April 30, 2006

Finding Joy in Strange Places

by Julianne Stokstad

This week I received this story from one of the facilitators of the recent Courage to Lead retreat I attended:

The day before you all arrived, I was sitting on the ground next to the Hermitage. There was a light rain falling, but there was no wind. The atmosphere was calm. Actually, I was lifting up a prayer... wishing that the gift that Caryl and I were about to present to you would be well received... and, perhaps, life changing.

And then it happened. Amid this very silent moment, the tree next to where I was sitting... uprooted itself, and fell to the ground. It was a very large eucalyptus tree, and the "falling" occurred so fast that I didn't have time to get up and move. I just found myself calling out: "What's the message here?" And then, I scrambled to "up myself" and crawl out of the tangle of limbs and brush. I did not utter a word for the next three hours! However, I wrote and wrote and wrote - in my journal.

This is sort of who I am. I wonder and I write... and I appreciate. I still don't know what to make of "the tree that elected to fall." Perhaps (simply), its time had come. Or, for me, was it a signal... that the time I was about to enter would be... earthshaking?

Sometimes things happen to us that are so far beyond our usual experiences; we don't know what to make of them and we wonder and wonder. The resurrection appearances described in our scriptures in this Eastertide season are like that and this week we have yet another. Today's story from the gospel of Luke directly follows the Emmaus story where two grieving disciples returning home from Jerusalem only recognize a stranger as the Risen Christ after hours and hours together. They rush back to Jerusalem to tell the others and he appeared again and again they were terrified. But what stands out for me in this account is their joy even as they were disbelieving and still wondering.

What is the message for us from this scripture? We, like they live in a state of hyper-vigilance, mistrust, and skepticism. We rarely enter into God's joy because we don't trust it and I suspect we don't really trust God. We don't expect God to come into our lives and meet our needs. But God is always seeking to be in relationship with us, even before we begin to seek God. The power that was evident in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus tells us about God and about the nature of God's transforming power. God is always here yet changing. We see this constant change in our lives as we experience seasons of life. In the natural world, we see resurrection and new life.

It is the joy I want to focus on today. Some people think religion is a downer, filled with guilt, rules and boring sermons of how to live. Joy, in nearly all religious traditions, is a sign of our connection to God, the Un-nameable One. Israeli theologian Martin Buber says: "The beating heart of the universe is holy joy." Peace and joy are signs of Enlightenment in Buddhism. Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us whenever we see an image of the Buddha; he is always smiling, showing his inner peace and joy. Sufi poets have ecstatically praised God's presence and love bringing them great joy. The Catholic Church even requires proof of joy before canonizing a saint.

Joy is stuff of our souls. It is more than pleasure and it doesn't mean going around being happy all the time. When I speak of joy, I refer to a profound and deep sense of well being coming from a true connection with God and all humanity. This joy is not connected to our circumstances, hence it possible to be truly joyful under the dire circumstances. It is God's gift to us.

Dale Bishop, who served our National UCC church wrote several years ago in our UCC newspaper: " We, in the United church of Christ do 'earnest' very well. What we don't do as well is 'joy.'" He goes on to say, "Joy is not the mindless, smiley-face of 'don't worry, be happy. Joy is the sister of hope and hope we are reminded is what is not seen and yet is more real than our perception of the material world. Joy cannot exist outside the shallow of the cross; it is, in fact, the cross that gives joy meaning. I am convinced that we can never understand, let alone experience joy, unless we know something of the cross, unless we have experienced the suffering and the pain associated with the cross."

I know this is surely true for me. I find myself overwhelmed with suffering, not only right here, among you dear folk, but in the world. Many carry crosses of injustice, pain and hunger. I think of mothers in Iraq and in Darfur and in Palestine and Israel. I think of all the men, women and children suffering with diseases, especially HIV/AIDS where there is no hope of getting medicines. With such suffering, some might think it irreverent to be joyful.

Joy and sorrow are connected through love, especially love of God. Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet says, "Your joy is your sorrow unmasked......The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight."

Why does it matter if we don't have joy in our lives? It matters because we are likely to burn out and become cynical or angry. It matters because we humans can pervert any good cause into something about power and ego. Knowing God brings humility, peace and joy into our lives. Here in America, we are especially out of touch with our souls and with God. No matter what people say, look at their actions. Fear is driving too much in our world today. Where fear dominates, there is little trust of God. We seek after idle amusements and distract ourselves from our real purpose here on earth.

The biggest soul threat for us here in Marin County, here at FCCSR is our busy lives. We rush from one thing to another, struggling to keep what relationships we have healthy. We don't have time to feel things. We don't have time to consider if what we are doing is good for us. We don't have time to be quiet, to meditate and pray. Material comforts and security are fine, but not when they steal away one's soul. If one understands prayer as a primary way we experience our relationship with God, how can we possibly trust in a God we hardly know? . Our souls need a safe place, where it won't be attacked or controlled or criticized for being who it is. We need a place where it is safe to be authentic.

So I ask each of you to think about what brings you joy. It is in these things we love,that we begin to understand the joy that is from knowing God. Do you find joy in nature: the sound of a golden crowned sparrow call or the sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore? Is it the sound of children laughing and playing that brings a smile of joy? Is it the touch of a loved one? The warm body of your dog or cat curled up next to you? Is it seeing the joy on another's face or helping out? In some ways, it is harder for us well educated, rational folk to really know the truth of the Gospel. We get distracted and sidetracked and forget the joy in our earnest intent.

Dale Bishop continued: "In the depths of injustice, in the face of death, ....our partners in the Third World.... laugh and sing with an exuberance that we, with all of our material comfort and security can only rarely match. I think its because they take the Gospel seriously; they find joy in precisely the right place. Already disappointed by the false gods of materialism and illusory security,.......Christians in the two-thirds world know that the Gospel really is good news, that it is, in itself, something to celebrate."

The disciples were surprised by the joy, even with their doubts, seeing the Risen Christ. Maybe it was through their joy that they allowed the power of God to come into their lives.

Think back to the strange story of the fallen tree I began with, the reflection and wonder has brought an opening to my friend. I hope we don't have to be hit over the head with a falling tree, but if we keep our eyes open, I suspect in the most entirely unlikely places, we too will be surprised by joy. Look at the joy and take the time to open your lives to God. In that joy you will find the treasure your heart has been seeking. Amen