The theme for this Advent season at Lakewood United Church of Christ is JOY to the World. Each day during the Advent season, a reflection on a scripture passage related to JOY will be posted. We hope these daily reflections help you to have a joy-filled Advent.
The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord;
and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! Psalm 21:1, KJV
For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness [sic] of your faith in Christ. Colossians 2:5, KJV
In newer translations of the Bible, when there is reference to expressing joy, the word “rejoice” is used. The people will rejoice. The king rejoices. I rejoiced. In many hymns there is mention of rejoicing. I think of the Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” with its refrain: “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!” or “Rejoice, You Pure in Heart,” with its refrain, “Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing.” For me, “rejoice” is a word that I associate with church, hymns, and Bible verses. It’s not a word I use much in every day parlance.
In some cases in the King James Version of the Bible, when people express joy, instead of using the word “rejoice,” the word “joy” is used as a verb as we see in the two examples above. “The king shall joy,” and the writer of Colossians is “joying.” “Joy” is used a verb: to joy. There are at least nine instances in the King James Bible where this occurs: Habakkuk 3:18, Zephaniah 3:17, Isaiah 9:3, 2 Corinthians 7:13, Philippians 2:17, 18, I Thessalonians 3:9, and the two cited above.
For me the word “joy” has broader associations and applications than the word “rejoice.” I think of the books, The Joy of Cooking and The Joy of Sex. I would guess that the word “joy” is used far more than the word “rejoice” in everyday speech. So, I like the idea of verbing the word “joy.” To joy. This makes joy not just something we feel, but something we do and express and it is much broader than the church-associated term “rejoice.” Maybe if we used the more common “joy” as a verb as well as a noun, we might notice more joy in our lives!
So today, joy. Joy about something. Let some experience today make you joy!
Prayer
We give thanks for the vast range of human experiences and feelings. When we remember the Christmas story and the life of Jesus, we see many facets of human life. This is why Jesus can be our Master, our Guide, our Savior. May we celebrate all of life’s richness and fullness, even in church. May we not set church apart for just certain dimensions of life. May our faith show us how to joy in the many aspects of this glorious experience we call life! Today and everyday, may we joy! Amen.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 