#183 Bringing Joy to Church
In America today, pastors are often overworked, while the worship team has full-time jobs outside of church and their own stressors to attend to. Overall, everyone is worn out, overworked, and busy. This is often reflected in the sermons that are preached, the music that is played, and the tone in which we as Christians carry out our days. The trap I see many people falling into is that the cares of this life overwhelm any joy that may be present. When I look at the church, I see people who know they should be happy and at peace, but are straining to do so.
The question is this: how can the church be joyful today? Joy is produced in community through our actions. Regardless of how we’re feeling, if we do things that produce joy in others, joy will become the common emotion experienced by all in our community.
There are other practical steps that are necessary as well. In America today, most people work too much and have too many extracurriculars. Preaching moderation is necessary in order to have peace in the home. Barring this, as pastors and leaders in our churches, we must see what we as individuals can do to bring joy into the church.
The music we select for Sunday mornings must focus on God and rejoicing in Him, rather than on troubles or the feelings of people. When worship music focuses too much on human emotion, those songs may be out of reach for the congregation’s actual feelings and therefore cause strain, which results in stress.
We can also search for things to celebrate. Most things in a church worth celebrating are not actually celebrated. Things that could be celebrated include birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, people coming to faith, anniversaries of employment, appreciations of people in the church, random acts of kindness, or volunteer recognition from the stage. The list can go on and on.
When we seek to spread joy in the church, the narrative of the church shifts from that of a tired, busy place to that of something people look forward to throughout their week.
In Nehemiah 8:10 it says, “for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” When we place ourselves in the joy of the Lord, we are strengthened. We are not simply the battered few.
Again, in Hebrews 10:24–25 it says, “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Our gatherings together as Christians are for this purpose—to encourage one another to commit good deeds. When we draw together, it is for mutual encouragement. This encouragement is nothing less than the creation of joy in others.
