Week 2: Discover Joy
Friday Dec 15
“A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.” Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying to us, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me,’ and ‘because I am going to the Father’?” They said, “What does he mean by this ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’? Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
John 16:16-24
In John’s account of the Last Supper, there is so much happening. Most memorably, Jesus is betrayed. After Judas leaves, Jesus spends his remaining hours preparing the disciples for what is to happen after he dies. He knows that his disciples are bewildered and grieving. After all, these men have been following Jesus for three years experiencing all of life with the expected Messiah. And now, their time together will be over. So Jesus encourages and comforts his friends in these last hours by making promises. And as we are Jesus’ disciples today, these promises are for us as well.
Jesus promises that when he leaves another will come to take His place—an Advocate “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14.25), and “You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” (John 14.17). Jesus says that unless he goes away, the Advocate will not come to the disciples, but if he goes, he will send the Advocate to them (John 16.7). The Advocate “will guide you into all truth.” (John 16.13).
What a promise! Though the disciples would no longer have Jesus in person, they will not be alone. They will have an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to lead them. This Spirit will remind them of Jesus’ teachings and miracles.
Another promise Jesus makes to the disciples is that they will experience joy. The disciples are baffled by Jesus’ statement, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while, you will see me”. But Jesus comforts them by saying, “Very truly I say to you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve but your grief will turn to joy.” This joy will come when Jesus is resurrected.
I trust that these are promises to me and you. But I still find them challenging to believe at times. Currently, I’m experiencing a major crisis with one of my siblings. The sadness of it has consumed my heart and head, which makes it very difficult to avail myself of the Holy Spirit in order to write this devotional. So what to do? I read Jesus’ description of the Spirit again, and I prayed.
Still, nothing. I texted a friend and asked for prayer. My friend let me know that though I cannot hear the Spirit’s response, She hears my prayers. So now, in the mysterious ways the Spirit works, She speaks through my friend. Now, I am comforted and feel some peace.
And, what about joy? With all that is happening in my family and the world, I am weary and find it hard to access the joy that I know lives in me because of my hope in Jesus through His resurrection. But Jesus says in John 16.24, “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” I understand the first part, but I’m not sure about the second. I will ask and put out my hands in a posture to receive, knowing I may need to keep asking and holding out my hands.
Although I cannot always find the joy within and around me, I have been fortunate by the help of others. They have inspired me to practice my faith by practicing joy. One way I do this is by going outside and blowing bubbles. I feel joy because I feel like a child with no troubles. I am constantly looking for other ways to practice joy. This fall I went to both the state fair and a goat farm with pumpkins. Goats are hilarious. My husband and I both needed this joy, after both experiencing the death of a parent in the past year.
So, are you weary? Heavy laden? Are you having a difficult time hearing the Holy Spirit? Are you able to practice joy? Remember, the Spirit hears you. If joy eludes you, ask for it. Partner with Jesus and practice it. It may feel awkward at first but let us give ourselves permission to ask for what we need. It is okay to experience joy in a weary world.
In what ways do you practice joy?
Memory Passage
The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.”
— Luke 1:35
Weekly Practice
Write a list of everything—big and small—that brings you joy. Display it somewhere you will see it daily.
Reach out to someone who brings you joy. Tell them, “I appreciate you.”
Practice embodied joy. For example, cook or eat something that fills you with delight. Or listen to your favorite song and sing or dance along.