Message from the Moderator

‘I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.’

John 15:11

At my Installation service on 21st June, which led into the three days of Synod, I introduced my theme as your new Moderator with the words ‘Joyfully Serious – Seriously Joyful: Living in Christ.’

As you read this reflection, can you remember how many times you have been on holiday and sent postcards to family and friends that reflect your holiday experiences. I suspect that physical postcards are not as prominent as they once were, however, we have many other ways in which we seek to share the ‘joy’ of what we have experienced.

This representation of joy appears to rest upon the most positive happenings in our lives. In doing so, they are events that have created an emotional sense of well-being.

In my theme as Moderator, I am focusing on joy as something that we hold deep within our lives. That is, as followers of Jesus Christ we are encouraged to see joy as an expression of the incarnational presence of Christ. This moves us beyond seeing joy as a seasonal, or occasional, expression of our faith. It is more about a deep and abiding, lived reality, because of who we are in Jesus Christ. Joy, therefore, is not a ‘postcard moment’ or simply the communication of a ‘snapshot in time.’

Jurgen Moltmann claims that Christianity is ‘uniquely a religion of joy.’ If this is the case, what does our joyful response look like as an expression of the uniqueness of our faith in Jesus Christ?

How does this ‘deep seated’ joy respond within the face of personal, corporate and global challenges, even when we are at the point of feeling so helpless? Or when, as reflected by Rev Steve Francis in our Synod Bible Studies, joy has been profoundly ‘interrupted’ in the context of intense personal grief.

Mary Clark Moschella writes that ‘the experience of joy is not fleeting or shallow but deep and striking.’ Our joy is not one that simply seeks acts of happiness, but that which connects deeply with our pain and suffering. It is a joy that underpins and embraces our humanity and identity in Christ. It is a joy founded in faith and trust in God’s presence and faithfulness.

So, may the joy of Jesus be in us and may it be complete.

References

Moltmann, J (1973), ‘Theology and Joy,’ London, SCM. Clark, M (2015), ‘Joy and Human Flourishing: Essays on Theology, Culture, and the Good Life,’ Fortress Press, p.99.

Blessings,

Peter Morel Moderator