OK, so the homily wasn’t just about Luke 13:10-17. It was also about Isaiah 58:9b-14 and Hebrews 12:18-29. But it was mostly about Luke 13:10-17.
The Homily
Last week Sunday at St. Luke’s, Rev. Dr. Randall R. Warren highlighted two sets of spiritual directions found in these scripture passages, as well as scripture in general:
- The instruction to be serious, be disciplined, and work hard at things such as keeping the Sabbath and serving the poor and afflicted.
- The instruction to delight in the Lord and the Sabbath, rejoice, and celebrate.
One of the key ideas in the homily was: Luke 13:10-17 is a story in which Jesus chooses to delight in the Sabbath. He heals a woman with a chronic condition rather than take the Sabbath so seriously. Even though the accepted guidelines for observing the Sabbath mandated only healing acute conditions.
Rev. Randall pointed out that both sets of spiritual directions are important, but we tend to privilege the serious side over the delight side. But when we delight, rejoice, and celebrate, we open our hearts to God and each other. So we need to take directions to delight, rejoice, and celebrate seriously.
A Little about Me
I get this. I mean, I get the serious side. I was raised in the Christian Reformed Church, which is a Dutch Calvinist denomination. My family took Sunday observance very seriously and I was taught that in order to do God’s will I needed to be disciplined and work hard in every area of my life.
That’s part of the reason I find my tendency to over-sleep almost daily so frustrating. It prevents me from working as hard as I want to work.
The question for me is what can I do to motivate myself to get up no matter how sleepy my medication makes me. Is delight or joy the answer? If so, where do I find delight and joy?
Taking Joy Seriously
Isaiah 58 includes the instructions: “call the Sabbath a delight” and “take delight in the Lord.” Hebrews 12 includes the instruction: “let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe.” In other words, enjoy worshiping God.
Well, yeah, I get up on Sunday, even though I’m exhausted, because I want to go to church. I know that going to church will make me feel better, will give me joy. The services at St. Luke’s are very reverent, seemingly serious, but that doesn’t make them any less delightful.
But church is only one day of the week.
Where else do I find joy? I delight in meditation, yet if I meditate first thing in the morning, I fall asleep.
Where else? When I write, I’m joyful. Hmmm, and that’s work!
As I already mentioned, one of the main points in the homily seemed to be, take joy seriously. Make following the directions to delight, rejoice, and celebrate as much as a priority as being disciplined and working hard.
Working Hard Joyfully
But it seems to me that there’s more to it than that. After all, the line between the joy instructions and the be serious instructions is kind of blurry.
Who hasn’t done a service project, which is hard work, and experienced satisfaction? Isn’t that joy? Isn’t that delight? Doesn’t that open one’s heart?
Who doesn’t find that when they are doing work they love, they’re joyful? Doesn’t that open one’s heart? To others? To God?
The truth is: I love to work hard when it’s the right kind of work.
Am I finding a clue to what would help me overcome my sleeping problem? I don’t know.
What I Know
What I do know is this: I need to make a connection between my spiritual life and joy and work. Who knows, maybe the more I explore that connection, the more motivated I will be to get out of bed and delight in the life that God has given me.
How about You?
Where do you find joy? Is there a connection between joy and your spiritual life? Share in the comments.
