| “Joy, which was the small publicity of the pagan, is the gigantic secret of the Christian.” -G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy Chesterton’s insight is instructive: for the average person who does not know God, this life offers mere surface-level, fleeting reasons for happiness and celebration. Pagans may party loudly, with great “publicity”–but the loudness is fleeting. But for the Christian, who affirms that the universe has a loving Creator and an undefeatable Redeemer, celebration and joy are at the center of his or her faith. In a way, joy is the fundamental building block of the universe itself, as all of creation was birthed out of Trinitarian, cosmic delight. Of course, this is not to say that sorrow and grief are not real (they are very real, in contrast to Eastern faiths), but it is to say that suffering does not have the last word. Pain is a real, difficult, but temporary interruption to the ultimate order of things, which will one day be fully restored. Chesterton went on to say that because of this “gigantic secret,” praise and joy are the “permanent pulsation of the soul.” As I (Morgan) have read about joy, I have been deeply convicted that I do not experience or express joy as fully as I ought to (and can)–and I think I’d like to change that. I have become convinced that in a world full of cynicism, despair, and grievance, the Christian is called to offer joy as a countercultural antidote to the bleakness we often feel. What could help us? I think that of all the resources the Bible gives us, perhaps one written from prison might. The Epistle of Philippians has a number of aims within it, but arguably the central concern of the writer, the Apostle Paul, was to express Gospel-based and Gospel-shaped joy. Starting this Sunday, and through the end of October, we will be looking at a beloved little letter with power in it to re-fire the “permanent pulsation of the soul.” I can’t wait to begin this week, and to share our gigantic secret with our beloved city. I’m looking forward to exploring why joy is always a reasonable response. Morgan Stephens, DMin Lead Pastor |
