The joy of the Lord is my strength - Nehemiah 8:10
On April 20 I gathered with colleagues at University UMC for a Continuing Education meeting I have on the 3 Mondays of each month. There was a LOT of sharing of dad jokes. The first or second Sunday following Easter for many of my colleagues or some of their churches has come to be known as Holy Humor Sunday, so they were sharing some of their favorite moments from the services. We are reminded in Proverbs 17:22 "A cheerful heart is good medicine." Holy Humor Sunday leans into that joy, humor and celebration - after all, the season of Easter is all about celebrating resurrection and new life. What does that look like? It means people dress up, they get silly, sort of like Joy Sunday in Advent where we put on our best Festive attire for the sake of being joy-filled in the sanctuary to celebrate Christ's birth and presence in our lives. In the spirit of Easter, how can we celebrate new life when we are always focusing on the negative, honing in on other people's shortcomings and the things that are wrong in the world?
We are reminded as the people of God that Jesus came that they may have abundant life. When we lean into joy, we are practicing abundant life, we are living hope and church, it's contagious! Kate Bowler, author writes in a recent newsletter article, "joy does not wait for everything to get better. It is not the reward for a fixed life. Joy, in its very nature, can coexist with sorrow and suffering of all kinds. (This is what makes it different from happiness.) And not only that, I've experienced how it sustains you through hard seasons. Tiny moments of more-than-okayness that carry you through."
We just spent Lent exploring Lament - even when life is hard - we learned week after week that we can hold onto hope, name the reality and lean into what God is doing. We even can be joy filled people because our hope and joy are in the Lord. We serve and believe in a God of endless possibilities - that is our joy, hope and strength as the body of Christ in the world. May you lean into finding moments of joy - as simple as a meal out or a cup of tea with a friend, exploring nature and the resurrection of spring, the deep laughter that comes from a silly dad joke - I wonder - how else do you experience and share joy with one another? May you seek to share those moments with others and may you be someone who spreads joy and light as a builder of God's kingdom, even when it may feel daunting - because church, we are called and we are doing this together!
Pastor Kayla
