Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ;
Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and our Lord, Jesus Christ!
As a point of confession, I've been struggling during this Advent Season to reconnect with the Spirit of Christmas, or more succinctly, the Joy of the Lord. This particular advent season had been marred by some real "rogue waves" of tragedy... A colleague taking his own life... Two dear friends (both parishioners) battling cancer... The son of a dear friend (and deacon in our parish) having been killed in a car crash... have all added up to what could very easily be a bleak and joy-less Advent and Christmas season.
As I am writing this missive, I am spending a few days at Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York, on a silent retreat. My intention in coming here was (and is) to reconnect with the Joy of the Lord. This morning (at about 0600 hours) I went down to the refectory for a cup of coffee (this ritual is repeated at the Parsonage many times in any given morning)... however, God used one of my latent "hang-ups" to teach me a lesson on the quality of Joy. This particular hang-up has to do with the fact that my gag-reflex kicks in when I am in the vicinity of out-of-date milk... even one day out-of-date milk inspires a gag reflex that will cause my stomach to lurch and spasm in such a way that I can not explain, except to say that it can be downright painful.
Upon pouring my coffee, and doctoring it up with two splenda (splendas? splendi???), I reached for the milk carton, only to realize that according to the date on the carton, it had just expired... no cream in my coffee...
Not at all discouraged, I walked out onto the porch overlooking the Hudson River, and sat down in a rocking chair, and was treated to a glorious sunrise. As I watched the sun poke through the clouds, and as I sat and sipped my milkless coffee, that still, small voice seemed to capture my attention and I began to focus on the deep, rich, sikly flavor of the steaming-hot brew. Then, as the sun began to burn off the cloud layer, that still, small voice began to remind me that the Joy of the Lord was even deeper, richer, and sweeter than my cup of coffee, and even more capable of warming my heart than even the best-prepared cup of coffee.
The lesson for me this morning is that if I am open to it, joy can be found when you least expect it, where you least expect it, especially if I surrender my expectations to its warm, rich, sweet infilling. You see, if I had followed my original instinct, and declined that first cup of coffee, based solely on the fact that the milk was out-of-date, I would have missed out on a refreshing experience with a deep, rich, sweeter-than-expected cup of coffee... I would have missed out on a refreshing experience with the Joy of the Lord... I would have missed out on sharing this blog with you... and I would have missed out on this opportunity of fellowship with you this morning.
Joy often is found when we refrain from "doctoring up" things in our lives, and the presence of God in our lives when we superimpose our own constructs and our own religious expectations, and instead spend time basking in the deep, rich, sweet presence of the Lord.
In whose name, I bid you peace... and joy...
Dr. Ken+
Amen. The Lord does work in some of the most mysterious, individualized, and amazing ways. Had a college been beside you in every one of these steps and done everything the same that college may not have had the same uplifting experience and moved him forward like He did to you. The Lord knew what you needed and gave you just enough for He knows just how much to pour to fill your cup. I too have hope and am struggling, I pray for guidance and when the time is right my cup too will be full. Until then I wait, but also work towards His grace. Send me a text via cell. Lets reconnect I think it would be super for my spirit and maybe do yours some good. :D
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