As it turns out, I will be preaching on joy this Sunday.
It is a major theme of the next few verses in the first chapter of 1 Peter that I am covering (verses 6-9). In particular, it is how joy can exist in the midst of real trials, real sorrows, and real griefs.
Here is what I wrote in my sermon manuscript at the end of the introductory section:
If you are anything like me, then you would like your joys and sorrows to firmly separated. Those are not things naturally go together in our minds. We want the good things right here and we want the hard trials, afflictions, and adversities to stay far, far away. We would like to have our joy hermetically sealed off from anything that might take away from them. We want them untouched by grief, pain, or difficulty. AND this is nothing like what the Christian life is described like in the Bible. Joy and sorrow are held together. In fact, we are taught, including here, that joy often comes in the midst of our sorrows. How in the world is that possible?
I will attempt to answer that question on Sunday.
My congregation will have to be the judge of whether I succeed or not.
Here’s one more part of that sermon, from the middle section:
And when the Lord is with us in that suffering; in that trial; in that testing; joy is present pointing us to the greater reality of the Lord working to bring about His work in our lives. Joy is reminding us that neither our faith, nor our trials are pointless. We can agree with one of Shakespeare’s characters say: “Sweet are the uses of adversity…”
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I will not be publishing a newsletter next week, but will look forward to returning in two weeks.
Reading Joy
I haven’t finished any books this week, but I hope to finish The Lincoln Highway this weekend.
On the Nightstand:
I have continued reading On Guard: Preventing and Responding to Child Abuse at Church by Deepak Reju this week. On page 90 of 199.
Amor Towles’ book The Lincoln Highway has been what I have been reaching for the most this week and have been greatly enjoying. On page 460 of 573.
Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. Now on page 337 of 484.
The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time by Alex Korb. On page 30 of 195. Not much progress here.
Still carrying around Harold Senkbeil’s the Care of Souls, but no progress.
Listening Joy
Here is a brand new song, Death Defying Joy, by an artist I have listened to in the past couple of years. I wrote about Andy Squyres in one of the early editions of this newsletter. This song seems fitting for this newsletter:
I could not locate any lyrics to share with you and I won’t attempt to transcribe them, but I hear the echo of 2 Corithians 4 (verse 9, especially) and quite a few other passages. Give a listen.
Seeing /Pug Joy
The people demand more Maurice! And who am I to deny them.
{Narrator: No one has demanded more of the Pug}
See you back here in a few weeks. Until then, I hope your joys are real, even if they are mingled with sorrow.
Ooh. Hermetically. That's good word.