Despite Everything, Real and Lasting Joy

Psalm 98 - The third traditional Advent theme is "joy." Joy can be a vulnerable feeling to share with others as it is often associated with naivety or guilt. But joy is a major theme across both the Psalms and the whole Bible itself as well as the appropriate response to the character and salvation of God. In Portland earnest, expressive, vulnerable joy in Jesus might be one of the most counter-cultural postures we can take. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 3 of our 2024 Advent series "Poems of Longing, Songs of Joy"] Questions for reflection: 1) How are "joy" and "happiness" similar? How are they different? 2) In the Bible, joy can be held alongside and underneath negative emotions. What does it look like to have joy alongside grief, for example? 3) The psalmist looks to the past (to the mighty saving acts of God) and to the future (to the coming judgment of God) to find motivation to joy and praise. How is Christian joy experienced "in the painful middle?" 4) How does the structure of Psalm 98 point us to the increase of joy to come? 5) Why does the psalmist rejoice at the judgment of God? How can we rejoice at this judgment especially on this side of the cross of Jesus?