Northfield Methodist Church

Dear Friends
Warm greetings!
Welcome to worship this winter Sunday morning. It is always good to have you with us. Presently we are in a four part series of messages entitled THE CUP OF LIFE. Our theme today is the Cup of Joy. We trust that it will connect deeply with your life. Joy can best be understood as a deep sense of well-being. It comes from knowing that we are unconditionally loved and that nothing-sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war or even death-can take that love away. Its primary feeling is delight. Jesus told us that he wants his joy to be in us and for that joy to be complete (see John 15:11). When we have Christ’s joy in us, we experience a sense that all is well, even in the midst of terrible sadness and loss.
We can see from the above that joy is not the same as happiness. We can be unhappy about many things, but joy can still be there because it comes from the knowledge of God’s love for us. We are inclined to think that when we are sad we cannot be glad, but in the life of a person rooted in God, sorrow and joy can exist together. Often we discover joy in the midst of great sorrow. Maybe you have known this experience. Still nothing happens automatically in our life with God. We have to keep choosing joy and keep choosing it every day. It is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have in God our refuge and safety and that nothing, not even death, can take God and God’s love away from us.
It may be helpful to ask ourselves how we can develop our capacity to choose for joy. Maybe we could spend a brief moment at the end of each day and decide to remember that day-whatever may have happened-as a day to be grateful for. We can specifically remember little moments when we were surprised by joy. In so doing, we increase our heart’s capacity to choose for joy. And as our hearts become more joyful, we will become, without special effort, a source of joy for others. Joy is contagious.
Perhaps one way today you can spread some joy is to write a brief and simple message in one of the Bibles in the foyer. Some of our team are going up to Zimbabwe at the end of the month. They are taking these Bibles with them. Your words from your heart may touch another heart and bring joy in the process. Will you think about doing this?
May the Joy of Christ be with you
The Ministry Team