JOY: A Brief Meditation on Philippians 3.1 & 4.4
Author: Bobby Valentine | Filed under: C. S. Lewis, Christian hope, Discipleship, Faith, Holy Spirit, Philippians, Worship
“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.”
Though many times modern disciples are unaware (at least I was for years!), the apostle Paul is never more Jewish than when he told his Gentile converts in Macedonia to rejoice in the God of Israel. The religion of the God of Israel was not only about getting rid of something (i.e. Sin) but embracing something (i.e. SomeONE). That is a life in communion with God, the greatest “experience” of joy. Jesus the King of Israel brings this “joy.”
God did not create us to be dour and live in misery. Years ago (1991), I read C. S. Lewis’s autobiography of his “early life.” In the book he describes the loss of his faith of his childhood and embracing atheism. He then narrates the rediscovery of not only mere belief in theism but embracing Christian faith. The journey to Christian faith he describes as being Surprised by Joy.
Sadly “joy” is not one of the first words that come to mind when people describe their faith. Nor is it the term that nonbelievers use to describe either the faith or the believers of that faith. I will be the first to admit that there are some things in life that suck. Chaos does exist.
And yet there is beauty that is difficult to explain. And it is everywhere: the sky, the grass, the trees, in music, art, in relationships. That beauty is related to joy. The beauty does something. It is like a window in which joy secretly enters our world. Lewis claimed that that joy was a sign of “another world.”
Joy is of the Lord. It is the gift of God. “The fruit OF the Spirit is love, joy …” (Gal 5.22). “[T]he kingdom of God … is joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15.17). “May the God of hope fill you with all joy” (Rom 15.13).
Joy is a sign post of something greater, more powerful, and far more beautiful than we can dream or imagine. It is a gift from God’s own Spirit. We were created for joy. Joy is a fundamental characteristic of the religion of Israel in the Hebrew Bible. Joy or Rejoicing is associated with communal worship, the gracious torah and the Presence of the Lord. It is no exaggeration to say that joy in the Lord is a dominant theme in the Hebrew Bible.
“And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you together with your sons and your daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levites” (Deut 12.12, NRSV)
“Rejoice before the Lord your God—you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female slaves, the Levites resident in your towns, as well as the strangers/aliens, the orphans, and the widows who are among you” (Deut 16.11, NRSV)
“Rejoice during your festival, you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female slaves, as well as the Levites, the strangers/aliens, the orphans, and the widows resident in your towns.” (Deut 16.14, NRSV)
“In your presence there is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16.11, NRSV)
“the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart” (Psalm 19.8, NRSV)
See in the Psalms as examples from the NIV: Psalms 100 (whole); 32.11; 33.21; 64.10; 66.6; 68.3-4; 95.2; 97.12; 105.3; 107.42; 122 (whole); 150 (whole); etc, etc.
Did you know that the word “joy” occurs in the New International Version of the Bible no less than 242 times. Of these, 174 are found in the Hebrew Bible (so much for the old saw that the Jews were miserable!!). Joy’s cognate “rejoice” occurs in the NIV another 154 times (of which 123 are in the so called “Old Testament”). We can also get at the notion of “joy” through other semantic routes. The words “be glad” grace the pages of the Bible no less than 44 times. That is a lot of joy in the Bible.
Joy is not the same thing as “giddy” as Lewis reminds us. Joy is deeper than a fleeting moment. It is often associated with “shalom” or peace in Scripture.
Gratitude and joyful celebration are two important ways for Christians to respond to God’s exuberant gifts of creation and salvation. Cultivating joy is actually a WORSHIP response to the astonishing goodness of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s words in Philippians are really not that unique in Scripture rather they sort of bring it all to the point. How I wish Christians were known a creatures of joy.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, REJOICE!“
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May 24th, 2024 at 8:02 am
Good words. never thought about cultivating joy as worship; I will meditate on that for well the rest of my life. lol