A post for Harvest for when you don’t feel like rejoicing
Evensong short talk on Philippians 4:4-9.
It is the job of the preacher, above all else, to give the people Good News. To read and ruminate upon the word of God and to find the hope within it and share it. Lately, I confess, I’ve had none to give. Not to anyone here, nor even to myself. Life is like that sometimes, isn’t it? For all of us. Sometimes, it’s just hard.
Harvest time, we are told, is a time for joy. For gratitude. For thankfulness. It’s a time of plenty and celebration, which can feel like a slap in the face if you’re experiencing anything but.
I certainly felt a bit off-kilter when I read Paul’s words to the Philippians. Rejoice! He says. Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. Sometimes, you don’t want to rejoice. You want to lament. Or mourn. And sometimes you don’t feel gentleness because the only thing that’s evident is overwhelming harshness.
Sometimes, the demand that we rejoice feels like a tall order, and at this time of Harvest, some of us can’t bear to give thanks because on really bad days, we can’t even name one single thing to feel thankful for.
And that’s ok. It’s ok to lament. It’s ok to mourn. It means we’re human. Despair, sorrow, rage, apathy, sadness, these are all valid components of the human condition and these emotions are just as welcome here as joy, happiness and gentleness. You are welcome here.
Because, as it turns out, I do have some hope to offer you. Or rather, Paul does.
Paul is clear that through it all, the Lord is near. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, present your requests to God.”
And he tells us to think about the following things; things we might want to bring to God – things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.
But if we’re to follow Paul’s advice fully, and present our requests to God in every situation, then we must also talk to god about the things that are false.
The things that are dishonourable. The wrong things. Things that are impure, hateful and deplorable. The things that are bad and the things that are blameworthy.
Like the offerings we presented in church this morning; our harvest gifts, we need to present God with the harvest of our souls. However bitter or unpalatable that crop might be, God still wants to receive it.
Do not be anxious, friends. The Lord is here. So present your requests to him, in every situation, and the peace of God will be with us. Now that’s truly something we can rejoice in.
Amen.
It is the job of the preacher, above all else, to give the people Good News. To read and ruminate upon the word of God and to find the hope within it and share it. Lately, I confess, I’ve had none to give. Not to anyone here, nor even to myself. Life is like that sometimes, isn’t it? For all of us. Sometimes, it’s just hard.
Harvest time, we are told, is a time for joy. For gratitude. For thankfulness. It’s a time of plenty and celebration, which can feel like a slap in the face if you’re experiencing anything but.
I certainly felt a bit off-kilter when I read Paul’s words to the Philippians. Rejoice! He says. Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. Sometimes, you don’t want to rejoice. You want to lament. Or mourn. And sometimes you don’t feel gentleness because the only thing that’s evident is overwhelming harshness.
Sometimes, the demand that we rejoice feels like a tall order, and at this time of Harvest, some of us can’t bear to give thanks because on really bad days, we can’t even name one single thing to feel thankful for.
And that’s ok. It’s ok to lament. It’s ok to mourn. It means we’re human. Despair, sorrow, rage, apathy, sadness, these are all valid components of the human condition and these emotions are just as welcome here as joy, happiness and gentleness. You are welcome here.
Because, as it turns out, I do have some hope to offer you. Or rather, Paul does.
Paul is clear that through it all, the Lord is near. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, present your requests to God.”
And he tells us to think about the following things; things we might want to bring to God – things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.
But if we’re to follow Paul’s advice fully, and present our requests to God in every situation, then we must also talk to god about the things that are false.
The things that are dishonourable. The wrong things. Things that are impure, hateful and deplorable. The things that are bad and the things that are blameworthy.
Like the offerings we presented in church this morning; our harvest gifts, we need to present God with the harvest of our souls. However bitter or unpalatable that crop might be, God still wants to receive it.
Do not be anxious, friends. The Lord is here. So present your requests to him, in every situation, and the peace of God will be with us. Now that’s truly something we can rejoice in.
Amen.
I once heard a sermon by a psychotherapist/priest on the lost sheep. He suggested that while we may feel confident to okay about bringing 99% of ourselves to God, he really seeks out the 1% that we even struggle to admit we are - usually because we feel shamed by it. But it is that bit of us that most needs God’s Grace.
ReplyDelete