March 2025

We have been thinking recently about joy, and about experiencing and spreading joy even – maybe especially – during Lent.

Last week, I ordered coffee from a pop-up coffee shop called Java Joy. The servers were young adults with learning disabilities. Java Joy is a training program to help these individuals develop job skills.

When the barista handed me my latte, he said, “Have a Java Joyful day!” That caught my attention, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. We hear “Have a good day!” so often we hardly even think about it. “Have a nice day,” while often well-intentioned, comes across as bland, generic, all but meaningless.

“Have a joyful day!” lifted my spirits. It actually gave me joy.

Frederick Buechner shares a wonderful insight about everyday rituals, such as “a handshake. A kiss. A coronation. A parade. A dance. A meal.” Buechner goes on to say, “A sacrament is the breaking through of the sacred into the profane; a ritual is the ceremonial acting out of the profane in order to show forth its sacredness.”

“Have a Java Joyful day.” That was clearly a ritual, something said to every customer. But that ritual gave me a glimpse of the sacredness of each day, and of each human encounter of every day.

We usually think of Lent as a season of penitence. My prayer is that this Lent may be for me a season of attentiveness, of slowing down to pay attention to the sacredness of each day and of each everyday ritual that fills our days.

And my prayer for you, my readers, is that each of you have a truly joyful day.

-by Bill

We are only three months past Christmas and probably most of us are no longer singing or even hearing “Joy to the World” on the radio or in church. What’s wrong with that? Surely, we need joy in our world, especially during these challenging days.

Joy is one thing we can get, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, in our inner world if we but ask for it. That’s called ‘intentional joy’. Why not put a little joy into your heart?

Now. If you and Beethoven want to get your joy on, here you go:

hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJcQYVtZMo

Some of us, from time to time, go searching for joy. I did. So I found a book, Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis. In this, Lewis’ spiritual autobiography, he was tricked by surprises along his journey from atheism to theism and eventuality to Christianity. Oh, and do I need to mention that Joy was Lewis’ wife’s name? Now, if you go looking for joy, you might by surprised by joy, not at all as you expected.

Some people get a lot of joy from giving to others. Remember, the gifts are always returned to you: “Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” (Luke 6:38)

After all this, if you are still searching for joy, how about singing joy into your heart? --Joy deep into your heart? Remember this childhood song?

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart (Where?)

Down in my heart (Where?)

Down in my heart

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart (Where?)

Down in my heart to stay.

Joy deep in our hearts, ode to joy, being surprised by joy, and giving to others are several prompts we might need every day. Choose yours and be joyful!

--by Jan

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