A person who tries to debar himself from joy is certainly not an obedient person…Christ is risen; He is truly risen. Joy
is now joy before the Lord and in Hinm. It is joy in his salvation, His grace, His law, His whole action. But it is now genuine, earthly, human
joy: the joy of harvest, wedding, festival and victory; the joy not only of the
inner but also the outer man; the joy in which one may and must drink wine as
well as eat bread, sing and play as well as speak, dance as well as pray…We
must also remember that the man who hears and takes to heart the biblical
message is not only not permitted but plainly forbidden to be anything but
merry and cheerful