Apparently, so the scholars tell us, so much of Jesus’ actions and words, when understood in his cultural context, were flat out hilarious. It seems he was part of the long tradition of great teachers who use humour to get their message into the deep recesses of his listeners’ hearts. And he explicitly said that one of his greatest wishes was that we would be filled with his joy and our joy would be complete.

I, like you, have had my fair share of pain in life, however. (not sure what a ‘fair share’ is?!!!) So thinking about God’s love, let alone his joy, can feel a little incongruous – especially when we are supposed to  experience them both and be thankful for them!