Joy in the Ordinary
As the weather warms up, the signs of spring are all around. Settling into our new home, Jess and I have fallen upon the new joy of discovering what the previous owners had planted around the house. Every day, new patches of hyacinth and daffodils emerge from the mulch around the house, a riot of purples and yellows. Our neighbor’s tree, which arches over our backyard has burst into white flowers, and now others in the neighborhood have followed suit.
We moved into the house in the grey time of the fall, just after Thanksgiving as December threatened to drain all color from around our already grey exterior. I think it certainly had an effect on our moods as we began the work of unpacking and rediscovering what we’d brought with us. The return of color around us has definitely been a mood shifter. Add to that the joy of impending family visits, and our house has started to take on real shape and character.
In the face of the daily rush and the ever new anxieties that the nation subjects us to, those moments of ordinary joy are necessary. It’s amazing how a simple walk around the house can restore the soul. It is, not to exaggerate, lifesaving at times.
Our Soul Matters theme for April is “The Practice of Joy.” On a first read, maybe that idea seems strange – joy as a practice. It’s a mood isn’t’ it? A feeling? It happens or it doesn’t, right? And yet, knowing I can choose to participate in shifting my mood, in forcing my gloomy bones to walk out the door and around the house and marvel in the promise of spring and rebirth and renewal, a different story emerges much like the spring bulbs – that I can locate the places in my soul where joy resides, and that I can choose to travel to those places whenever I need to.
On April 6th, we’ll explore joy from the angle of the fool and the sacred part they play in challenging places of power. Then the following Sunday, we’ll look at joy as the necessary fuel for the work of resistance and restoration. I’ll round out my preaching month with a sermon for Easter Sunday. I hope you’ll join me as we look at the places where joy works in our communal soul.
And on another note of joy, friends, I cannot thank you enough for taking part in our service of installation this past Saturday. It was truly joyous, and I spent the intervening days still surfing on the energy of that moment.
Thank you, again, to everyone who made this day possible. Thanks to our dedicated staff, to our volunteer musicians, and our tech team (I was especially grateful to be able to see my parents faces on the Zoom!).
Thank you to Mike Mannix and Mona McCormick for taking charge of the reception, and to everyone who decorated the Gerber Room and Sanctuary so beautifully. Thank you all for just being present and participating in this blessing of our shared ministry together. Thank you for welcoming my family and ministerial colleagues so warmly. And, finally, thank you to those of you who made sure I got to eat cake before it disappeared (no, really, it was a very sweet moment of care).
Rev. Joanna, our preacher for the day, made a point of saying to me after being in conversation with so many of you: “These are definitely your people. You belong together.” A fine affirmation, if there ever was one.
What a tremendous first year this has been together so far. I can’t wait to see what we do with the years that follow.
See you in church!
