where joy leads

Joy is a wonderful gift. It is something which usually comes when we are not expecting it or are uncertain of the exact time of its arrival.

The closing I use after each service includes the line “rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Of any line in that commissioning, that is the one I find myself lingering over the most each Sunday.
As children we learned to recite a Bible verse that would say something like “joy comes from God.” But our teachers were not around as we got older to help us to unpack what that joy is. And so, without the continuous teaching of that nature, we have assumed that the joy we will get is like something we already have in this world.

But the joy that comes from God which leads to rejoicing is not of this world. It comes by a power that we do not see...like the wind...yet we can see what it does...like the wind.

Notice, though, that we have joy not because of what the Holy Spirit has done, but simply in that it can do it. We rejoice in its power. There is no sense of accomplishment. We are still living in the “not yet” time that comes from God. However, we have joy because we already know what it will do.
The power of the Holy Spirit is the only power I rejoice in. All the other powers that be are human and have wound up leaving a sour taste in my mouth. I have followed a lot of “powers” in my life, but all have left me wanting for something more. Like an addict, we keep going back to human power, hoping, almost believing, that they can do something to make us joyful. Every time they fall flat and leave me empty and resentful because they didn’t accomplish what they promised. (But the, only God can do that.)

I see that again and again in the political realm. I see that shaping up big time here in the state of Ohio. I am deeply concerned about the role some ministers are playing in the upcoming gubernatorial campaign and the language and judgments that are already a part of this campaign. I see it in the way some folks attempt to turn the beautiful Genesis narratives of creation and the psalms story, poetry and theology into science. I see it in the way the Christian faith has been reduced down to “religion” and ideology.

The journey with Jesus Christ is a relationship full of joy. We rejoice because of what the Holy Spirit of the three in One God has the capability to do. God is the ONLY ONE who deserves our loyalty and passion of life.

We humans love to get into debates about who is right and wrong. When you share a loving relationship, you look not for right and wrong, but for depth and forgiveness all the way around. That is pure joy!

I think we need to take a leave of absence from using the term “Christian” for the next few years. It has been reduced down to political views and marketing slogans. You notice I will more often refer to disciples or followers of Jesus Christ. That always defines us in a relationship with Jesus. The term Christian today usually makes us stand alone as though it is all about us.

If people want to debate about abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia, war, taxes and so on…that’s the nature of our nation. But PLEASE, don’t claim to be The Christian Voice on any of these. Rather, be a servant of Jesus Christ and see where that leads you. I think we wind up at a very different place than where much of the rhetoric today winds up.