Pastor’s Pulpit for October 2019
The Fruits of the Spirit: Joy
“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such
things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23; ESV).
Joy (cara [chara]
in Greek) is not the same thing as happiness.
Not if we understand happiness as only good feelings in the heart, a
positive disposition of the mind, and a smile on the face. Christians are not always happy in that
sense. How could we be? There is much to be sad about in this fallen
world and in our fallen flesh. But we do
always have joy. Christian joy is a gift
of the Holy Spirit. Christ is its
source. It is rooted in the redemption
and forgiveness of sins and eternal life we have through our Lord Jesus
Christ. It flows from faith in Christ
and the sure and certain knowledge that our Father in heaven loves us. And so Christian joy abides and perseveres
even in the midst of great sorrow and suffering. This is why St. Paul can write from a prison
cell: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Phil. 4:4).
Some people think a Christian must always
be happy and smile. This comes out of
American pop-Christianity. Frankly, it’s
fake. It is a denial of reality. Sad things happen in a fallen world. Christians weep. We weep over sin. We grieve over death. We hurt.
We suffer. We suffer sickness and
injury and loss. We suffer guilt and
regret. We suffer persecution from others. These things may cause us to feel emotions
that are less than pleasant.
Christian joy is not an emotion in this
sense. Though it may sometimes be felt
as the emotion of happiness, at other times it is hidden to sight and known only
by faith. We know we have joy, even when
we don’t feel it, because we know we have Christ. And having Christ, we have salvation, life,
forgiveness of sins, and all things… “For all things are yours, whether Paul or
Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all
are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Cor. 3:21-23).
Christian joy is not based on the present
set of visible circumstances, but on the knowledge by faith of God’s steadfast
love and favor for Christ’s sake, and the sure and certain hope of the
resurrection of the body and the restoration of all things, the undoing of evil
and the triumph of the good, when Christ comes again in glory. That is to say, we know the end of the
story. Disney movies can be quite
stressful when it appears that the wicked queen just might win. Maybe the prince isn’t going to make it in
time. Maybe Snow White will stay dead
forever. But then, we know that in
Disney movies, they all live happily ever after. So we’re certain as we watch the movie, even
when all seems hopeless and the princess lies dead, that the prince will come
and give her the kiss of resurrection, life, and love. So we enjoy the movie, even when we get to
the sad parts, or the scary parts. The
end is coming, and all will be well.
We know that Christ, who died for our
sins, is risen from the dead. He lives
and reigns. He rules all things for the
good of His beloved, His Bride, the Church, us!
And He is coming back for us, to take us to Himself, to the eternal Wedding
Feast, where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, where
God Himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Rev. 21:4). Then there will only be joy, unencumbered by grief
and sadness. Then feelings of happiness
will always accompany the joy we now know by faith, but not always by sight.
Jesus tells His disciples frankly that
they have sorrow now (John 16:22). In
their case, it was because of His impending death on the cross. In our case, it is because of sin and death
and their effects in this life. But the
Lord brings about a turn of sorrow into joy.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world
will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but
your sorrow will turn into joy” (v. 20).
How? Why? Because Jesus is risen from the dead. And the disciples, and we, will see Him! “I will see you again, and your hearts will
rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (v. 22).
What finally turns our sorrow into
joy? Jesus, who was crucified for our
sins, is risen from the dead! And He
will raise us! And so we even “rejoice
in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance
produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to
shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:3-5).
Joy gives birth to rejoicing. “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy
comes with the morning” (Ps. 30:5). “You
have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and
clothed me with gladness” (v. 11). “Rejoice
in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”
Even in sadness. Even in the face
of death. Grieve, yes, but not as those
who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13 ff.).
Grieve as Christians. Which is to
say, rejoicing always. For joy is God’s
gift to you. Joy is a direct result of Christ
for you. O Lord, give us an increase in
the fruits of the Spirit, especially joy in your great salvation. We ask it for Jesus’ sake, our Savior and our
Joy. Amen.
Pastor Krenz
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