience. To tap into joy, we need a place internally that gives us a sense of confidence that love truly is stronger than hate, that the darkness will not overcome the light, that justice does eventually flow down on the oppressed, the marginalized, and the down-trodden—on that 7-year old little girl who died at the border this past week in the custody of ICE, those standing in line at the local soup kitchens, and those harmed as they worshiped in mosques and synagogues. Joy is a state of mind that is not dependent on sweet treats, external circumstances. It comes from deep inside us.
Joy is also an orientation of the heart.
It is extremely hard for a closed heart to know joy. Joy needs an open heart: a heart that is oriented toward compassion and forgiveness, a heart familiar with radical grace and unbounded love, a heart that shines light in darkness and that dares to hope in times of despair. In addition to its day job as the engine of the body, the heart is also a spiritual organ. Unlike the head, the heart can hold light and dark in the same breath. And it is this ability to hold conflict and contrast that makes the heart a conduit for joy. For how often have we found that joy and pain are intermingled. The rain makes gulleys that fill with joy when the sun returns. Our darkest moments hollow out in us spaces to hold more love, more love. No two roles teach this better than that of partner and that of parent. For in those most intimate of relationships, of lover and spouse and of parent and child, we live most fully into both the joy of joining and the pain of proximity. And it is the heart that holds it all, ever unfolding into the love and the joy that it brings.
Joy as grace recognized.
In my opening paragraph I said that in the Greek the root word for joy, xar, means “the awareness of grace, God’s grace.” I wonder if we would/could experience more joy in our lives if we understood joy as grace recognized. It is impossible to earn joy. You can earn money. You can earn recognition. You can earn respect. But you can’t earn joy. That is because joy is given; it is grace. And my faith teaches me that grace is abundant. Joy is when we are aware of the abundance of God’s grace. Those moments when we see that we are loved because of, not despite, our flaws. The ridiculous, tiny joy of getting a parking spot close to the store when it should have taken you 20 minutes to park. The massive joy of the birth of a child, and the instant recognition that something has been given that couldn’t have been created by you.
In talking with a friend this week, he noted that we often think of joy as something scarce—that there is a lack of joy. But in the Christian scriptures we experience an abundance of joy, especially this time of year. Joy is associated with the nativity scene of the angels’ song: “For behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will come to all the people.” The magi, upon finding the infant Jesus, are overjoyed. There is joy as the shepherds watch their flocks in the fields. There is joy in the star that appears in the sky. But it’s not just Jesus’ birth narrative that we find joy in our faith story. Luke’s gospel is concluded with the disciples returning with great joy from Bethany after Jesus’ ascension. At various times, Jesus himself joins the joy of the mundane events of daily life. There is joy to be found in a life of faith.
And so, I commend to you this day, that there is an abundance of joy to be found and celebrated in the life of faith. Joy is not something you can buy, or earn. Joy is a gift that comes when we dare to live in a state of mind looks for hope in the midst of despair; and when we live with an open heart oriented towards a radical grace, a radical compassion, and a radical love.
So, celebrate joy people! Celebrate joy not only in this season but in all seasons.
