Joy is Profoundly Theological

Little Halston is teaching us about joy. He finds most everything in life joyful,
unless it's dinner time and you're not feeding him fast enough!

Scripture

Phil. 2:¹⁷ But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you— ¹⁸ and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me.

Observation

We don’t find agreement on what Paul meant about being poured out here, but we do know that it meant sacrifice. Whether it meant his eventual martyrdom, or the way in which he sacrificially worked as a missionary, we don’t know, but no matter the circumstance, Paul had found a way in which to be joyful. Paul mentions his joy on several occasions but here, he invites the Philippians church into his life and he wants them, too, to be glad and rejoice. 

Paul had learned that he could be rejoice in every circumstance of life, and he wanted the church in Philippi to join him in this attitude. It wasn’t just a frame of mind, but this joy was profoundly theological. Flemming helps frame this for us so well:

Joy, unlike circumstantial feelings of pleasure or happiness, is profoundly theological. It “has nothing to do with circumstances, but everything to do with one’s place in Christ” (Fee 1995, 257). Joy is a pervasive mind-set that flows out of our relationship to Christ and to others in Christ. It accompanies lives and communities that are devoted to embodying and advancing the gospel of Christ—“even if” that involves adversity and affliction. This is why Paul can end this passage with an imperative: “Rejoice”! Joy is an intentional attitude, rooted in the knowledge that the sovereign God is at work in all of the contingencies of our lives. (NBBC) 

Application

I don’t know how many people would say that they are happy with the current pandemic and other related social and economic factors of the day. What we are to learn from Paul is that happiness or pleasure arise from our circumstances. Joy has a very different source, and that is only in relation to Jesus Christ. 

As a little girl I used to sing the song, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” I didn’t take much time to think about the words that I was singing, but it was also profoundly theological. That deep and abiding sense of joy can only come from finding rest in God. It is God’s joy that gives us strength and that infuses our lives. 

Even as a little girl I was drawn toward older people who had lived a good and long life of faith. There was something about the peace and joy that they exuded that made me want to spend time with them and ask questions. I enjoyed the company of retired missionaries, the Penns who lived in Nampa, Idaho. I was 10 years old and I think they were well into their 90’s, but they were our next-door neighbors and I loved checking on them and enjoyed long conversations. They had learned to live into the joy that came from a long walk with Jesus Christ. I’m sure that they faced hardships through the years, but I don’t remember them ever talking about hard times. I do know that I wanted to be like them. 

Reflecting upon joy today makes me wonder how we are all doing during this pandemic. I think that Paul would tell us that we can find and live in joy, no matter our circumstances, because joy comes from God. Yes, it is a profoundly theological idea, one that is grounded in a deep relationship and walk with Jesus Christ. The joy of the Lord really is our strength! 

Prayer

Lord, today I choose to live connected to you and to your joy. Amen.