JOY
You can divide people up into many different categories or classifications (think male/female, young/old, rich/poor, etc) but I'm fairly certain that one grouping that most all people would readily identify with is cats/dogs. Most people when asked will either say they are a "cat person" or a "dog person". I would almost certainly identify with the latter.
Dogs are loyal, you can train them, you can play games with them, and they are infinitely more open to human affection than cats. Seriously, dogs are famous for being loyal, while cats are famous for at best being indifferent. Dogs are commonly trained to do amazing things, while a person is lucky if they can train their cat to use the litter box. If you throw an object a dog will instinctively go and fetch it, if do that with a cat they may or may not even look up to see what you're doing!
As I said, this is how I would typically identify myself, as a dog person, with one exception...Fonzy. Not the character on Happy Days, although he was a cool guy for sure. No, the Fonzy I'm talking about was my cat. He was actually my replacement cat, because my first cat (who's name I don't even remember) ran out the front door and got hit by a car. I got Fonzy when I was 2 and had him until I was 23!
Now it might be because he was around for so long, or because he was basically raised by a dog (he came to us as a kitten), or maybe just because he was MY pet, but Fonzy was special. He actually wanted to be around people. He loved attention, and seemed to genuinely miss us when we were away. He was incredibly tolerant of my sister and I, even when we tied string around his neck and took him for "walks". Needless to say I loved him, and thought he was the greatest pet ever. That's why it was so much worse when, at the age of 9, Fonzy vanished!
We put up flyers and placed ads in the paper. We even offered a reward! But the days turned into weeks, and soon our family had lost all hope. My parents tried to comfort my sister and I, they even offered to get a new cat, but we knew no new cat would be Fonzy. Then one day the phone rang. The voice on the other end mentioned seeing our ad in the newspaper. She had found a cat that matched the description. He had been hit by a car, but she had nursed him back to health! Fonzy was found and returned!
If you've ever lost something (a wallet, book, pet, etc.) and then found it later, you know the joy that I felt when we found Fonzy. It's that same joy that in part describes the life of a Christian. It's the joy that occurs when something lost has been restored. Jesus speaks of this joy in relationship to Christians when he tells the parables of the "Lost Sheep" and the "Lost Coin" (Luke 15:1-10). In these parables Jesus teaches about the reality that humanity has lost something and upon finding it should indeed be filled with joy.
As Christians we realize that what was lost was wholeness, relationship with our Creator, living life knowing we are forgiven and loved unconditionally. Unfortunately most of the world doesn't even realize that they've lost anything, and therefore the joy that embodies the Christian life seems strange and foreign to the world. Our joy stands out in stark contrast to a cold and hurting world. Furthermore, this joy is not dependant upon a person's situation or circumstances since it is a joy that finds its roots in God's ever present love. So it would be completely appropriate for a Christian in the midst of beatings and imprisonment to still be singing hymns of praise to God (here).
The joy connected to Christians in Scripture is not only a joy felt within but it is a joy that is inspired within others by Christians. The Greek word for joy (chara) not only means "joy" but it also speaks to the "cause or occasion of one's joy". In other words, when the Bible lists "joy" as one of the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), it is also speaking of the reality that the joy within a Christian causes joy within others (including God)!
What does all of this mean? It means that part of being a Christian is realizing that somewhere along the way we as humans have lost something, but that in Christ that something lost can be regained. It means that fundamental to Christian life is a deep inner joy that shines through regardless of our circumstances because God's love for us is a constant and known reality. Finally it means that this joy that comes from within is also the very real cause and inspiration for other's joy and that most of all our loving and redeeming God is filled with joy because of us. So you might be a Christian if you have joy.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
Lenten Homework #2 - Give up something you really enjoy this week (coffee, chocolate, tv, etc), then on Sunday have that thing again. The pure JOY that you feel as you experience that thing after abstaining from it for a whole week is the joy that you should experience every day in your life as a Christian.
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