Joy: It’s All About the Source | 6/29/25
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When in your life have you experienced joy that came from trusting God, even when the path was uncertain?
Is there an area in your life right now where God might be inviting you to trust more deeply?
The psalmist writes of joy even while acknowledging hardship. Have you ever felt joy in the midst of pain, grief, or transition?
What helped you access that joy?
Jesus says, "Abide in me... so that your joy may be complete." What does “abiding in Christ” look like in your life?
How do you intentionally stay connected to God?
Are you in the habit of naming and celebrating the good each day?
What’s one small good thing from today or this week that you can celebrate and share?
John Mark Comer described joy as a “quiet undercurrent” that becomes the soundtrack of your life.
What’s currently playing in your soul’s soundtrack—and what would you like it to be?
Transcript:
I love that [Fruit of the Spirit] video. It’s got so many wonderful images of the fruit of the Spirit being lived out, and hopefully some that are helpful for you as you think about what it looks like for you to bear witness to the fruit of the Spirit in your own life. That is our theme for this summer—looking at those characteristics that show up in our lives when we are being attentive to the Spirit at work and the way in which we can respond to the Spirit’s working.
Say them with me, if you remember: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Nine. Now, when we started this series a couple of weeks ago, we thought we would just run through them sequentially in the order that they appear in the fifth chapter of Galatians. Last week, I was scheduled to preach on joy, and it seemed that joy might not hit the right note on that particular Sunday in the wake of what had happened Saturday night.
So we shifted. It was important for us to pause as a congregation and be a community gathered in peace—to pray for peace, to pray for neighbors near and far, to pray for persons who might be facing the threat of violence and war. And so this week, we come back to joy. Last week will be our week on peace; this week will be our week on joy. Then we’ll continue with the next aspect of the fruit of the Spirit: patience.
As we look at joy today, we are reminded in the passage that I’ll be reading for us, as well as in numerous places throughout the Bible, that joy is all about the source, where we get joy from. And so I invite you to listen to these words from the 16th chapter of Psalms, beginning with the seventh verse:
“I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
For you do not give me up to Sheol,
or let your faithful one see the Pit.
You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
This is the Word of God for the people of God—and God’s people say, “Thanks be to God.”
Would you pray with me?
Come, Holy Spirit, and breathe life into the words that I speak, that they might carry a word from you into our hearts and lives this morning. Amen.
It was January of 2019, and it was my first trip to Rwanda to experience the wonder of Zoe Empowers. We were, at that time as a church, just beginning to support children and youth who were being connected through Zoe. On that first day, I and the others who were with me drove out of the capital city of Kigali, and it wasn’t too long before we were on a dirt road that led to another dirt road, that led to another dirt road, that finally landed us in a dirt parking area.
As soon as the vehicle was parked and we opened the doors, we could hear it. We could hear the sounds of the children and the youth. And then, as we walked around behind the building, we could see them—brightly clad in clothes of brilliant colors and wonderful patterns, radiant smiles on their faces, abundant energy and enthusiasm as they danced and sang for us. And as they welcomed us into that space nestled among the trees for a time of worship, they were singing with joy about the God they had come to know.
These children and youth who, just a year earlier, many of them not knowing where their next meal would come from, many of them having experienced abuse and exploitation from a family member or a neighbor or somebody in the community—now drawn together in the power of community, with each other and with leaders who cared about them and were introducing them to a way of life they could never have anticipated for themselves.
Where does such joy come from?
In his book Naked Spirituality, Brian McLaren talks about several words that are key to our experience of faith. One of those words is “Oh.” That’s a word that shows up as an exclamation in Scripture a number of places. “Oh”—which might be cause for jubilation or surprise, or wonder. And in his chapter on the way in which we’re invited to experience “Oh,” McLaren asks this question: Why are those who have the least in terms of health, wealth, and safety the most ready to make a joyful noise and sing for joy to the Lord?
One thought that comes to mind for me: when we have more—when we have enough of whatever it is that we want or think we need to get us through the day or the week or through the job or through the experience—when we are comfortable, we are too easily distracted. Our hearts become divided, and we can do a really good job if we want to keep God at a distance while we chase other shiny little gods that we think will bring happiness or satisfaction or security.
Real joy—the kind of joy that is mentioned in the list of the fruit of the Spirit, the kind that shows up in Scripture and in today’s Psalm—is closely linked to trust. And a lot of times, we can fool ourselves into thinking that we don’t need trust because we’re doing quite fine on our own, don’t you think?
But if we want to experience joy the way Scripture talks about joy, it will be closely linked to trust. And this is a primary theme of the Psalm we come to today. The psalmist trusts God to show him the path of life. And as we read through the Psalm, we notice some pretty significant results that he seems to be experiencing because of that trust.
