Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 2: Joy

By Laura de Jong

Key Theme: Joy is a deep, enduring sense of gladness and contentment that comes from trusting God.

Sometimes we think of joy as happiness, an exuberance or outward manifestation of excitement, when everything in life is sunshine and roses.

But such a joy would be fleeting, dependent on outward circumstances being just right. The joy promised by God as a fruit of the spirit is steady and enduring. So what is this joy?

This fruit is the deep, enduring sense of gladness that comes from the assurance of God’s presence in our lives and the grace we have received through Christ. Throughout scripture, joy and hope are linked together. The psalmist refers to the joy we find in God’s faithfulness as the root of hope that God will be faithful again. In John 16, Jesus foretells his death and resurrection, telling the disciples that though they will grieve a little while, Jesus will return to them and no one will be able to take away their joy. Even after Jesus ascends and is no longer physically present to them, they will yet know his presence through the Spirit and so will have joy.

So the apostle Paul can write to the Thessalonians of his gladness that though the church was experiencing suffering and persecution, they yet received the gospel with joy. The people knew that their suffering did not have the final word; they knew that God was present to them in the midst of it, and a day was coming when all suffering would end. Thus, biblical joy can endure in the midst of sorrows and heartbreak, perhaps not always in an exuberant declaration of giddiness, but certainly through the quiet and persistent confession of faith that says, “This is not the end.”

Service Outline

Call to Worship

Leader:	Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
All:	O God, all the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name. —Psalm 66:1–3a, 4 ^NRSVUE

Opening Song

“How Great (Psalm 145)” ^{Kauflin et al.}

Greeting

Songs of Praise

“Blessed Be Your Name” ^{Redman & Redman}

Invitation to Lament

We have gathered here as a diverse community. Some of us feel the warmth of the sun on our faces. Others are trudging through a barren wilderness.

One of the deep joys of being community together is that we are able to take on the burdens of others in our prayers, whether that person sits next to us in the pew, or is a friend who lives across the country, or is a stranger we read about in the news.

So today, as we hear about the abiding joy of God’s presence, we do so acknowledging that we need this joy to sustain us in a world where there is so much cause for despair. Together we bring our lament before God, trusting that the incarnate one is with us in the valley. Let us pray.

Prayer of Lament

Today, O God, some of us dwell in deep darkness.
Our hearts are heavy, gripped by grief,
by fear, by anxiety.
For those who know what it is to weep, we pray:
Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries.

Hear our cries for those who weep
for a loved one gone too soon,
for a body frustrated by disease,
for a future snatched away by the ringing of the telephone.
For those who know what loss feels like, we pray:
Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries.

Hear our cries for those who live in fear,
for those who are persecuted for their faith,
those whose neighborhoods are destroyed by bombs,
those who are kidnapped off the streets because of their skin color.
For those who know what hiding feels like, we pray:
Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries.

Hear our cries for those who live in anxiety,
worried about putting food on the table,
longing for word from a loved one gripped by addiction,
unsure if a child is safe at school.
For those who know the length of sleepless nights, we pray:
Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries.

We long for the day when there is no more heartache or fear or death, O God.
We trust that that day is coming,
when you will turn our weeping to songs of joy.
May the hope of that day,
and the promise that you are with us in the waiting,
be our joy even now.
Amen.

Assurance of God’s Faithfulness

Our faithful God has heard our lament. Listen to these promises from Psalm 126 and be comforted.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
—Psalm 126 ^NIV

Song of Thanksgiving

“The Day of the Lord (Psalm 37)” ^Kimbrough

Passing of the Peace

In Psalm 145, which we sang earlier in the service, the psalmist writes:
“The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.”
—Psalm 145:13–14 ^NRSVUE
Let us turn to our neighbor and extend this peace to one another,
assured that God holds each one of us in the palm of his hand.

Prayer for Illumination

Lord God,
as we turn to the reading of your word,
may your gospel come to us,

not just with words,
but with power,
assuring us of your presence and faithfulness,
that we might receive your Word with joy.
Through Christ, the embodied Word, we pray,
amen.

Scripture Reading

First Reading: John 16:16–24
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1–10

Sermon

“The Joy that Abides”

Song of Response

“My Life Flows On in Endless Song” ^Anon.

Breath Prayer

[The leader invites the Spirit's presence to fill our lives (as we breathe in) so that our lives might bear good fruit (as we breathe out). This prayer can be repeated a few times.]

Breathe In: “Holy Spirit, fill us with your presence”

Breathe Out: “that we might go forth in joy.”

Prayers of the People

Offering, Offertory Prayer

Song of Dedication

“Christ our Hope in Life and Death” ^{Kauflin et al.}

Benediction

May the God of hope
Fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
So that you may abound in hope
By the power of the Holy Spirit.
—Romans 15:13 ^NRSVUE

Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 2 Joy