We've Got that Joy!
MAY 17TH, 2009 — 6TH SUNDAY OF EASTER
ACTS 10: 25-26; 34-35; 44-48, WHEN THE ROSES SPEAK, I PAY ATTENTION (by Mary Oliver), JOHN 15:9-17
Dear Friends,
Do you recall that 'golden oldie' "We've Got that Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy down in our hearts, down in our hearts, down in our hearts today". Well, the theme for this Sunday might well be JOY! This Sunday's gospel is about the faithfulness of God's love for us. In this account from John, we are God's chosen friends called to love one another and reminded that this love may compel us to "lay down our lives for one another." Powerful and moving images! However, the center... and heart from my perspective... of this passage is the line: "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and your joy might be complete." JOY! How has this message been so blotted out by the more stark and heavy burdened images of God's call to us?
This week, I had the gift of leading a reflection for a group of spiritual directors that I'm a part of, and I found myself led to the theme of "Joy"... even before reading the Gospel for Sunday! "Co-incidentally" (are there really any coincidences?), I received several emails as I was planning my reflection related to the theme of Joy, and thankfully decided to trust the Spirit's movement. I included in our time of reflection, the poem by Mary Oliver, "When the Roses Speak, I Pay Attention". It seems that this poem ties in beautifully with Sunday's readings, for in fact, the roses do "lay down their lives" for our pleasure and enjoyment:
As long as we are able to
be extravagant we will be
hugely and damply
extravagant. Then we will drop
foil by foil to the ground. This
is our unalterable task, and we do it
joyfully."
And they went on. "Listen,
the heart-shackles are not, as you think,
death, illness, pain,
unrequited hope, not loneliness, but
lassitude, rue, vainglory, fear, anxiety,
selfishness."
Their fragrance all the while rising
from their blind bodies, making me
spin with joy.
be extravagant we will be
hugely and damply
extravagant. Then we will drop
foil by foil to the ground. This
is our unalterable task, and we do it
joyfully."
And they went on. "Listen,
the heart-shackles are not, as you think,
death, illness, pain,
unrequited hope, not loneliness, but
lassitude, rue, vainglory, fear, anxiety,
selfishness."
Their fragrance all the while rising
from their blind bodies, making me
spin with joy.
(Mary Oliver)
Among the emails I received, was this lovely video that I'm attaching here for your EnJOYment. Just click the connection and allow yourself the treat of focusing on these positive thoughts... and En-Joy!
If you are seeking a "community of believers" to journey with you in a deeper way; one where every voice is heard, and women and men are unafraid to acknowledge the equality of women and men; and to embrace feminine as well as masculine... and beyond... images of God, we invite you to join us at Spirit of Life. As a community, we try wholeheartedly to "be Christ" to one another, to tend to the needs of one another, and to those in need in our world. Together, we celebrate our belief that we are being transformed by God's grace as we gather together in prayer. We warmly invite you to come and gather with us at our Table, and join in our experience of the "kin-dom" of God. We are an inclusive, open, affirming and interactive community, deeply committed to being a people of "justice and joy."
Wishing you JOY in the Risen Christ,
Find more about past weekly reflections and podcasts in our ARCHIVE PAGE.
