From January 7, 2012

Last week I witnessed my first Rose Parade.  I sat with my family on the curb of Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, as we watched a bevy of flower-laden floats and pep bands walk past us for this yearly celebration. (One of the bands was the Franklin Regional High School Marching Band from Murrysville, PA!)

I could not believe how excited people were to be there and witness the festivities. There was cheering for everything that walked by, even the pooper-scoopers (they probably got the most applause!).  I couldn’t help myself from joining in the clapping and showing my children that it’s fun to root for vehicles made of flowers and horses that make messes in the street.  Besides the almost too hot temperatures (I think I got sunburn), it was a joyful experience!

Joy is a funny thing.  It’s often associated with happiness, but it doesn’t mean happiness.  Joy is kind of like the wind – you can feel it, experience it and see the effects of it, but you can’t bottle it.  You can pursue it, but you can’t grab it.  You can never feel like you’ve totally got it because there’s probably more to get.  Joy is funny, but joy is real, and God wants us to know joy and know it fully.

My friend and former pastor, Mike, gave me a definition of joy that I really like. He said that true joy, the kind found in the scriptures, is a deep-down, unstoppable, contagious delight that is not held captive by the circumstances of life.  What that means is that what Jesus offers us when it comes to joy is not dependent upon whether or not things are going well for us.  We can experience the joy of Christ at all times, even when things aren’t going well at all.

My desire for the worship ministry at CEFC is that we would be a community of joy – a community of people bringing joy to one another in such a way that it overflows to others.  The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Philippi and says that they could make his joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord and one mind.  As a worship community, we must consider that there is joy in unity.  As we pursue Christ and consider Him to be our one focus, we will find unity in that pursuit.  As we pursue Him, we will experience joy.

There’s nothing like being part of a team and experiencing the joy of a common purpose.  It affects the way you practice; it affects the way you play; and it can give you a special satisfaction in knowing your time and efforts were worth it.

There are times though when joy isn’t easy, and the writers in the scriptures are aware of this reality as well.  James writes to the church and tells them to consider it joy when they endure various trials, for those trials produce patience.  He knows it’s a given that you will face trials, and he tells them to consider it joy.  He doesn’t say consider considering it joy.  He says count it joy – to deem or to reckon it joy when you experience these things.  He has the audacity to suggest that there can be joy in tragedy.  But it is not because of the bad or in spite of the bad; it is in the midst of the bad. It’s knowing there is something more on the other side – something worth believing in.

To be a community of joy means that we come alongside those who need that reminder.  It’s not about, “Don’t worry, be happy.”  It’s more than that.  It’s about the encouragement of knowing God is at work – to shape us, to fill us and to complete us.

We come alongside because the patience we gain from those trials reminds us that victory is not that far off.

The Rose Parade may be the closest I ever get to a victory parade.  Most of my favorite sports teams struggle making it in to the playoffs, let alone making it far enough to win a championship.  However, in Christ, I know that I can experience joy because of His work on the cross.  In the example Jesus set for me, He endured the cross and was able to do so because of the joy set before Him.  He knew there was much to be gained by the cross and also knew there would be the other side.  He knew that there is joy in victory.

I might not get to witness a victory parade for one of my sports teams, but I will get to celebrate the victory in the end.  I like the prophetic words of Jeremiah describing the work of God and joyful response of His people: “The Lord has appeared from afar to me saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.  Again I will build you and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin Israel!  You shall again be adorned with your tambourines and shall go forth in the dances of those you rejoice.”

As a worship ministry, we have the opportunity to be an example for the rest of the church.  We can lead the way in finding joy in unity – with Christ as our main focus and pursuit.  We can set the tone of finding joy tragedy – with a perspective that is vastly different than that of the worlds.  We can set people free to find joy in victory – with authentic and passionate hearts motivating our celebration.

Joy is a funny thing.  Although we can’t bottle it, we must pursue it.  God wants us to know joy and know it abundantly.  Think about what could happen in our worship, in our church and in our lives if we were open to the infinite and unspeakable joy God promises us!

Consider the words of C.S. Lewis…

“If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.  We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea.  We are far too easily pleased.”

This year let us receive the joy that Jesus offers us – the kind of joy that is not held captive by anything we face in this life – good or bad.