Our church is full of joy! Liturgy is taken very seriously (not that we are not joyful about liturgy but there is no dancing or shouting or clapping. It is not the time or the place), but as a church body we are full of joy. Any time we gather outside of Liturgy or prayer there is much fun and laughter and even dancing. And of course food.
On the other hand I have been part of a church (for way too long) where people would get hyped up over a good song, clap shout, dance..but there was no joy in that place.
It is important to remember that joy can be expressed in many ways and a certain expression of joy does not necessarily indicate true joy or happiness or even reality.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AFWife 
I've seen this in a lot of churches too. Like, praise and worship starts and everything stands out of respect only. No one claps, no one smiles...it's sad to me. I know there are some people that believe that church is supposed to be a serious occasion. Don't get me wrong, it's no joke...but I do believe it's okay to laugh in church! I'm sure Jesus laughed and had FUN with people. I mean, who wants to be around someone that is serious all the time even if he's the Son of God?
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