IS THERE JOY AMONG US?

The first Christians did not try to conceal their faith in Jesus. They were proud of that faith and because of it God blessed them by giving them special gifts. While these gifts made others stand back in awe and wonder, that was not the purpose for God’s granting them. It was simply the result of an almost all-consuming faith and the joy that came with such a faith.

This tiny community of faith truly believed they were special. They had been called by God, specifically chosen by God, to tell the world that the Messiah had come in the person of Jesus. They were not afraid to do so either. That is why they went to the temple on a regular basis, daily in fact. There they engaged in prayer and witness and then came back to their gathering place to tell one another with joyful hearts what had taken place.

Joy: that, I think, is what set this tiny community of faith apart from everyone else. They joyfully looked forward each morning to going to the temple to tell others about Jesus and went to bed each evening joyfully giving thanks to God for the privilege of witnessing to their faith and looking forward to the morning when they could arise and do it again. Their lives radiated the joy they felt in their hearts, radiated it wherever they went in whatever they did. And they couldn’t help it.

Sometimes I think that sense of joy has been lost over the centuries, certainly tempered to a degree, sometimes a vast degree. Unlike those first disciples, I think we often witness to our faith these days more out of a sense of duty than out of a sense of privilege. Jesus has chosen us, each one of us, to tell the world about our faith in him. What a privilege that is, if we think about it.

Should we not be filled with joy because of this? Should we, too, not arise each morning in joyful anticipation for any and all opportunities to witness to our faith in Jesus whenever and however those occasions may arise throughout the day? The problem, I suspect, is that we don’t see our daily lives to be such opportunities. But they are. Our faith is lived out in the way we live our lives, for better or for worse.

The reason or at least one of the reasons why the church grew so quickly in those early days and years was that the joy of the first disciples and converts was so infectious even when they were being persecuted. Perhaps if each of us were more joyful Christians, more and more people would seek to discover what we have discovered and will find what we have found but which we seem to want to keep too much to ourselves.

Are there are too few occasions and too few Christians filled with this joy in our day and time? No, in fact, there are not. When we reflect on our faith and what it means to us, we are filled with joy and thanks. We can’t help it!  What we can do is help others become infected with this same joy.

One can only wonder what would happen if we as a church and as individuals within the church became much more aware of this joy especially today in times like these.