“Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious!” Psalm 66: 1-2.

Oxford Dictionary defines the meaning of “joy” as a feeling of great pleasure or happiness. Their definition of  “Christianity” is the religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Quoting Mother Theresa, “Joy is prayer. Joy is strength. Joy is love. Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. God loves a cheerful giver. One gives most who gives with joy . . . ”

Upon speaking with several Christians asking them to define “Joy” and “Christianity,” it was obvious that their responses came from the heart.

Judy Carscadden, a.k.a. GiGi the Clown lives in London and attends St.Mark’s Anglican Church. Judy has always enjoyed being creative and much of this takes its form in writing. Judy has written books, articles, poetry and songs for professional purposes, personal enjoyment and entertaining children. Since becoming a clown, this performance art has been the venue in which her pen plays. It seemed natural that clowning and writing should merge into her Christian life. Judy writes skits for Clown Ministry. She has performed her skits at Tillsonburg North Broadway Baptist Church, Ingersoll Trinity United Church, The Gathering Place (London) and of course St. Mark’s. Skits that she has written and performed include Lemmie’s Broken Heart and Lemmie and the Old Rugged Cross as well as dialogues that take place between her and her lamb puppet Ewenice. So far Ewenice has learned about Jesus’ birth and will be learning about the Lamb of God (Easter) and other topics as well. Since Jesus used parables and things common to people to illustrate His teachings, so the clown skits and puppets can bring Truth through a different but very effective means. Judy finds it deeply satisfying to see delight not only in the children’s eyes, but on the adult’s faces as well.

Diane Williamson, a.k.a. Saffron the Clown, also from London and a long time member of St. Mark’s Anglican Church describes joy as the feeling one gets when you are “right” with God. Whether you are happy or sad, knowing that God is always with you, loves you, supports you and gives you strength - the feeling you have when you want to stand and shout Hallelujah!

Diane feels overwhelming joy with all that God has created when she is outside on a cold, crisp but sunny winter day, feeling warmth from the sun on her face. She also feels the joy when she walks through the woods with all noise muffled by snow and trees and suddenly hears the tap, tap of a woodpecker, or when she has stood outside  on a clear night with the multitude of stars seeming so close that she could be enveloped by them

Wanda Nadjiwon-Cancade, formerly of Cape Croker, now living in Manitoba has endured much grief in her life, but has never stopped believing. Wanda lost a son several years ago and more recently came home to be with her sister when she was terminally ill.

Wanda feels that joy is the openness to God’s creation and the beauty which resides there. Nothing fills Wanda’s soul more than being aware of a beautiful sunset, a quiet morning sunrise, dew on the petals of a flower, hoarfrost on the trees, a black sky sparkling with a million stars. It is in the relationship with her grandchildren when they notice something new with wonder in their eyes. Joy is there when they reach out to her in a spontaneous gesture of love or trust, or when her husband of 30 years caresses her cheek. Joy is an emotion when she sits by a pond, or roars in her soul by a thunderous ocean.

Wanda says, “It can be contained in the fingers of a tiny hand and it can be as limitless as the endless sky.”

Janis McSloy-Whatford lives in London and attends Oakridge Presbyterian Church with her husband, teenage son and infant daughter When hearing the words “Joy” and “Christianity” in the same sentence, Janis cannot help but think they mean one and the same. Since becoming a Christian, the meaning and feeling of the word joy has changed for Janis. During her non-Christian day’s joy would have meant experiencing an event that made her feel happiness and excitement, followed by the thought that “I can’t believe this is happening!” Since becoming a Christian and forming a relationship with God and Jesus, joy is often felt in her heart without experiencing a new event. The emotion of happiness and excitement are still present, but also the feeling of peace and contentment is added. Janis no longer gets bewildered and thinking, “I can’t believe this happening,” because she knows that with the development of her trust and faith in God, good things will always follow. Thus, joy elicits in her the feeling of contentment and peace knowing she is being cared for by our Father in heaven. Janis does not need a current event to trigger the depth of joy that she feels inside when she touches base with Jesus on a daily basis. As such, when linking the two words of joy and Christianity together, it conjures up the feeling and emotion of gratefulness.

Having spoken with these Christian women, I feel the joy and presence of God around me. Joy is not only a word in hymns and carols such as Joyful, Joyful we Adore Thee or Joy to the World, but an emotion in our relationship with God and in our Christian journey.