To share joy.

Joy is meant to be shared. This is especially true in a religous context. The first Christians stood in awe before the mighty deeds of the apostles (Ac.2:43). They “feared” God. But this had nothing to do with anxiety and panic. We read in the same description that they broke bread with joy and that they praised God. In a simple way they experienced happiness when they had their meals together, but in the deeper, spiritual life, they could also praise God with much joy (Ac.2:47).

The sharing of joy is an essential characteristic of a community of believers. And it is fascinating to see how the church is formally structured to express this joy:

To worship God with hymns and song is one of the most important ways of expressing joy. Music, especially music that touches one, can make worship a special experience. People would remark after a service that the music was beautiful. They sing hymns with extraordinay enthusiasm when they are together in joy. When one sings special words with beautiful music it can inspire one and transform one in a deep spiritual manner. It is one of the most fitting ways to express joy in worshipping God. Then one is also truly celebrating the love of God as the true source of joy.

But joy is also communicated in proclaiming the Word of God. The preacher who lives from the gospel, the good, joyful news, will radiate joyful words. And it is not possible to communciate joy when one is innerly desperate, broken, without hope and overcome by depression. But to proclaim joy does not mean, however, that one has to smile all the time or that one has to feel happy all the while. It is a disaster when one wants to fake joy or to exaggerate one’s happiness.

Joy can be subdued, sober, simple. On Good Friday it is the death of Christ which is celebrated, remembered joyfully. On such a day joy is expressed differently than on the day of celebrating Christmas or Pentecost. When we say farewell to a loved one who has died, one can feel much joy amidst the sorrow of loss and bereavement. It is a joy because of having been blessed by the life and presence of the one who has died. It is joy because of so much happiness which we had shared with the one who has died.

Joy can be there, even in the times of great adversity, because of the never-ending presence of God in our lives. We can be joyful in sorrows, writes Paul in 2 Corinthians. He knew – he sang songs of joy in jail. Ultimately we feel joy because God shares divine blessings with us.

We feel happiness because we share it with the Other.