“Look, there is a difference between the joyless and the unhappy”, Crankeverend (CR) said to his friend. “The unhappy are people who perhaps have a chemical imbalance that may be at the heart of their unhappiness. Or they may be in a bad relationship, or abusive marriage, or are taking care of their elderly parents and it is overwhelming them. These people have a very legitimate reason for being unhappy.” CR sat there for a while collecting his thoughts, as if there was a well of crankiness he was trying to reach. “And then, there are the joyless — the ones who can suck the joy, hope and blessing out of anything and anyone. Those people make me cranky.”
CR’s friend sat there, stroking his invisible beard, like he does sometimes, probably pining for the day he might be a Bishop. “Do you really think people can just be “joyless” — devoid of joy — without joy — never seeing joy cross their paths?”
CR frowned at his brilliant friend, sometimes wondering why his brain leaks once in a while. “I am telling you, some people will only experience 8 of the 9 fruits of the Spirit — they will experience love, peace, kindness, gentleness, patience, generosity, self-control, and faithfulness — but they will never feel joy. I don’t know why — it is as if they are biologically conditioned to repel joy. And, for some reason, many of them become leaders in their churches — which seems to cement their joylessness.” CR was standing on his desk screaming at his friend, which seemed really ridiculous at the moment…and then he sat down, breathing as if he just ran a marathon.
CR’s friend sat there shaking his head, like he had a spider suddenly crawl into his ear. He was definitely worried, but couldn’t decide if he was worried for his friend, or worried about members in a church who have lost their joy. “What do you think is at the heart of their joylessness? You mentioned, my redundant friend, the reasons that people might be unhappy. Tell me, please, what do you think is at the heart of their joylessness? I am not saying that I do not know, I just want your opinion, my repetitive colleague.”
CR sat motionless — trying to understand joylessness. “Well, my friend, I think some people have never really experienced true joy – at least since they were a small child. This world is hard — and many people grow up either being picked on for the way they look, or bullied for being different, or demeaned by adults and authority figures because they are from a different culture, class or race. Their lives are filled with the opposite of joy — sorrow, hurt, pain, and sadness. And these experiences, well they can’t help but bring into the church — where they can allow their joylessness to express itself — because this is what they know best — and we all know, we have to accept everyone and every feeling in the church because Jesus loves everyone.”
CR’s friend was sobbing by this time, but then realized he had shut his fingers in the doors of his own perceptions — and when he gathered his composure, he began to speak again: “So, if people are driven by pain, sadness, hurt and sorrow, how do we help and encourage them to find joy?”
CR was staring at the six fingers on his left hand, wondering why G-d would give him six fingers until he realized he was holding pen with the saying “What Would Jesus Do?” emblazoned on it — and then he replied “Welllllllllllll………What Would Jesus Do? Profound, right? Actually we need to help people find joy — starting with joy in the church. We cannot be a joyless people who come to a Sunday Worship Service and leave devoid of joy. Too many people come to church and bring with them all kinds of hurt, pain, sadness, and sorrow and stay within their shells of pain. Jesus would tell them that they are loved beyond measure, and welcome without restrictions, and forgiven without limits — and so we need to love all people without limits, welcome everyone as if they are our own family, and be non-judgmental in all of our interactions. We need to share the joy of Jesus — which means we have to find our own well of joy. And when we realize that we are loved without conditions and forgiven of our past, present and future sins — well that at least is a beginning to a life filled with joy — because it will mean a life filled with Jesus.”
CR’s friend spontaneously broke into singing “Joy to the World” — when CR threw a pocket full of joy at him. OK it was a pocket full of lint but hey, it brought CR joy.
Crankeverend……Out!
The "Frowning Glory" 
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