Note: the following is the manuscript the message and will not match exactly the recorded message above.
It is said that William Wordsworth wrote his poem called Surprised by Joy after the death of his young daughter.
The term “surprised by joy” refers to a passing moment in which his grief was forgotten and replaced by joy. And when he turned to share his joy with his daughter, he remembered she was gone, long buried in the silent Tomb.
Surprised by Joy by William Wordsworth
Surprised by joy—impatient as the Wind
I turned to share the transport—Oh! with whom
But Thee, long buried in the silent Tomb,
That spot which no vicissitude can find?
Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind—
But how could I forget thee?—Through what power,
Even for the least division of an hour,
Have I been so beguiled as to be blind
To my most grievous loss!—That thought’s return
Was the worst pang that sorrow ever bore,
Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn,
Knowing my heart’s best treasure was no more;
That neither present time, nor years unborn
Could to my sight that heavenly face restore.
In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis describes Joy as “Unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” He says that anyone who has experienced it will want it again.
While this is not a technical definition, it is a helpful one as we explore the posture of joy this morning.
I am convinced that, in our instant gratification society, we experience much less joy than we have potential for. In place of joy, we have what has become as dopamine chasing.
Dopamine is what drives us, gives us desires, and compels us to seek satisfaction. Dopamine chasing is when we find ourselves uncomfortable, filled with desire for something, and reaching for the quickest way to satiate the desire. It promises quick relief but leaves us restless; Christian joy is slower and often unexpected but it gives us rest.
Dopamine is the brain’s way of pushing us toward the next hit of pleasure. Another scroll through social media, another purchase, another bite, and another distraction. It helps us avoid the discomfort of desire or pain for a moment, but it cannot carry us through sorrow.
Christian joy works differently. It does not numb pain or hurry us past it; it meets us within it, with the confidence that God’s future is already breaking into our present. Dopamine is like eating candy when you’re starving. It gives a brief rush and then leaves you emptier than before. Joy is like real nourishment: it takes longer to digest, it doesn’t always taste sweet at first, but it strengthens us to live, to endure, and to hope.
If you have ever wondered about how to experience more joy in your life, or what joy even means, I hope this message will be at least a small step in the right direction. We will be focusing on two main passages, which both speak to what I think is the best way to understand how to improve our posture of joy as we wait for the return of Jesus.
John 16:20–22 “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”
Psalm 126:5–6 “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.”
As we go along, I’ll bring these passages back into focus. Let’s look now at what joy is according to Scripture.
What is Joy?
The most basic understanding of joy is that it’s a positive human condition. The key word is “positive.” Beyond that most basic definition, we can talk about joy as a feeling or an action.
One dictionary says that joy is a feeling called forth by well-being, success, or good fortune. A person automatically experiences it because of certain favourable circumstances.
In the Old Testament, joy is commonly associated with celebration, shouting, singing, and overall wellbeing. In the New Testament, joy is an experience related to an encounter with the Holy Spirit, miracles, and the kingdom of God. It is among the fruit of the Spirit.
It is also described as a motivating factor and source of strength for Jesus as he endured suffering.
Hebrews 12:2 says, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Joy, as an emotional experience, is not a constant. It is not something we can muster up. A lack of joy is not something you have to feel guilty about. And it is not something you can experience every moment of every day.
And yet, we see in verses like Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Or 1 Peter 4:13 “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”
This is because while joy is an emotional experience that comes as a result of favourable circumstances, it is also something we do. Even when we don’t feel like it. Even in the midst of sorrow, we can rejoice.
In the passage from John 16, Jesus does not speak of the disciples’ sorrow as being replaced by joy, but of sorrow turning into joy.
John 16:20 “You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”
He means that the sorrow which they will endure for the sake of the gospel will bear fruit.
And in Psalm 126, we see a similar movement. Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Neither sorrow or joy are permanent states in this life.
This brings us to why joy, and having a posture of joy as we wait for the return of Christ, is important.
Why is Joy Important?
This seems like an unnecessary question, doesn’t it? Who would ever argue that joy isn’t important?
But it’s a question that needs to be answered with the understanding that joy is a fruit of sorrow.
Consider the parable found in Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
This parable gives us a picture of how joy often comes through loss. The man discovered a great treasure. But, he knew that in order for the treasure to be his, he needed to get rid of everything else he owned.
Now, this is a parable and not a true story. But imagine it was true. Imagine you were that man. You find a treasure that you know is of far greater value than everything you own.
But, in order to get the treasure, you have to sell everything you own. Your home, your car, your valuable collection of records or hockey cards or whatever. Your most prized possessions all have to go.
You need every penny that will come from selling everything you own so that you can buy the field the treasure is buried in. There would be some sorrow involved in that process. Letting go of everything you have would not be easy.
But, knowing what is on the other end of that process makes it bearable. And when you sign the papers and that property and treasure are yours, the sorrow transforms into joy. You may still miss some of the things you sold. But, it was worth it.
