There are lots of advice blogs or influencers out there talking about Joy. As in, “pick up every

possession you have and ask if it brings you Joy. If not, out it goes!” Or maybe “this job doesn’t feel

joyful”, or “this marriage isn’t bringing me daily joy”.

Well, hate to be the bearer of bad news: the lives we live on this earth will not ever bring us joy

every minute of every day. Maybe joy is over-rated, though there are many scriptural passages which

mention joy, such as: The joy of the Lord is my strength! Or this one: Put your faith in God and stay in his

care, this is cause for great joy! Notice that these passages about Joy are relating to internal joy. As

Peter the disciple wrote: salvation is cause for great joy, “even though you endure trials for a little

while”.

Maybe another word for Joy is Peace. Before Jesus left, he told his friends “my peace I leave

with you, peace that the world cannot give.” Many things can disturb our peace on this earth – maybe

not so disturbing as if we were in Ukraine or Sudan, but still. Maybe the teenagers aren’t behaving,

maybe there are too many bills and not enough money at month’s end. Maybe the car died or there are

concerning health issues. Maybe the daily news is scary.

Jesus advocated a faith that brought peace, joy and love into our hearts, though in his day there

were plenty of religious leaders who did not have that kind of faith. They were purveyors of Frowny

Faced Religion: rules, charts, correct family backgrounds, exclusionary practices (who is In, who is Out),

and pride in their worthiness. Jesus didn’t fit this mold, just as peace-love-joy people still don’t fit the

mold. This can be hard in the short-term, but as we will continue to say: May the peace of the Lord be

always with you – and also with you!

Everyone is welcome at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church: Sunday service at 10 a.m. and coffee hour

afterwards.