Sounding joy: So kids, what is joy?

On Sunday morning, we were blessed here at St. Paul with a wonderful performance of the nativity story by some of our dear kids. They sang, told, and showed us about what (or, rather, who) we celebrate at Christmas time: Jesus! Before the show, we got exclusive interviews with the stars (and sheep and angels and people) of the pageant, and we asked them for their insights on “joy.”

What does joy look like?
“Happy people”
“Chocolate!”
“When people talk to each other”
“Smiling”
“Not screaming at your little brother”
“A birthday party”

What does joy smell like?
“PB+Js”
“Chocolate!”
“Family dinners”
“Baking”
“The soap mom keeps in the kitchen”
“Grandma’s house”
“Lots and lots of flowers”

What does joy taste like?
“Donuts”
“Chocolate!”
“Really good”
“Christmas cookies”
“Wow! Just wow…”
“Daddy pancakes”
“Really sweet (but not too sweet)”

What does joy feel like?
“Exploding from the inside out”
“Jumping on a trampoline”
“Helping others”
“A hug”
“Puppy fur after its bath”
“Coming inside after being outside”
“Not too scary or scratchy”

What does joy sound like?
“Clapping”
“A rock band- like Metallica!”
“Monster trucks”
“Singing really, really, really loud”
“Jingle bells”
“A party with all of your friends and family”
“Vroom vroom!”

Clearly, joy is lots of different things to all of us, but one thing remains the same: joy is a gift from God, given to this world as a present wrapped in cloth and laid in a manger. Hallelujah, forevermore!