In verse 8, he says that he cannot be moved. The Hebrew word we translate into “moved” could also be translated as “shaken” or “fall.” He cannot be moved, he cannot be shaken, he cannot fall.
When I hear those words, it takes me to a story that Jesus tells in the New Testament. Anybody else think of a story those words remind you of? About the house built on the rock, and the house built on sand? Jesus uses the house on rock as an analogy for the life that listens and trusts in God’s voice, and leans on that, and obeys that particular path. That is the house that, when the storms come—when challenges that we didn’t expect or want or anticipate show up in our lives—that house cannot be shaken or moved. It remains solid.
In verse 9, we hear that based on this relationship of trust, the psalmist is experiencing total well-being. “My heart is glad, my soul rejoices, and my body also rests secure.” Mind. Soul. Body. That’s a pretty good trifecta. Emotional health: check. Spiritual health: check. Physical well-being: check. And all of it goes back to that sense of trust in which he is grounding his life.
So, not surprisingly, when we get to verse 11, he says that because of this trust, because of that connection, he is experiencing “fullness of joy.”
And notice that trust grows out of relationship. “I keep the Lord always before me... In your presence, there is fullness of joy.” If we want to experience joy as a fruit of the Spirit, we need to spend time with God.
Duh. No brainer, right?
And the truth is that God is always experiencing time with us—that's part of our faith: that God is always present with us and for us. We, on the other hand, aren’t always doing a good job of cultivating the relationship—of taking intentional time to focus on growing trust, deepening the relationship, being present in a way that makes us more attentive so that we might experience joy.
The psalmist is very intentional about this. And as I listen to the psalmist, I also again hear Jesus speaking in the Gospels—on that last night when he and the disciples are together in the Upper Room, and Jesus is comforting them, reassuring them about what is ahead. And he says in the Gospel of John, “Abide in me.” He uses an analogy of a vine and branches to help them see the way in which they are meant to stay connected always. “Abide in me as I abide in you.” And then do you remember what he says next? About what the outgrowth or result of that is? “So that my joy will be in you, and your joy will be complete.” Complete joy. Fullness of joy.
Whether it’s the psalmist or Jesus, the same idea is being conveyed to us: that in a relationship that is growing in trust with God, we will find joy.
Yesterday, my wife Catherine and I celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary. Thank you. I’m a lucky man. I’m a very lucky man. I’m very grateful.
As we were celebrating yesterday, our minds went back to exactly one year ago—same weekend, 2024—when we were in the middle of one of the most significant transitions we have ever experienced in our lives. The Sunday before was Catherine’s last Sunday as one of the pastors here at Trinity. It was also the last Sunday after 27 years of us co-pastoring together side by side—first in one congregation down in Southwest Florida, and then here at Trinity for eight years.
It is odd today to look out and realize that there are people who are part of the congregation who never even knew Catherine as one of the pastors of the church here.
It’s been quite a year. But go back with me to a year ago for a moment. And some of you know the story—that a few months before that last Sunday, before the big transition happened and she became one of the district superintendents for our conference, she had gotten a call from the bishop at exactly 9 a.m. one morning. Exactly 9 a.m., Bishop called. Catherine picked up the phone—she was in the middle of having her morning tea and doing her morning devotional—and the bishop said, “Catherine, I hope you're well. I have something to ask you. I need you to say yes.” What a way to start a conversation.
Catherine got to the office a few minutes after that—I was already here—and when she walked in, I knew something was up. After 39 years, we know each other pretty well.
She told me about the call, and there were tears. And there was grief at the thought of what that might mean. And I will tell you that in the first set of moments, we both knew what the answer was going to be. The answer was going to be “yes.” Because one of the things we have learned over 39 years of life together and ministry together and marriage is that when we step into trust, joy always follows.
Maybe not the joy we expected or the joy we anticipated. Maybe not the life we had planned out and set up and envisioned for ourselves. And we don’t—we certainly don’t always do it perfectly—but at the times when we have stepped in with trust, joy has always followed.
When we were in our early 20s, and we left two full-time jobs to both go to seminary at the same time with one part-time job.
When we were in our early 30s, a decade later, and now we had a two-year-old, and we again left two full-time jobs in order for me to go back to seminary and finish what I started ten years earlier. Catherine took the shorter track. I took the long track.
And we moved to a place that we didn’t know. A conference that we didn’t know. When seminary was done and we knew we were coming back to Florida to both serve as pastors, we felt called to serve together. And we said, “Put us anywhere—just put us together if at all possible.” And so they did—to no people. We were assigned to do a new church start—what they called back in those days a parachute drop—in a community where we had never lived, with people we didn’t know.
And then 19 years later, after years of growing deep, rich relationships and raising our kids in a community where they experienced love and friendships and connection, we said “yes” to coming here—to being pastors here in this place.
And countless other times along the way, when we have leaned into trust, there has been blessing, and there has been joy.
