Week 2: Discover Joy
Saturday Dec 16
After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Matthew 28:1-10
There’s so much I could say about this moment. It is the ultimate plot twist, the greatest miracle, the epitome of everything Christians believe. I am truly at a loss for words when I think about how anyone could ever love humanity that much to endure such suffering. Don Francisco’s song “He’s Alive” tells the story of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection from the perspective of the disciple Peter, who denied Jesus 3 times. His song expresses how I feel:
And Jesus stood before me
With his arms held open wide
And I fell down on my knees
And I just clung to him and cried
Then he raised me to my feet And as I looked into his eyes The love was shining out from him Like sunlight from the skies
Guilt in my confusion Disappeared in sweet release And every fear I’d ever had Just melted into peace
When I attended my first worship service at The Gathering Church back in August, I cried. I think that being welcomed into a new worship community reminded me of the profound love that God has for us, and I was just overwhelmed with joy and gratitude! This moment in Scripture when Jesus greets his disciples for the first time after his death and resurrection beautifully demonstrates the nature of God’s love. Even in the darkest times when the world seems to be crumbling, God is with us, knows us, and loves us.
When Jesus says to his disciples, “Do not be afraid,” I don’t think it is a command. I think it is an invitation to receive God’s love. I think fear is the feeling of not being in control. When we surrender control and we put our trust in God, we accept this invitation allowing those fears to melt into peace.
The question is, how do we surrender control? What does that look like? It is often hard to identify what we can and cannot control, and determine what control even means. It makes me think of the serenity prayer, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” I think it is important to give ourselves the space to figure it out, potentially through worship, prayer, discussion, or reflection. To have faith in God is not a straight path, and we will inevitably have doubts, question our faith, and stumble. But even when we deny God, we will always be welcomed back with open arms.
I’ll leave you with lyrics from “You Are Mine,” a hymn I grew up with that echoes Isaiah 43:
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine
How might surrendering control allow us to discover 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.