That Your Joy Would Be Complete

In the Gospel of John, Jesus said, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:10-12)

I recently heard about a late professor of theology at Drew University named Dr. Samuel Upham. He died in 1904 at the age of seventy, and in his last hours, he was lying on his bed, surrounded by friends and family. At one point, it seemed that he was gone, but a woman standing by his side touched his feet and said, “No, he’s not dead. Feel his feet. They’re warm. No one ever died with warm feet.” At that, Dr. Upham opened his eyes and said, “Well, Joan of Arc certainly did!

(You may remember that Joan of Arc was burned at the stake!)

Those were his very last words… which tells me that he was a man who had truly embodied God’s spirit of joy. This is the same spirit of joy I imagine the disciples must have felt at the empty tomb. It is the same spirit of joy that has compelled the church through the years. And it is that same spirit of joy that Jesus offers to you even now… 

Let us pray: Loving and Gracious God, open our hearts again to your love. And, as we share that love with others, may we experience anew your deep and abiding joy. Amen.