Advent Musing: JOY

Image by Soojin Hyun

Scripture: Isaiah 35:1-10, NRSV

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus

it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and shouting. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.

Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees.

Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you."

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened;

then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert;

the burning sand shall become a pool and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp; the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God's people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.

No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Advent Musing: JOY

by Rev. Sungrae Kim

This is “the most wonderful time of the year.” All the visual signs around us, the Christmas music wherever we go, and the physical cards and gifts in our hands remind us that joy is supposed to be the prevailing message of this season. It’s meant to be the easiest thing in the world for a pastor to write about: the whole world rejoices at the birth of Jesus Christ!

However, I find it rather difficult to talk about joy during this season. That is because I know too many stories of people who struggle to find even a small piece of hope, peace, or joy amid physical pain, loneliness, financial difficulties, and broken relationships—especially during this cold season. While being sincerely pastoral to their life situations, how can I deliver a message of joy? Simply saying, “Be joyful, Christ is born!” is not going to do any good.

If I’m being completely honest, I must also confess that this is not entirely a joyful season for me either. Instead, it can be a rather stressful time of year. There are too many services, events, sermons, meetings, reports, pastoral visits, and musical performances to manage. Please don’t get me wrong—I love almost everything about this season, and I do find moments of joy in each and every important thing I do. However, the sheer amount to manage in such a short period of time can be draining.

I wonder if it’s similar for you. Don’t you find yourself, from time to time, feeling more stressed than joyful as you think about the number of cards to write, gifts to wrap, and gatherings to attend? How joyful are you these days? So what is the message of joy we are invited to reflect on this week? And what is the message of joy we are called to deliver from our somewhat worn-out souls to the world?

If we look closely, the vision of joy in the passage from Isaiah 35 is rather challenging than simply uplifting. In fact, it may even make us uncomfortable. The prophecy speaks of joy found in a God who comes with vengeance against our enemies. It envisions an exclusive highway on which “the unclean” cannot travel. There will be no jackals, no lions, in Zion—only the redeemed shall walk there. This vision is quite different from the vision of peace we reflected on last week. It sounds as though everlasting joy and gladness will come upon us when our enemies are destroyed. The vision is embedded in a worldview in which God saves us and defeats our enemies.

This tension between joy and exclusion is even older than the prophecy. The truth is that we have an innate tendency to feel this kind of “dark joy” at the downfall of others. This phenomenon is called schadenfreude, a German term that literally means “joy at another’s misfortune.” Some psychological studies suggest that this tendency is universal across cultures and even measurable in the brain.*

Scholars argue that there are three main psychological roots of this phenomenon. The first is evolutionary and survival-based: we may feel a spark of pleasure at someone’s downfall because it reduces competition for resources. The second has social roots. When another person fails, it can temporarily boost our self-esteem—a compensatory joy of a wounded self trying to feel better. The third is rooted in our “us versus them” tribalism. Humans are social creatures, and we may feel joy at another’s downfall because it seems to affirm our group’s safety and moral superiority.**

While it is important to be aware of these innate tendencies, we are not bound by them. Joy at another’s downfall often arises from our insecurity, social competition, and desire for group protection. Yet we are also wired for compassion and empathy, and these capacities can grow stronger through intention, training, and practice. I believe Jesus’ vision of joy invites us to transform our nature. He taught us to love even our enemies and to seek joy through reconciliation.

This is precisely where Jesus’ understanding of joy departs from our instincts. Jesus’ ministry was centered on restoring the joy of the oppressed—by healing the sick, casting out evil spirits, and proclaiming the good news that the kingdom of God had come near. Even when life still felt shrouded in darkness, Jesus became Immanuel, “God-with-us,” so that people would not be bound by the power of sin and death but be freed to choose love over vengeance. Jesus taught that true, deeper, and fuller joy is found not in the desolation of others, but in the restoration of all.

However, it should be noted that most of those who directly heard Jesus’ teachings and witnessed his ministry misunderstood him. They expected a warrior Messiah as described in certain ancient prophecies—one who would overthrow the Roman Empire, free Israel, and restore the glory of Solomon by force. That is why, when Jesus was captured by Pontius Pilate, the disappointed crowd turned and shouted, “Crucify him!” By their standards, Jesus was disqualified as the Messiah. He had failed to restore the kind of joy they longed for.

Nevertheless, a few understood. Some of the first Christians who experienced the resurrection of Jesus became convinced that he truly fulfilled the prophecy—not by defeating political enemies, but by conquering the powers of sin, evil, and even death itself, the true enemies of all humanity. Those who received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost realized that this deep joy of restoration was meant not only for Israel, but for the whole world.

Still today, many misunderstand the kind of joy we are called to seek during this season. The more we buy, the more we become bound to what we own. The higher we climb the social ladder, the more responsibilities weigh on our shoulders. The temptation we see around us and within us is to think that peace and joy can be achieved by getting rid of “the others”—immigrants, LGBTQI+ siblings, the unhoused, or those who hold profoundly different ideological, political, or religious views. But in doing so, we only grow lonelier.

The message of joy this Christmas season invites us into is not schadenfreude—a cheap, momentary, and selfish pleasure sought by our insecure and broken souls. I also hope this message frees you from the pressure to feel joyful all the time. In this season, we are surrounded by curated images of joy—people celebrating new and trendy things. The world seems to insist that shopping is the only path to joy, and some even imply that joy belongs only to those who can afford it.

But the message of Christmas is not that you are required to feel joyful by acquiring more things in your possession. Rather, we are invited to reflect on where our deeper joy truly comes from. Let us find a time for an inward practice to examine where we seek joy. Especially when life feels like a wilderness—dry land and desert—when everything seems harder than usual, may we witness the blossoming of hope through the God who comes to where we are.

Then, let us find a time for an outward practice - an act of solidarity, hospitality, or simple accompaniment that could bring joy to others. May joy flow from our weary souls to one another, forming a holy highway on which we can all walk together. And may we strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees, so that we may go forth and share this joy with all who yearn for redemption.

* Resource: Psychological and neuroscientific studies suggest that schadenfreude is widespread across cultures and observable in neural reward systems.

** Scholars have identified evolutionary competition, social comparison, and group-based identity as key psychological roots of schadenfreude.

Reflection Questions:

• How does this season actually feel to you right now - joyful, stressful, weary, or something else? Where do you notice that most in your body?

  
  

• Have you ever experienced schadenfreude - the temptation to seek joy through comparison, success, or other’s failure - subtly or overtly? What might this reveal about your own fears, insecurities, or longing for belonging?

  
  

• What images of Isaiah 35 bring you comfort, and what parts make you uncomfortable? Why do you think that is?

  
  

• What would it look like for joy to flow through you? What is one concrete way you can help “strengthen weak hands and make firm feeble knees” this season?

Song of Reflection: Let My Joy Be Complete

Words by Iris A. Law

Music by Rev. Sungrae Kim