Nebraska Synod ELCA

“Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it; let the field be joyful and all that is therein.
Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy at your coming, O Lord, for you come to judge the earth.
You will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with your truth.”

—Psalm 96.11-13—

Beloved in Christ,

“Joy” is a word I believe gets short shrift in most modern emotional vocabularies. We prefer “happy” or #blessed or any of a number of other, less substantial variants, much to our detriment. It’s easier to be amused, delighted, blissful, elated, glad: these are all well good in their own time and place, but none of them tap the deep wellspring of human experience and awareness quite the same as joy does. Joy is possible only in those moments when we encounter the totality of our experience and embrace all of it in thanksgiving and celebration, which is why it is often experienced with tears and a sensation of being pierced to the core of our very being.

I think there’s proof that this is how joy works. Earlier this week, I came home after a meeting, made myself some supper, then caught the end of the live-action version of “Beauty and the Beast” with my family – it’s one of our favorites. Even though I hadn’t been around for most of the movie, I still found myself tearing up at the emotional climax in the closing minutes, like I always do. I’d bet all of you reading this have similar experiences you could share: moments or experiences that seem to cut to the very core of who you are as a person and remind you that even in the midst of doubt, pain, and sorrow, there is goodness in this world that will outlast everything that is not good. Songs can get me going, particularly “The Story” by Brandi Carile and “Hold Me, Jesus” by Rich Mullins. Some poetry can bring tears, particularly “Four Poems in One” by Anne Porter. Cue up the St. Olaf Choir singing the Christiansen arrangement of “Praise to the Lord” and I’ll be misty-eyed at “Let the amen / sound from his people again” every single time.

In Ezekiel 36.26, God declares, through the words of the prophet: “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you, and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Hearts of stone might protect us more from injury, but would they be the hearts God intends for us to have? Would we sacrifice that which makes us human for the sake of becoming emotionally superhuman? In The Book of Joy, Archbishop Desmond Tutu is quoted as saying,

“Discovering more joy does not, I’m sorry to say, save us from the inevitability of hardships and heartbreaks. In fact, we may cry more easily, but we will laugh more easily, too. Perhaps we are just more alive. Yet as we discover more joy, we can face suffering in a way that ennobles rather than embitters. We have hardship without becoming hard. We have heartbreak without being broken.”^[1]

When we experience love cultivated through joy, all that we are resonates and amplifies the joy of all that God has made. In those spine-tingling, breath-taking moments, we know the goodness and steadfast love of the One who was, who is, and who is to come. We join the thunder of the seas, the shouts of all that is springing up green and new in these days of spring, filled with life and hope for what is yet to be. This Easter season, may joy be the song of your hearts, in the name of our risen Lord, Jesus, and may your tears flow freely, filled and alive with God’s overwhelming joy.

Yours in Easter hope,
Bishop Scott Johnson

Questions for Discussion

1. What is bringing you joy today? This year? In this season of your life?
2. Has your understanding of joy changed over time? If so, what did it mean to you before, and what does it mean to you now?
3. The word frisson means “sudden, often involuntary goosebumps or child accompanied by a pleasurable, emotional sensation, usually in response to music, art, or other emotionally moving stimuli.” Bishop Johnson named some experiences of frisson in his reflection: what are some of yours?
4. How do you cultivate love through joy with others?

Prayer^[2]

Ever-living God, the heavens were glad and the earth rejoiced when you sent your Son, the incarnate Word, to dwell with us. Help us to proclaim your glory to those who do not know you, until the whole earth sings a new song to you, with your Son and the Holy Spirit one God, now and forever. Amen.

^[1] The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World. © 2016 Avery.
^[2] From sundaysandseasons.com. © 2025 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.