Joy and Sorrow

Put yourself completely under the influence of Jesus, so that he may think his thoughts in your mind, do his work through your hands, for you will be all-powerful with him to strengthen you.

-- from A Gift for God by Mother Teresa

One of the greatest complexities of our faith is that joy and sorrow are inextricably intertwined, drawing us ever-closer to a creator who knows and loves us. While our culture prefers to isolate emotions like these as singular experiences, one and then the other, we know that a truly spiritual life is far more nuanced than that.

This week we are mourning the death of our dear friend, covenant partner, and elder Diane Anderson, who passed on Saturday with her family surrounding her. We are saddened at the loss of her loving, energetic spirit among us, and we pray enduring strength and Holy Spirit peace for Wade, Alayne, and Timothy. And while we fear those moments when her absence will startle us into fresh sorrow, we also rejoice that she is free now from the physical pain of cancer and Crohn's Disease, and experiencing the fullness of heaven.

Jesus defines heaven beautifully in John 14:3: "That you may be where I am," he tells us. Heaven is the presence of Jesus. May we rest in the simplicity and complexity of that truth, and take deep comfort in knowing that Diane is in her Father's house.

As I shared on Sunday, I had the honor of praying with Diane several times in her final hours, and one prayer we lifted together comes from William Barclay's Prayers for the Christian Year. May it bless your week as well:

O God, you are our refuge.

When we are exhausted by life’s efforts;

When we are bewildered by life’s problems;

When we are wounded by life’s sorrows;

We come for refuge to you.

O God, you are our strength.

When our tasks are beyond our powers;

When our temptations are too strong for us;

When duty calls for more than we have to give it;

We come for strength to you.

O God, it is from you that all goodness comes.

It is from you that our ideals come;

It is from you that there comes to us the spur of high desire and the restraint of conscience,

It is from you that there has come the strength to resist temptation,

and to do any good thing.

And now as we pray to you,

Help us to believe in your love,

so that we may be certain that you will hear our prayer;

Help us to believe in your power,

so that we may be certain that you are able to do for us above all that we ask or think;

Help us to believe in your wisdom,

so that we may be certain that you will answer,

not as our ignorance asks,

but as your perfect wisdom knows best.

All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Peace on your week,

Jennie