On Easter Day

“On Easter Day” by Malcolm Guite

As though some heavy stone were rolled away,

You find an open door where all was closed,

Wide as an empty tomb on Easter Day.

 

Lost in your own dark wood, alone, astray,

You pause, as though some secret were disclosed,

As though some heavy stone were rolled away.

 

You glimpse the sky above you, wan and grey,

Wide through these shadowed branches interposed,

Wide as an empty tomb on Easter Day.

 

Perhaps there’s light enough to find your way,

For now the tangled wood feels less enclosed,

As though some heavy stone were rolled away.

You lift your feet out of the miry clay

And seek the light in which you once reposed,

Wide as an empty tomb on Easter Day.

 

And then Love calls your name, you hear Him say:

“The way is open, death has been deposed,”

As though some heavy stone were rolled away,

And you are free at last on Easter Day.

Strange Surprise

"Strange Surprise" by Malcolm Guite

None of this need have happened, all of this,
These unexpected gifts, this overflow
Of things we know, and things we'll never know,
None of this had to be, but here it is,
The here-and-now, in all its strange surprise;
A space to be ourselves in, and a grace
That spins us round and turns us to the source
Whence all these gifts and graces still arise.

And now the one through whom all this was made,
Whom we ignore, on whom we turn our back,
Whom we denied, insulted and betrayed,
Gathers and offers for us all we lack,
Voices on our behalf creation's praise,
And calls us to become the song he plays.

 

Surprised by Joy

"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!" - Psalm 126
"Joy is a not a requirement of Christian discipleship, it is a consequence." - Eugene Peterson

Today's song of ascent (Psalm 126) is about the joy of following Christ.  Here are some more resources to help us reflect and cultivate deeper joy, that this fruit of the Spirit might blossom and grow to the glory of God, even in the midst of struggle.


"Joy" according to C.S. Lewis (see also his book Surprised by Joy and sermon The Weight of Glory)


"Theology of Joy & the Good Life" Project at Yale Divinity School


"Hidden Joys: A Sonnet for the Visitation" - poem by Malcolm Guite, Sounding the Seasons


Reflections on "Joy" by theologian Stanley Hauerwas