[Nehemiah said to the people,] ‘Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’
Nehemiah 8:10
A line from this reading in Nehemiah from January 23 sticks in my mind. Those who returned to Jerusalem from exile wept at the sight of the city’s destroyed walls. Under Nehemiah’s leadership, they rebuilt the walls in just 52 days. During a celebratory gathering of all the people, Ezra read the scriptures. Nehemiah hallowed the day. The walls were reason enough to celebrate, but, said he, “the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Joy often comes after exerting skill and effort. On Superbowl Sunday, huge grown men will dance in the end zone with reptilian rapture like preschoolers. They release the thrill of scoring in the game they love with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Their joy is to participate, not spectate.
Speaking of spectating, we are thankful for livestream technology – never before could pajama-clad Christians view the finest preachers around the world from the comfort of their living rooms, coffee cup in hand. But, oh, how I have missed participating in congregational singing, entering class discussion in adult education, and hearing live pipe organ! Rising early is worth it to participate in person. When adult and children’s education resumed at All Saints, faces everywhere lit up as the church began to fill once again.
In the northern hemisphere, we welcome the shortest and most romantic month of February as we trudge through the dead of winter and long for the first signs of spring. In our dreary waiting to discard our masks, we thirst for joy with others.
The charism of joy draws people, just like a magnet draws spilled paper clips. Covid is infectious, but so is joy! And joy is more contagious in person than on Zoom. Come and see that the joy of the LORD is your strength.
God bless you!
Rev. Ruth