If you don’t hear anything else today: Joy is closely linked to trust. Nurture your trust in God in your life through deepening your relationship with God.
Now, a few other things that I will say much more quickly than that one:
Joy is a choice. You get to choose how you're going to respond to God’s presence in your life. God will not force you into joyfulness. That’s part of God’s good gift of free will. But friends—choose the joy. And participate in creating conditions that help make joy a more likely response. Surround yourself with some people who help you experience joy. Take time to notice joy showing up in your life and in the lives of others around you. And check yourself from time to time—maybe even at the end of each day—especially on days where you’ve experienced something that didn’t go quite like you planned or expected or wanted to. Ask yourself: How did I respond? Was there still joy in my life?
Now, let me say this: Joy does not mean always wearing a smile on your face. Joy comes from a very deep place and may show up on the surface in different ways that are sensitive to the plight of others and the situations in which it finds itself. That’s why we pivoted last week. When I heard the news Saturday night, one of my first thoughts was, ”I cannot go preach a sermon about joy tomorrow morning.” We needed to do something different.
Joy, in its sensitivity, can be present—a willing participant—where someone is experiencing grief or pain, and maybe even help soften the edges in those moments.
Joy is also not a denial of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. On the other hand, joy is not dependent on circumstances. Joy runs much deeper than that. And the joy of the Lord bubbles up from way down within us.
Joy is also contagious. And to give you a sample of that, I’m going to take you back to Rwanda with me for a moment and invite you to take a look at the video that’s going to be on the screen here.
[Video plays]
How could you not catch joy with that kind of welcome? Did you see how that young man drew us in? My son started dancing. Others in the group started moving, swaying as we came in, welcomed with abundant joy. Joy is contagious. And when we have joy in our own lives, it is not meant to be kept to ourselves, but to be shared in such a way that others might experience joy as well.
Because joy has the capacity to disarm anger, to defuse pain, to dispel the darkness, to bring hope and good news to others.
Joy is also all around us in creation. Have you noticed that? Just go outside and pay attention, friends. Look around and see joy on display in the wonders of God’s good creation. The Psalms point to this time and time again. In fact, N.T. Wright says the Psalms offer us a powerful vision in the form of a celebration of God as Creator—and the promise that the Creator will one day sort it all out.
Notice that at the end, N.T. Wright acknowledging that everything is not as it should be. We can be honest about the state of the world. We can be honest about the challenges we are facing in our lives and the suffering that is real, and the hardships that we don’t have to deny. And if we take a moment to notice joy showing up in creation, then it can be a reminder to us that God, the Good Creator, is always working for our good and is the one who will ultimately bring things to completion and fruition.
So, one of the things we can do is to celebrate the good every day. This is my challenge to you this week as you go out: Look for the good things that are happening around you and celebrate them, and point them out to others too, so that you can share the celebration.
One of the people I know who does this better than just about anybody else I know is a colleague of mine, Rev. Dr. Latricia Scriven. Latricia is currently the pastor at St. Paul’s in Tallahassee, about to move to a new appointment—with joy, I might add, because that’s who she is. And Latricia is always celebrating the good wherever she goes—helping people notice the good things about each other and the good things that are happening among us.
So it wasn’t a surprise to me a couple of years ago to discover that Latricia had written a children’s book entitled When Jesus Laughs. Isn’t that a good thought? Just to think about the idea that Jesus laughs and invites us into joy.
We actually had that book on our children’s book rack out in the narthex. I was reminded of that by Brian, our director of Children’s Ministries, between the services. And I highly recommend this book to you, for a child, or a grandchild, or somebody you know who has a child. Great, great book that brings joy.
Joy is what we are invited to experience, my friends, as people who are putting our trust in God and who are deepening our relationship.
I started reading a new book this past week, and it was not with this sermon in mind. I had no idea that this book would connect in any way with the theme for today. But it’s a book that a member of Trinity had recently given me, and I had set it on a stack—that “I’m going to get to that” stack. And this past week I did.
In one of the sections, it was all about being with Jesus, abiding with Jesus so that one might become more like Jesus. And as I was reading that section, all of a sudden a quote popped up that speaks so deeply to me about the kind of joy that I am talking about today, and that I’m inviting you into. John Mark Comer, the author of the book entitled Practicing the Way, says this:
“Joy is like a quiet undercurrent that slowly accumulates at the base of your soul, increasingly welling up like a soft melody that over the years becomes the soundtrack of your life.”
Isn’t that a great image?
You know, people can feel it when the vibe that you give off is joy, can’t they? They can feel it when the vibe is something else, too, but they can feel it when the vibe you give off is joy. And you know—everybody loves a good soundtrack.
So rejoice in the Lord always, my friends. Again, I will say, rejoice. And may the joy of Christ become complete in you. Amen.