Joy In Church

No language has as many words for joy and rejoicing as Hebrew does. In the Old Testament, thirteen Hebrew roots, found in twenty-seven different words, are used primarily for some aspect of joy or joyful participation in religious worship. Hebrew religious ritual demonstrated God as the source of joy. In contrast to the rituals of other faiths of the East, Israelite worship was essentially a joyous proclamation and celebration. The good Israelite regarded the act of thanking God as the supreme joy of his life. Pure joy is finding happiness in God as its source and object. The psalmist declared, “You show me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).But many Christians seem to believe that worship is to be somber, stale, and lacking vitality. I remember the first time I saw a congregation laugh together during a Sunday morning service. I had grown up in a denominational background and had attended almost every Sunday for seventeen years, but had never heard people laughing in church. Then I visited a church where the joy of the Lord was obviously a big part of who these people were. The pastor said some humorous things during his sermon and the people laughed! “What?” I thought, “People laughing in church?”It’s almost as though we think God doesn’t believe in fun. Maybe we forgot that he gave us our sense of humor (we are created in His image). He created penguins, didn’t He?Yes, the Lord delights in our fun. He enjoys our laughter. Let’s worship Him with gladness!“He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” – Acts 14:17“Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your GOD in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your GOD will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.” – Deuteronomy 16:15