Joy

I have been most influenced in my spiritual walk recently by the writings of rabbis. Jonathan Sacks 'Not in God's Name' was a profound exploration of the sibling rivalry of the Hebrew Scriptures still playing out amongst nations and faiths today. Danya Ruttenberg's extraordinary use of Twitter as a teaching tool has opened to me the insights of a female reading of patriarchical texts.

Last night I heard a new speaker, albeit one I had read and heard before but not live; one in the great rabbinic tradition. He spoke of joy.

He did it joyously, owing much to the tradition of modern stand-up with a soul. And also to the fine yiddish (can I say that? Correct me if I can't) comedians such as Jackie Mason I recall from days of yore. His jokes were funny, his visuals added much and his observations were er, observant.

Much was made of a few people who added value to what would be expected of them in their day job. Those who offered the unemployed a free dry clean of interview clothes. Those who made an imaginative sign when the door of the shop had failed. Those who played with a kid when they should have been serving the queue. Those who designed sneakers with a unicorn's horn on the top for girls of a certain age. These people, it was suggested 'get it'.

And joy was also to be found in the apparent failures of those who had given a cat-lovers magazine a strange name, or named a road using only consonants. 'They had a meeting and decided that...?'

And joy was to be found in the maths of a romanesco cauliflower (we'll forgive it being described as broccoli).

Yes, joy is knocking around for those who seek it.

The centre piece was an exploration of Ecclesiastes a book which contains the central point that living for the moment is as good as any method because we're all going to die. He exposited the Hebrew word behind 'meaningless' as 'mist or vapour' using a water mist spray as prop. If, he said, someone was being cynical you should take them down with the accusation that they haven't gone far enough because 'We're all going to die'.

So if we should spend more time living in the moment - someone in the audience was called out for taking notes 'There's always someone in the front row taking notes; thanks for doing our accounts' - what is the Christian hope? I had abandoned my iPad this evening for a notebook and pen but I chose to ignore it then and just listen. So my review is based on memory.

Well the Christian hope isn't eternal life. Not for this speaker. The hearers of Jesus would never have understood eternal life as life going on for ever. That would have been more of the same, looking on for the most as the few enjoyed the trappings of success but never enjoying them themselves. No, eternal life's secret is revealed in the 'This is what it's all about' statement as someone enjoys a great family moment, embracing all in the postprandial bloatedness of Christmas lunch.

But, I wanted to shout, there are some looking on who don't get to do that. It's terribly, well, middle class.

In my youth there was this chorus:

If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy
Let Jesus come into your heart
If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy
Let Jesus come into your heart
Your sins he'll take away
Your night he'll turn to day
Your heart he'll make over anew
And then come in to stay
If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy
Let Jesus come into your heart

I hadn't sung it for nearly 40 years and I'm glad but I just wrote out the words from memory,

Christians from all over Bristol, younger than most congregations I serve, flocked to hear this stand-up rabbi. His name? Rob Bell from Los Angeles, California. Christian writer and Communicator, founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church and a man with disciples.

What was distinctively Christian about it? I'm not sure. I may have missed something. Help me.

Joy

It is a long time since my friends and I at a 1970s church youth club remarked at how many Christian songs were about getting girlfriends - you shall go out with Joy; you will be saved by Faith.

I came to faith, aged 16-19, in a Christian environment that was full of fun and laughter. We had setbacks and disasters but we laughed more than we cried. It was 1993, when I was a conference organiser for the Church Youth Fellowships' Association (CYFA), when someone told me that an event I had organised was 'too much fun'. I had been specifically tasked with easing the debilitating seriousness the Reform / Proclamation Trust gang had inflicted on CYFA conferences. One of their number said I had gone too far.

Those thoughts came back to me last night but another quickly replaced it as a preacher, speaking on number two in a series about the fruits of the Spirit, asked the question, 'What is joy?'

In a question and answer session we quickly established that laughter wasn't joy - although joyful people often laugh a lot. We also felt that joy wasn't quite the same as happy, although joyful people might seem happy a lot of the time. The ubiquitous Pharrell Williams got played. The congregation made a mess of clapping and dancing. Just not used to it.

We ended up, I think, because my mind went a wandering on this, concluding that the word joy was about a deeper, inner contentment. It is related to certainty and assurance more than a sense of humour. It is often the case that English translations of Greek words do not do justice to their depth of meaning. Chara, the Greek word translated 'joy', also means happiness and gladness.

So far so good but then one of the conclusions, if I heard it right, was that we should look happier; that people will be more attracted to our church if the members smile. Really? Are outsiders (hate that term but feeling too lazy to do better) so shallow that they will turn away from a church event if the percentage of smiles is too low.

There are some people who always look happy and smile a lot - I am married to one and it is nice - but most people don't. I am happy. I am deeply content with my lot and in my own shoes. I like being me. I do jokes. I tell a mean story. I love craic (note spelling). I look forward to the day, enjoy problem solving and am pretty sure I cheer up more people than I depress. On Facebook yesterday there were some comments from people who love that Trendlewood Church (my responsibility) is characterised as a place of laughter.

Although there are commands to put off sad faces the word smile only appears three times in The Bible. All three references are in the book of Job and two are negative - smiling at another's misfortune. Job is not exactly a bundle of laughs although I am more convinced than ever before that it is meant to be black comedy.

Maybe it is because I am a Brummie (we tend to save smiles for emergencies). Perhaps my self-consciousness following facial injuries in a road accident aged 14 has something to do with it. I don't know. All I can say is that I will never judge your joy level by your facial muscles and ask that you similarly do not treat me that superficially.