Make Lutherans Joyful Again

Why do so many Christians go about life with so little joy? Here we explore unjoyful Christianity and consider ways in which Christians may find joy.         

These words echo a perspective that I know well as an American Lutheran. So frequently I encounter brothers and sisters who make good points but do so without joy. Sometimes they even have the loudest voices, but are always negative and are casting others down rather than building one another up. Why do they do this? Surely it is not leading anyone to Christ! In this essay I will examine the topic of the “Joyless Christian” and suggest some ways to be more joyful if you think this is you.

What is joy? Can you be a joyless Christian?

          “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.”

          Galatians 5:22–23 CSB

          It is important that we first clearly understand what joy is and what we mean by the word “joy”, lest we equivocate. “Joy” is often how the Bible translators rendered the Greek word χαρά which represents an experience of gladness one feels as a response to the assurance of his salvation. Joy does indeed come from the Holy Spirit (according to Galatians) and it helps us navigate and endure trials in our life, and joy is therefore good evidence of faith (Phil. 1:25). We are also told that enduring trials should be considered as joy (“Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials” —James 1:2 CSB).

          Joy is different from mirth or happiness. The way joy is described in the Bible is a state of being, much more than an expression or emotion. Bishop Barron is making a logical leap when he implies that “joyless Christians” are those who are “radiating unhappiness.” Joy will not always outwardly appear as happiness. Joy can indeed appear as sorrow, grief, or trial. Consider Job, who in his unimaginable distress still had the joy to answer Bildad saying: “I know that my redeemer lives!” (Job 19). King David, after seeing the gravity of his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite pleaded that God would “restore [him] to the joy of [God’s] salvation” (Psalm 51). During the Thirty Years’ War hymn writer Paul Gerhardt wrote “Why should cross and trial grieve me? Christ is near with His cheer” along with other highly emotional, joyful hymns of trust during pain and trial. Just because someone is grieving or upset does not mean they are joyless. We must be careful to choose our words carefully so that we do not equivocate like Bishop Barron. Even so, in the absence of trial, joy often manifests itself as happiness when the inner reality of being declared a child of God spills outward into our lives and emotions. Proverbs tells us “a joyful heart makes a face cheerful” (15:13). The face often reflects the heart That is why when we see people who are constantly unhappy, we can usually assume they may not be the most joyful.

          It is impossible to be a “joyless Christian.” The term is a misnomer. In order to be a Christian, you must have faith. The Holy Spirit pours out joy upon those with faith. I therefore prefer the term ‘unjoyful’ (low joy) rather than ‘joyless’ (devoid of the Spirit’s joy). Because joyless Christians cannot really exist, I think we can refine Bishop Barron’s argument: 1) Christians who are unjoyful do not realize the gift that the Holy Spirit has given them, 2) people who are unjoyful radiate unhappiness, and therefore 3) Christians who are chronically unhappy are throwing away the Holy Spirit’s gift of joy by living unjoyfully.

What is the proper effect of joy?

          Earlier we noted that joy can enable us to endure trials (think of Gerhardt), and that joy increases when we experience trials (James 1:2). Joy therefore creates a positive feedback loop in one’s life: the Holy Spirit ‘seeds’ joy in our life, giving us the ability to endure trials, which results in more joy. In chemistry, processes that are catalyzed by the very component they produce are known as ‘autocatalytic cycles’ and result in the exponential explosion of products. If the Holy Spirit is in you, it is impossible not to be completely overtaken by joy, for it is with joy that the Christian endures every test and trial in this life, and it is joy that builds as a result.

Why do so many Christians seem unjoyful?

          If joy is the catalyst and outcome of a positive feedback loop, then it is not immediately clear why so many Christians seem unjoyful. I think there are several reasons why Christians might not experience joy.

          First and foremost, since joy is a Gift from the Holy Spirit, joy is ‘planted’ in Christians through the Means of Grace. The initial ‘seed’ of grace is planted into a person at Baptism where the Holy Spirit descends onto a believer. From there, it is nurtured through the assurance of one’s salvation that comes from hearing God’s Word preached and the frequent participation in the Lord’s Supper. Christians who self-exclude from communities of believers and who do not attend worship on Sunday are absent from the environment where God pours out His good gifts. One cannot be expected to have joy while ignoring the Means of Grace.

          Secondly, if trials and tribulations are the process from which exponential joy bursts forth, it is possible that the lack of joy felt by so many Christians stems from an unwillingness to engage with life’s challenges, or perhaps even a life that goes unchallenged. Jesus promised that we would endure challenges (John 15:18ff, for example)—Jesus Himself endured the ultimate challenge (viz. the Cross) and did so joyfully (Hebrews 12:2). Sadly, many Christians today are content to a fault. We do our jobs quietly, go to church on Sunday, and the biggest cross before us is an argument on the internet. We wish for nothing else than to keep the same habits, engage with the same people, and turn away from the same challenges. An unwillingness to go out in the world and be ridiculed for the Name of Christ is an unwillingness to follow Christ (Luke 9:23). Christians will only ‘grow’ their joy by stepping out of their comfort zone and into the mission field. In other words, weak Christianity is unjoyful Christianity.

       Thirdly, I think joy can be suppressed by intellect. Bishop Barron makes a strong connection between who he calls “joyless Christians” and those who are “right as rain” about doctrine and morals. Our intellect is a gift from God, but how we use it is up to us. When does our intellect receive, and when does it reign as a tyrant? Too often we see Christians who are more concerned about learning doctrine as a point of pride than as a guard for the true Gospel. They use the Word of God to attack the ‘wrong,’ but never to comfort the broken. Being right becomes more important than being forgiven and walking with Jesus. Intellect without charity leads to arrogance (1 Cor. 8:1), arrogance isolates, and isolation chokes joy. When one meets an unjoyful Christian intellectual, one meets someone who is evaluating grace rather than receiving grace.

When one meets an unjoyful Christian intellectual, one meets someone who is evaluating grace rather than receiving grace.

          Lastly, and perhaps most obviously, Christians who are not joyful may not be properly using the initial joy gifted by the Holy Spirit. In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) Jesus tells of a man who entrusts his possessions (talents, large sums of money) to three servants. Two of the servants were able to double their master’s possessions through business, and when their master came back, they were commended: “Share your master’s joy!” The third servant buried his talent, and dug it up when the master came back. The master chastised the third servant, calling him “evil and lazy.” The master remarked “for everyone who has, more will be given.” The scared and slothful servant was cast out to darkness where there was “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This parable should frighten those who are unjoyful. God has given each of us some joy. Are you going to take that joy and use it, making more in the process? Or are you going to conceal it somewhere deep? Those who conceal their joy may very well one day have whatever is left stripped from them.

The Problem in the Lutheran Church:

          My title for this article, “Make Lutherans Joyful Again,” implies that there was, in fact, a time that Lutherans were joyful. I am certain that there were many times that joy was commonly expressed in Lutheran circles, beginning with the Peace of Augsburg and of Westphalia and continuing through the growth in America during the late 1800s and early 1900s. However, much of this joy was choked out over the last 75 years.

          The growth experienced by Lutheranism in the first part of the 1900s may very well be a key contributor to the disappearance of joy from our church. Christian parishes were once thriving communities around which one planned and built daily life. In the 1950s, it was not rare to purchase a home within walking distance from your church. You would send your kids to that parochial school. In the evenings, friends from church would come over and sit in your conversation pit. You did business with other people at church. You worked with parishioners. You went bowling with them. You saw them when you were shopping. In the rare instances you saw people with whom you did not go to church, you found out which church they attended! Christianity was such central aspect of life 75 years ago, and our grandparents took that for granted. They got too comfortable, rarely needing to endure trials or evangelize neighbors. At the same time, the whole world was changing dramatically as it embraced a post-WWII reality to which the church struggled to adapt. This institution we inherited, which was built as a self-sufficient entity, is now crumbling and no one knows how to fix it. If we fix it with joy, more joy will be found. When we convince ourselves that a) it is not our job to fix it, b) these things ‘just happen’ or c) there is nothing wrong, we starve ourselves of joy.

