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Across the Pastor’s Desk by Joy Knoppel

At First Lutheran Church we are currently in a new worship series called “Faithful Fruits.” Each month we learn about a new Fruit of the Spirit, and this month our new fruit is … joy! How fitting for us as we enter into our Christmas season. Merriam-Webster defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well being, success or good fortune by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” Now, if you go out and ask the average person what “joy” means they might say “feeling happy all of the time” or thinking that all things are good. However, as people of faith we know that joy is so much more.

My name comes from the very end of Psalm 126, “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.” According to my mom, before she adopted me, she was horribly sad and cried all of the time because she did not have a family. She constantly prayed and asked God what she should do, and she was inspired through the voice of the Spirit to adopt. After she adopted me she cried tears of joy because her prayers had finally been answered and later on adopted two more children.

Now, there’s a lot more to my adoption story, but my point is this: Joy, especially God-given joy, is not something that focuses only on the present. There’s an old children’s song that goes

“I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart … I have the love of Jesus in my heart,” and this simple tune captures the depth of joy. Joy means trusting that no matter what happens in life God is always with us. Joy understands that God loved us so much that they came down to earth in the form of a human to be with us so that we would be reminded of how deeply we are loved. Joy recognizes the fact that there is evil in the world, but nonetheless it celebrates through it because of the love of God. Joy believes in the power of what God’s love can and will do.

As you go out this week and look around you, I ask that you take a moment and think about what joy means to you. Who taught you how to define it? How do you show it to others? Where does joy come from?

As always, my door is open.

Blessings of peace.

Pastor Joy Knoppel is a pastor at First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea.