What is the point of joy when the world is so bad?
Gaudete and God's Gaudy Love for All of Us
It’s Advent 3, and on this Sunday, we light TWO purple candles and the PINK candle, which represents JOY. Traditionally today is called “Gaudete,” a Latin word that means “Rejoice” but also is the root of that delightful word “gaudy,” meaning excessive or ridiculous. But when you say “gaudy” aloud, sounds like God-y, which I find delicious. Today is a gaudy and God-y day: full of profligate, over-the-top, fabulous joy.
Joy is a precious emotion. In fact, in her book Dare to Lead, Brené Brown says that joy is the most vulnerable emotion we as human beings experience. Joy is more vulnerable than pain, than embarrassment, than shame, and I suspect this is because joy is all the more precious. And we fear that this precious thing will be taken from us, or that we aren’t worthy of the precious gift that is joy.
Because joy? Joy is a beckoner. True joy is effusive, it begets itself, because joy isn’t concerned about being reserved only for the “in crowd,” joy isn’t focused on sequestering itself along neat categorical lines. Joy begets joy.
And I think that’s why it’s so vulnerable, because joy isn’t happiness from material gain or victorious rancor from putting someone else down - joy is the tender underbelly of our connection.
This is why I think joy is so important to our life together at Jubilee, and in the world right now. Never has the temptation towards cynicism or despair been stronger. Never has it seemed like the time is riper to give up on hope – with climate disaster, brutally partisan politics, horrific warfare, sexual violence,
and all the everyday but no less brutal losses and diagnoses and pain - what is the point of joy?
The point of joy is exactly because the world feels scary and sad and lonely. We are desperate to be interconnected.
We are not made for anger and isolation and fear; we are made for this tender, gentle, joy-full connection to God and one another.
And this connection is a precious, but not fragile, thing. This world tried to kill God; and God sauntered right out of the grave and said: not today, Satan. (But, like, really.)
Joy is our resilience. Joy is why we fight. Joy is why we believe. Joy is what waits for us when we rest.
So joy is precious, and joy is resilient, and as vulnerable as it feels – the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8). Protect joy not by secreting joy or building walls around it, but by choosing joy even and especially when you feel like you don’t deserve it. Choose joy when the world wants to see you happiness as empty, consumerist, and cheap. Choose joy when the connection may be tender, but worthwhile.
Because over-the-top, too-much, too-big, ridiculous joy? That’s pretty God-y to me.
--Father Lizzie --