          Another aspect that destroyed joy in American Lutheranism is the fact that American Lutheranism is, well, American! Individualism is rampant in American churches. We lack stable communities where God pours out His gifts. Where communities do continue to thrive, they are weakened by other competing worldviews. America spent far too long treating its churches as social clubs (see above) and places to go and ‘actively worship God’ rather than communities gathered around Christ and His Word and Sacrament. The result? Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. This mentality—that God just wants everyone to be good and happy and feel good—sneaked in unannounced and spread like a virus among Christians. If there is no need of forgiveness of sins, what joy does the message of the Gospel bring to sinners?

          The fact that Bishop Barron is talking about the problem of unjoyful Christians indicates that this problem is widespread across many Christian denominations. I am certain that Christians in denominations with significant intellectual traditions (Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, and Reformed) struggle with lack of joy more significantly than those in denominations that are less concerned with doctrinal purity. Lutheranism traditionally puts a gigantic emphasis on doctrinal purity. Ultimately, it was over a doctrinal matter that the Lutheran Church was differentiated in the first place. Lutherans have a zero-tolerance policy for false doctrine, and this characteristic has attracted theologizers and know-it-alls into the Lutheran church. In came the arrogance and out went the joy.

Lutherans have a zero-tolerance policy for false doctrine, and this characteristic has attracted theologizers and know-it-alls into the Lutheran church. In came the arrogance and out went the joy.

          American Lutheranism has gotten to the point where many congregations lack the joy that built them. Intellectualism and mediocrity have become standard, and are pitting Christians up against one another rather than uniting us under the death and resurrection of Jesus!

How does one become joyful?

          In C.S. Lewis’ autobiography Surprised by Joy, Lewis discovers that Joy (which Lewis capitalizes) is not truly an end in and of itself but rather the ‘signposts’ that keep one on the path towards everlasting happiness with God. Lewis described chasing the feeling of Joy, but it was always a fleeting feeling that ultimately led to his conversion. The feeling of Joy means that we are on the right path, and the absence of Joy means we need to reorient.

          If you are experiencing joy, remember that the destination is not joy itself but Christ—set your eyes on Him and let your joy compound! If you have a difficult time finding joy, all hope is not lost! Lutherans can indeed be joyful again! What follows are some things that need to be done in order to walk in ever-increasing joy:

Pray for joy. If you want to be joyful, but cannot find it in yourself, have you ever tried asking for it in prayer?

“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.”

—Matthew 7:7

Return to your Baptism. What can be more joyful than the assurance of one’s salvation? Confess your sins. Receive forgiveness. Know that you will see God.

Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.

—Romans 6:3-4

Let go of resentment and bitterness, and find freedom in Christ. Every day we are hurt. We are wronged. People trespass against us. Sometimes, the people that hurt us are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must forgive them just as we are forgiven by God. Sometimes, however, we don’t know who hurt us. The power-hungry man in our building who is quick to shame us. The person who cut us off in traffic and acted like we did something wrong. The waitress who is having a bad day and is passive-aggressive to us. If we make it our responsibility to right every wrong, or if we live thinking about all the times we were guilted or shamed, then we will only dwell in bitterness! Next time someone wrongs you, remember: if God is for you, who could be against you? (Romans 8:31) On the last day, if that person who sinned against you is a Christian, you will be reconciled. If not, rest assured that God will punish him or her justly.

Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord. Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.

—Hebrews 12:14-15

Don’t turn away from trials. Trust the process. We were not promised an easy life. Indeed, our lives are full of sin, disease, and disappointment. Accept all your troubles with grace. Trust that joy will spring forth from them.

Follow Jesus. Jesus showed us how to live and how to die. If you walk in Him, you will not walk in darkness (John 8:12). Let Christ lead you. Build a relationship with Him, build trust with Him, and learn to imitate Him by all means. He alone will lead you to true joy.

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

—Hebrews 12:1-2

Featured image: Luther with "Make Lutherans Joyful Again" Hat, made with Google Gemini