Joy—Apparently God Thought It Was Important

If you’ve ever thought faith had to be serious all the time (no laughing, no smiling, definitely no dancing), this episode is for you. We’ll talk about the difference between shallow “everything’s fine” happiness and the deep, steady joy God gives—joy that isn’t a personality quirk, but part of the Christian life. 

Transcript

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Well, hello friends. If you're wondering how you ended up listening to podcasts called Grandma Went to Seminary, let me assure you, I'm wondering the same thing. Some people take up pickleball in their later years, some take up sourdough, some take up quilting, and well I took up Hebrew verb parsing. Life is funny like that. And since this is the first episode, it seems only right to begin with a subject that the Bible apparently could not stop talking about. Joy. I mean that literally. Joy appears over 150 times in scripture, add in words like joyful and joyous, and you pass 200 occurrences. And then there's the verb rejoice, which shows up well over 200 times on its own. And some scholars say that when you put them all together, the Bible references joy more than 400 times. 400 times. Which means one thing is abundantly clear. God was not being subtle. Yet if we're honest, joy is not always the first word people associate with theology. When I tell folks I'm in seminary, oh no one says, oh, so you're studying happiness. They usually picture something between a medieval monk and an overly serious librarian who frowns at laughter just in case it leads to dancing. Well, somewhere along the way we collectively decided that God is holy, righteous, sovereign, and vaguely annoyed. But scripture tells a very different story. Here's something that may surprise you. The Bible never presents God as unhappy with joy itself. Not once. In fact, the opposite is true. God Himself knows joy, expresses joy, and perhaps most astonishing of all, wants his people to share in his joy. And Scripture even tells us where joy is found. In your presence there is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16, 11. So when you feel like you're running on fumes, remember this old word from Nehemiah. That means joy is not a personal flaw that you need to repent of. It is not emotional shallowness. And it's definitely not proof that you have not suffered enough yet. Theologians across centuries, from Jonathan Edwards to Carl Barth to Jurgen Multman, they all agree on this. Joy is not peripheral to who God is, it flows from his very nature. Multman even said that the beautiful in God is what makes us rejoice in him. And in plain grandma language, God is not just right, he is wonderful. And wonderful things produce joy. Now before we get carried away, and before anyone accuses this grandma of teaching glittery theology, the Bible does distinguish between true joy and false joy. Scripture is very clear. Joy is not the same as indulgence, escapism. Jesus didn't say rejoice because everything will always go your way. He said things like, rejoice that your names are written in heaven. That's not circumstantial joy. That is anchored joy. And anchored joy shows up at the strangest places, like salvation itself. Peter says believers who haven't seen Jesus rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. 1 Peter 1, 8 through 9. And Jesus says there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons. Luke 15 7. False joy is loud and brittle. True joy is often quiet and steady. And false joy depends on outcomes. True joy depends on relationship. And here's the part that humbles me. Joy is not something we can manufacture. You can't grit your teeth and rejoice harder. And joy is not a spiritual chore chart. It is according to Scripture fruit. Paul calls it exactly that. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. That's Galatians 5, 22 through 23. And it's not just a private feeling. The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14, 17. And fruit grows naturally when a tree is rooted in good soil. Now does God require joy? That question alone made my eyebrows go up. Does God command joy? Well, Paul certainly talks like it. He writes, Joy in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. That's Philippians 4.4. And then as if that wasn't clear enough, rejoice always. Well, not in the way we might fear. God does not stand over us with crossed arms saying smile, or else. Instead, joy is presented as the appropriate response to God's goodness. When Moses warned Israel about covenantal consequences, he did not say they failed because they were not productive enough. He said they failed because they did not serve the Lord with joy and gladness in the abundance that He gave. In other words, joy was not the burden. Joy was the gift that they neglected. And God was not withholding joy from them. They were overlooking it. And this is why it matters. It's not just theological, but it's personal. Joy is not denial. Joy is not naivety. Joy is not pretending life is easy. Joy is choosing to live inside God's abundance even when circumstances are tight. And if scripture talks about joy this much, maybe God knows how easily we forget it. And somewhere between Bill's diagnosis, broken relationships, broken hips, grief, church hurt, and unmet expectations, we we decided joy was optional or worse, suspicious. But God seems remarkably committed to joy, so much so that centuries of thinkers, Edwards, Barth, Moltman, and modern scholars at places like Yale, have devoted entire theological projects to reclaiming joy as essential to good life and not the shallow good life, the real one. Now here's my final thoughts. If joy is fruit and if joy flows from knowing God, if joy is woven into the beauty and glory of who He is, then perhaps joy is not something we choose. Perhaps it's something that we receive. Jesus said it this way, these things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15, 11. And maybe just maybe God wants his people to be known not for grim determination, but for deep, resilient grace. James is bold enough to say, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, and the Psalms echo the same strange hope. Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy. That's in Psalms 126. And weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalms 30. So if you need a starting place, Scripture gives you one. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness, Psalms 100. And let all who take refuge in you rejoice. Let them sing for joy, Psalms 511. Until then, may you notice joy where you least expect it. And remember, even grandma went to seminary and God was joyful about that. Shall we pray? Heavenly Father, thank you for being holy and kind and for not being allergic to joy. Thank you that you did not whisper joy into the Bible once or twice. You put it in there so many times we can't pretend we missed it. And forgive us for acting like joy is optional, suspicious, or only for people with easy lives and uncluttered calendars. Grow your joy and us, Father God, as fruit of your spirit, not a plastic smile that we staple on in public. Some of us can organize a pantry. We can run a meeting and worry ourselves into a headache before breakfast. So we clearly need supernatural help. And when we're tired, remind us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. And when we're distracted, put us back into your presence, because that's where fullness of joy actually is. And teach us to rejoice in you, Father God, today, not someday when everything calms down. Make our worship glad, our laughter clean, our faith steady, and our homes a little lighter because you are near. So we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.