Here’s the lesson in that short parable. Jesus is talking about the kingdom of God. He’s saying that there is nothing in this life worth so much that it wouldn’t be worth losing in order to gain the kingdom of God.
We need to have this sort of posture as we wait for Jesus. It’s the posture of holding everything in this life with an open hand, knowing that we will be asked to leave it behind.
A posture of joy is the only way to endure the sort of suffering and loss that comes with following Jesus to the cross.
And if we imagine that we can have all the good things the world has to offer without cost, and still follow Jesus into his kingdom, then we may not yet understand what he’s asking of us.
Jesus told the disciples that, because of him, they will experience sorrow and suffering. But, it is not permanent. It will bear fruit in the form of joy.
One of the greatest sources of pain and grief in my life is that I have yet been willing to let go of everything that I know is holding me back from experiencing true joy.
I still have treasured possessions in my life that I think are worth more than what Jesus has to offer.
This is difficult for me to admit. I want to tell you that I’ve succeeded in letting go of everything.
But, all I can tell you is that there is more Jesus is asking of me. And it will take nothing short of divine intervention for me to loosen my grip.
This is because there is a great deal of fear associated with letting go of certain things. There is the fear of missing out. The fear of discomfort. Of loss and uncertainty. I pray that God will be patient with me as I learn to let go and to trust him with my fears.
The answer to those prayers, I expect, will come in the form of a vision of what carried Jesus through the experience of suffering as a human. And what carried the disciples through the sorrow of losing Jesus first to death and then at his ascension.
The vision of joy that will come upon entering fully into God’s kingdom is what’s required.
It is the posture of joy. The daily decision to fix my eyes on the prize. The prize is the unhindered, eternal, and unconditional embrace of my heavenly father.
How do I Improve My Posture of Joy?
The how of this message is the most difficult. It’s actually simple but difficult.
We cannot manufacture joy, but, if you want to improve your posture of joy, I have some suggestions.
It will require sacrifice. It will require us to delay gratification, to feel the sting of pain and sorrow longer than we want to. It will require us to embrace discomfort, to give more than we think we can afford.
It will collide with our world’s vision of the good life. In many ways, it will make us look foolish. This is because the one of the main ways God deepens our capacity for joy is through our sorrows.
If we learn to really pay attention, sit in silence, listen to our kids, our parents, our neighbours, co-workers, or extended family members long enough, we will find that sorrow is all around us.
Remember, just as joy is most often a momentary experience, so is sorrow. It will come in waves. The important thing is not to drown the sorrow with distraction.
When sorrow has time to take root, it will produce the fruit of joy. Remember Psalm 126:5 “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.”
Isaiah 53:3–4 is a familiar prophecy about the Messiah: “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.”
In the Garden, the night of his betrayal, Jesus said to his disciples, fulfilling the Isaiah prophecy: “my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Mark 14:34)
There is a misinterpretation of this prophecy that says because Jesus bore the sorrows on our behalf, we do not need to experience them. That misunderstanding is sometimes attached to a shallow understanding of Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice.
Jesus not only took our place on the cross. He showed us the way and made it possible for humanity to experience the joy on the other side of suffering. He invites us to share his life, his sufferings, and ultimately his joy.
If it were not for the sacrifice of Jesus, all our sorrows would be fruitless. We would experience no end to our suffering, no hope on the other side of grief.
But because Jesus remade the road of human suffering, we can take that road into his kingdom. Our suffering is no longer meaningless.
Christian joy is not the absence of struggle or sorrow but the profound confidence that God’s future is breaking into our present, transforming our sorrows into joy.
It is a joy that can coexist with tears because it rests on the certainty of God’s final triumph and presence.
So, the “how” of improving our posture of joy is simple yet difficult.
First, make it a practice to ask God to show you what you have yet to hand over to him so that you can experience true joy. Until your dying breath, this will need to be a constant practice.
Second, make every effort to reduce the sources of instant gratification and distraction. Especially those which pull your vision away from God’s kingdom. The things you use to numb your pain or discomfort. For some it might be social media. If you have ever had the thought that you need to take a break from social media, just take the plunge.
For some, it may be food. Perhaps it’s time to finally eliminate the unhealthy indulgences that you know are taking away your joy. For others it might be alcohol, or illicit images, movies, or books. It may be entertainment, video games, or gambling.
Whatever it is, whether it is seen as sinful or innocent, if it is a source of distraction or numbing your pain or discomfort, consider what joy might be on the other side of your pain if you see it all the way through instead of distracting yourself from it.
Third, find someone who is suffering and sit with them. If you don’t know how to start, just ask me. I’ll take you to visit some people.
And when you sit with them, ask them if they want to hear some Scripture. Or, if you can sing, sing songs with them. Be a vessel for joy in the midst of their pain.
Finally, if you don’t already do this, crank some good worship music and sing along to it once in a while. One of the main ways we are told to rejoice is with singing.