Lecture ‘The reality of Joy’,

20 Sept 2019  Bethlehemkerk Delft – afscheid van ICF-Delft

1. Three voices

(1) Have you seen the movies ‘Les hommes et les Dieux’ about a monastery in the Algerian mountains – It is a dramatic story; in the end the monks are killed because they are taken hostage by radical islamists. Why do they decide not to flee when danger increases? One of the monks explains it to a young girl in the village who consults him about her arranged marriage. She asks him if he never fell in love with a girl when he was young (yes he did, several times). But why did you decide for the monastery in this dangerous country? His answer: ‘A greater love and a greater joy have entered my life. Far greater than the longing to save my own life.’ That’s why he wants to stay and help the people in the village with their daily needs and diseases.’ 

(2) Recently a book has been published with the theme ‘The coddling of the American mind’. The authors are worried about the growing separation – segregation – in the society, and the describe three dominant convictions/emotions.

• ‘We want to be safe or secure – so we will try to banish dangers and threats as much as possible’ – behind is fear.
• ‘There are two types of people: the bad and the good ones’ (and the bad ones are the others) – behind is isolation or stigmatization.
• ‘It is not important if it is true, it is more important that we feel good’ – behind is a corruption of joy.

(3) When reading/hearing the gospels we cannot escape the touch of joy, in particular the gospel of Luke and the gospel of John. ‘I announce you great joy that will reach all nations.’ (what the shepherds heard). ‘They began to celebrate’ after the lost son returned home. One of the most striking points is the secret of joy and love within God, this holy intimacy, that is revealed to people. Jesus heard the joy of the Father expressed to Him in the words: you are my beloved Son, in You is all my pleasure, my joy. The intimacy in Jesus’ prayer: ‘You are in me and I am in You’. It is not an isolated intimacy, but an inviting and embracing intimacy (John 17:21). ‘I have told you this’, said Jesus, ‘so that my joy be in you and your joy may be complete.’ (John 15: 11). The gospels show the celebration of joy.

2. Intimacy of joy and intimacy of pain

My cautious proposition is: the lack of solidarity in our society is closely connected with the lack of intimacy. I mean not only sincere and deep human relationships, but in particular intimacy with the Source of our existence, with the One who created us. Loneliness, isolation, fear to be forgotten, stress, hunger for meaning, for power, for satisfaction of greed…this all seem to indicate the absence of God, or at least the intimate relationship with Him. And there is reason why it is so difficult.

Because the intimacy of joy in God involves the intimacy of pain. The presence of joyful love can’t tolerate the absence of it. It cannot endure injustice, crookedness, lies, evil, hate. The opposite of love is not indignation or anger, no, it is indifference. God didn’t want to separate from what caused Him pain; He didn’t exclude himself; He didn’t use his power to destroy, but He embraced it in full solidarity. And we are included in it. We cannot simply say: we are at God’s side; we are the good guys. We are included in the pain, suffering, lack of righteousness and truth.

So, the reality of joy in God brings about solidarity, which includes the reality of pain, and indignation, the need for forgiveness, the humility and confession of our brokenness and sinfulness. Such a joyful intimacy cannot maintain indifference, or egoism, or exclusion.

3. What does it mean for us today? What does it mean for Christian ministry?

The promise of a new community

One of the most striking points in the Good News is the promise of a new community, a fellowship, not based on preferences, interests, hobbies or sympathies. Not on intelligence, achievements, productivity. Not on social background, culture, national, language. It surpasses all the barriers made by people. It is a community of people that seems to be rather poor than rich, rather mourning than joyful, rather longing for righteousness than perfect people. Why? Because a greater joy has entered their life, greater than all the dominant goods around.. It isn’t a ‘fellowship of the ring’ (symbol of ultimate power in Tolkiens ‘The Lord of the Rings’), but a fellowship of the cross, the sign of ultimate love, ultimate solidarity and ultimate pain.

The ‘economy of abundance’

A second characteristic of this community is the ‘economy of abundance’. This abundance is everywhere in the Gospels. Jesus changed water into wine, brought back the joy de vivre in a wedding party. He multiplied bred so that there was more than enough for everybody. He tells the parable of the sower, and despite all the problems in the soil there will be a full harvest. And not only the New Testament, also the prophet Isaiah announced the full presence of God in a big celebration, a festival, a big meal for all the nations with excellent food and good wine. You immediately begin to long for it!

This ‘economy of abundance is completely different from the economy of scarcity in our world. That is marked by ‘concerns’, by ‘calculation’, by ‘solving problems’ (that’s why we are here in Delft). This all can give us wealth, certain security, entertainment, even happiness, but scarcity remains in what is most important in human life: sincere friendship, a safe home, attention, care, love, affirmation, joy. Goods that we cannot buy, and we cannot produce or make.

Places of exercise

How can the new fellowship of the cross be such a fellowship of joy? To be honest, the church in many places has become a club of like minded, an inward looking society, suffering from oppositions, rivalry, loneliness, stress. A society without joy. The church seems to have forgotten the real meaning of grace (‘charis’ which is in Greek nearly the same word: ‘chara’). She has forgotten the joyful intimacy with God and the vulnerable intimacy with others.

So what we need: places of exercise, where Jesus’ ‘economy of abundance’ is practised. Where there is celebration, meal, time for one another, fellowship, generosity, acceptance, affirmation, affection. These are places of ‘connection’, where we begin to understand what really matters in life, where we need one another, where we need forgiveness and healing from our egoism, greed and fear. And where it is granted, freely given to us.

Sometimes I feel that we have this exercise in our service, especially in Holy Communion. Seeing, tasting Christ’s generosity binds us together in deep joy (often not without tears, if we realize what it has cost Him), but it generates a love to share what has been given to us.

The small group around an open Bible

Maybe the best place is the small group around an open Bible. In Andreas course (like Alpha course) we invite others to partake in the joy of sharing a meal (often abundant and colourful), and sharing life issues: often deep and personal (digging up the joy and pain of life). But then there is the moment to explore who He is, who brought us around the table, to read words that He has spoken or that have been spoken about Him. That is why we need an open Bible.

The joy of intimate relationships, of sacrificial love in this world, is not a privilege for Christians only. But I believe, even if we don’t believe in God, that we still, unknowingly, draw from the source that is in Him. If people are honest in their search for joy (which is very different from entertainment, or even sheer happiness), let them be invited to this intimate relationship with the Source of their life. Let them find the One, in Whom is the source of all what is real. Let them experience real friendship, time, the sound of silence, love, attention, acceptance, prayer and praise. Let them be invited to exercise with us. Like the exercise in a music team or orchestra. It is the joy of exercise, of playing together and producing a song, a melody in a world that is full of sounds, isolated screams of information, hurry, stress, success, relevance, coercion, time pressure.  

Isn’t that what we need, these places of exercise? What Martha needed to exercise when she was busy with what she felt as her responsibility, rebuking her sister who took time to sit with Jesus. And Jesus said to her and to us all: ‘Few things are needed – or indeed only one’.