Sunday, May 23, 2010

deep joy

Just got back from a beautiful wedding. Kyle and Beth are so in love with each other. Their joy is contagious. So much excitement in their eyes! Such keen acknowledgement of their relationship reflecting Christ and the church. Beautiful.

Pastor Caesar Paul shared a "sermonette" during the ceremony from Judges 2. (By far the weirdest passage of scripture I've ever heard read at a wedding.) But the point he drew from the passage of Israel's history was: "Rejoice. Remember. Then, rejoice again." His admonition to Kyle and Beth was to spend today in rejoicing, and return to that same rejoicing every time they remember today.

It was so good to see old friends today at the wedding. Childhood friends. High school friends. Parents of friends. College friends. Church friends. The joy was so thick you could feel it, taste it, smell it. And just in case you're wondering...joy smells GOOD.

It was harder to see some old friends than others. My heart broke all over again for friends in broken relationship. I realized some wounds aren't as healed as I'd hoped they would be by now.

Already weakened by spending last night vomiting bad nachos from Applebee's, it hurt to see my own sin nature come out on such a blessed, happy day. Why was my heart so focused on myself? Sometimes I still feel guilty for crying over wounds that I think should be healed. Dad gave me some godly counsel, though, to help me see my life in healthy perspective.

Finally driving home to my apartment tonight, a song played at the wedding was stuck in my head:

1. O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
2. O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
3. O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
4. O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.


Verse 3 in particular tugs at my heart. I walked in the front door of my apartment to see this beautiful promise of joy:

According to the internet (http://www.igracemusic.com/hymnbook/hymns/o08.html) the song was written by a man whose fiancee left him after he discovered he was going blind. The hymn was written for his sister's wedding.

Joy is made beautiful by suffering. The rainbow stands out against the dark storm clouds as a covenant of God's faithfulness. That's the joy I saw in Kyle's eyes, in Beth's eyes today. This is the God of hope I can cling to.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith leads to steadfastness." James 1:2-3 ESV


Father, I'm counting it joy. All of it. Counting it joy.

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Ephesians 5

Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting – all of which are out of character – but rather thanksgiving. For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them, for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light – for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – and find out what pleases the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention. But all things being exposed by the light are made evident. For everything made evident is light, and for this reason it says:

“Awake, O sleeper!

Rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you!”

Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is. And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church – he himself being the savior of the body. But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church, for we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great – but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

hey guys