Alexander Schmemann devotes a section in his splendid For the Life of the World to the subject of joy. For the Christian, joy is a way of life. In fact, Schemann writes:
Of all accusations against Christians, the most terrible one was uttered by Nietzsche when he said that Christians had no joy.
A joyless faith is evidence of a weak faith. But what would lead a Christian to be joyless? Living in habitual sin takes away. It replaces it with cynicism and bitterness. Joy is the result of faithfulness.
Another element present in joyless Christians is a low ecclesiology. Those who are least interested in the work of the Bride find little reason to be joyful. Their joy is merely temporary. Biblical joy means entering into the mission of the Church in all her endeavors. It means embracing the wisdom of God, which flows from the Church. Those who do not long for Sunday find satisfaction and pleasure through ungodly means.
The Christian faith is an eucharistic faith; a faith that delights in thanksgiving. In the Church, the Christian learns that his joy comes primarily through the service of God to His people. We find joy at the table He has prepared for us. We find joy when bread and wine are tasted. In the Sacrament of the Lord’s Table we discover our joy in knowing that the Lord is good.
Joy is also the fruit of liturgy. The Lord’s Day liturgy establishes a pattern for living weekly. It provides for us a gospel model to work, to live, and to love. As Schmemann elaborates, the liturgy is a ministerial function of a group in the interest of the whole community. In liturgy, we are celebrating the imago dei. We are delighting in the humanity of others in the body. We are feasting in the work of creation. We are bearing testimony to the world that God has not forgotten His mission, and that He is calling all peoples to enter into His joy by embracing His Bride.
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