Joy or Happiness?

At our weekly Bible study last night, we were presented with the question of what our "joy" level is right now. I explained that for me, I define the term joy differently than many other people probably do. I see joy as a constant in my life. I equate it with a sense of contentment, peace and comfortableness - in fact, I like to think of the Hebrew term shalom here. For me, the joy I have comes from God and it's the knowledge that Christ is my redeemer and that in him, I have an advocate. I get a sense of completeness from this and I know that ultimately, "things will be alright" because of this. I believe it is the sort of peace that Paul writes about which surpasses all understanding and which guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7).

I think this is different from many people who equate joy with happiness. I see happiness as an emotion - something that comes and goes depending on circumstances. But the joy that I have in knowing Christ is the savior of the world in ongoing and cannot wax nor wane. It's true that I might not always be happy, but I am always joyful because Christ is always part of my life - and nothing can take that away. I always have a sense of joy, whether I'm happy or not. Joy is a state of being, not simply an emotion - at least, that is what I think.

I'm not sure this is easy to understand - some in the Bible study group grasped immediately to the concept and understood well, while others couldn't quite wrap their minds around this differentiation. What is your sense of joy and happiness?

How Often Should we Commune?

The frequency of Holy Communion has come up more than once within discussions among layity that I've witnessed or been a part of. Some people are open to having it every week, while others think that once a month or (gasp!) even once a quarter would suffice. I have some thoughts and questions regarding this "issue":

*In Holy Communion we receive God's forgiveness of sins. Why wouldn't you want to receive God's gift of forgiveness as often as you can?

*In Holy Communion we are met by Christ. Why wouldn't you want to be in Christ's presence as often as you can?

*Some people say that Holy Communion gets cheapened if it is done "too much." I would argue that Holy Communion isn't about us, or how we feel, or what we want from it. It's finally about what God does in the sacrament for us. If we say we have to be "of a certain mind" to receive, then we make it about ourselves and our righteousness - Holy Communion becomes a work rather than a gift given to us by God.

*To go further, if we deny God's offering of Holy Communion, we deny God, his grace and his forgiveness.

*People who feel they're just going through the motions probably need Communion more than the people who feel they're "of the right mind." That is, the unrighteous need it more than the righteous.

*Why do we make it a point for young people to "be ready" for Holy Communion? What does that mean, anyway? We have to be ready to accept forgiveness? If so, doesn't this make it about us again? How come we don't have to "be ready" for Holy Baptism? Aren't both sacraments which function the same way for essentially the same purposes? This is perhaps oversimplification, but both are gifts from God to forgive sins, right?

Is our Salvation a Result of God's Love, or God's Jealousy?

Here are a series of questions with very few answers that were spawned by a pamphlet produced by Augsburg Fortress (the ELCA's publishing company) entitled "It's all about Love." You'll notice that the questions sometimes eminate from previous questions - but not always. I hope they're not too heretical. I don't think it's heresy to ask questions - at least not if you don't already presume the answers to be heretical...

Why did Jesus have to die? Because we’re sinners and there was no other way out. Okay, so what? What is in it for God to wipe out our sins? Is it because God wants to be in relationship with us? Is it because God is jealous and wants us to be focused on him? Is it both?

What does sin do? It separates us from God. This means we cannot be in a right relationship with God. It also means we cannot be focused on God and thus we focus on other gods which makes God jealous.

Why did God create humans? Are we here because God has such an abundance of love that he needs to share it? Are we here because God is egotistical and needs or strongly desires someone to worship him? Is it both? Can it be both?

What is idolatry? It is the worship of something/someone other than God. It is also the love of something/someone other than God.

Is Christ’s death a result of love or idolatry? That is, did God send his Son to die to show us love so we will love him back? Or, did God send his Son to die to show us our sinfulness (mostly idolatry) and “shock” us into going back to him by doing something so seemingly absurd that we have to pay attention to God? Is it both? Can it be both?

Did God offer us salvation because he wants to spend eternity with us? Or did God offer us salvation because he knows we’re afraid of death and this is a way of giving us some type of hope so that we can avoid idolatry and keep our eyes focused on him (if it’s given as a gift, we should be free to focus on God rather than ourselves or others, right?)? Is it both? Can it be both? Is it something else?

Can God put his love for us first? If so, doesn’t this contradict 1 John 4:19 – “We love because he first loved us.” If he does, put us first, does it mean he’s worshiping an idol? Doesn’t it make sense for God to put himself first? Doesn’t God really love himself first?

When it’s finally said and done, isn’t it really all about love? When it’s finally said and done, isn’t it really all about idolatry? When it’s finally said and done, isn’t it really about both?

Reformation Day & All Saints' Day

An observation. I had never thought of it before last week, but Reformation Day (Oct. 31) and All Saints' Day (Nov. 1) are explicably linked. Not only in their timing of one day apart, but in their meaning and significance for the church (and specifically Lutherans). The story goes that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the Wittenburg church door on Oct. 31, 1517. These theses discussed, among other things, the nature of salvation, who is authorized to grant it, and what we do (if anything) to gain it. A key component of Luther's argument during the reformation and for Lutherans everywhere afterward, is simul justus et peccator (Latin for something like 'simultaneously justified and sinful'). This is the sinner/saint language many of us are familiar with. I had never before thought of how this theme from the reformation - the notion that all are both sinner and saint (or some close equivalent of that) - and the Holy Day recognizing all saints were so closely related. This holiday was designed to recognize those saints who didn't have a specific date associated with them for commemorations or feasts. But Luther's language changed the notion of a saint so that all people could be viewed in that light. We only recognize on November 1 those saints who have died the last year because of Luther's concerns which sparked the reformation on October 31. I don't know if it was divine providence, coincidence or Luther's intention that these two dates be located next to each other, but I do believe it is a rather remarkable occurance.

Another Judgment?

Okay, so I was thinking, what with this being the end of the church year and lots of talk about Jesus' coming (again) and the final judgment, why would we be judged again? Afterall, we believe that on the cross, we were all judged and found guilty (of our sins) and then through the resurrection we were given reprieve. But, we confess in the creeds that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. Why is this final judgment necessary and what will we be judged on? So I thought some more, and the best I can come up with is this:
Judgment is about salvation, right? The only "power" we have in determining our salvation is to deny God's offer of it to us. According to Luther, we cannot by our own power come to God's gift of salvation. But, we can say 'No!' and turn our backs on it. So given this, I am wondering if the only thing to be judged on might be whether or not we've denied God's gift to us. Otherwise, why else would there be a necessity for a final judgment and a need for us to profess it in the creeds? Sins have already been judged and forgiven. What else is left regarding salvation? It seems to me that whether or not someone believes the promise and the gift is "accepted" (in so far as we can simply accept something by not denying it) is potentially the only thing left that might result in an eternal separation from God.
We cannot fully know what the final judgment will entail, but I suppose this is as good a guess as anything else I've heard. What do you think?