December 2021
The Joy of the Lord and ministerial resilience
By Michael Volland
Christian ministry requires many things of us. Strength is one. Strength to face the day and to serve those God has placed us among.
The great hymn prays it well, ‘Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow’. We particularly experience the need for strength during the seasons of Advent and Christmas. There is much to be done. We need strength to do it. Strength is rooted in joy. So, if we are to find the strength to serve this Advent, understanding how to open our hearts to joy over the long haul is important.
I repeated the verse over and over while training for my first competitive long-distance run and recited it as I plodded along the Ridgeway alongside hundreds of other people ‘racing’ from Maidenhead to Avebury.
“The joy of the Lord is your strength”.
When I joined the staff team at Ridley Hall, I found myself on the preaching rota for Chapel and this verse, Nehemiah 8:10, was the first thing I was asked to speak to. Deeply struck by the lifegiving truth at the heart of these words, when I took on the role of Principal, I painted them on a board which now hangs on the wall beside my desk. I repeated the verse over and over while training for my first competitive long-distance run and recited it as I plodded along the Ridgeway alongside hundreds of other people ‘racing’ from Maidenhead to Avebury.
“The joy of the Lord is your strength”.
When we lose our joy, as is all too easy in the wobble and bump of life, we lose our strength.
When we lose our joy, as is all too easy in the wobble and bump of life, we lose our strength. I should point out that it is important not to confuse joy with feeling joyful. I once read that feelings are like the weather on a mountain. The mountain and the weather are both real but, whereas the weather changes from one day or even hour to the next, the mountain remains constant. If the weather is your feelings, the mountain is you. God is love. And in God’s very essence, God is also joy. You are created, sustained and beloved of God. And since, through faith, you participate in the life of God I invite you to believe that it is possible for the joy of the Lord to become part of your very being, and not like the weather; an event that sweeps in and out and whose presence or absence you are at the mercy of.
The apparently everyday tasks of getting out of bed, and out of the house, and mixing with other people, require strength and courage. This Advent you may feel you don’t have much of either. And even if today all is well and you are feeling strong, clear-headed and full of optimism, you may one day find yourself travelling a section of life’s journey in which disappointment, anxiety, fear, dread, grief or despair rob you of your joy. And when you lose your joy, you will find that your strength for living, and getting up and going out and being with others, has gone with it.
“The joy of the Lord is your strength”.
The joy of the Lord is at the heart of creation and, as we participate in the life of God, this joy lives in you, animates you and will become your strength and your song; the strength to get up and get on with living among and serving other people and to not be so completely drained by it all that you fall into lethargy or despair. This joy is of the Lord, it is in the Lord and it flows from the Lord. It cannot be lost. I invite you to believe afresh that this is true; to have faith and believe. And where you struggle to have faith, to ask God to give you more. And then, to open your heart and receive the joy of the Lord. Not seeking a temporary emotional lift, but making space for the life-giver, the creator, to come to you and abide with you. And for God’s joy, the joy that is of the Lord, to become your strength. This is not the work of a moment, but a daily practice all your life long. It is not something you conjure up or work hard to perfect. It is a simple, humble practice of recognising your finitude and opening your heart to God’s abundant life.
“The joy of the Lord is your strength”.
There is more than enough in these eight words to sustain a lifetime of prayerful reflection. I invite you to begin this Advent and Christmas season to pray these words to yourself. Repeat them over and over. You may find it helpful to sit quietly or to walk or even run with these words on your lips. Let them become the prayer of your heart. Know that the Lord is attentive to you and willing and able to give more than you ask, or even imagine. Open your heart with gratitude and expectation and receive from God. Allow the joy of the Lord Jesus to become your strength.
