Wednesday, April 27, 2011

AoC: "...our world turned upside down, joy made possible."

I don't usually go along with him, but sometimes we can agree, even if it is only on a small bit taken out of context.

From the Archbishop of Canterbury's 2011 Easter Sermon,

"Christian joy, the joy of Easter, is offered to the world not to guarantee a permanently happy society in the sense of a society free from tension, pain or disappointment, but to affirm that whatever happens in the unpredictable world – sometimes wonderfully, sometimes horribly unpredictable – there is a deeper level of reality, a world within the world, where love and reconciliation are ceaselessly at work, a world with which contact can be made so that we are able to live honestly and courageously with the challenges constantly thrown at us. And on the first Easter morning, it is as if ‘the fountains of the great deep’ are broken open, and we are allowed to see, like Peter and John at the empty tomb, into the darkness for a moment – and find our world turned upside down, joy made possible."

(I might like to see his "can be made" changed to "has been made")

When I experience people radiating with that joy from God even during their times of challenge and pain, I think I see the world turned upside down too.

Sometimes the world is turned upside down when other improbable events occur, such as my agreement with the AoC.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:16 AM

    I like the Archbishop's words. He's so right about the difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is an emotion which is fleeting. Joy and contentment in the Lord are permanent. We need to learn to seek the later and praise Him for the former but not make it the goal of our Christian walk.

    Cheers.

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  2. Anonymous8:44 PM

    My world was turned upside down when God had mercy on my rotten soul back in 1980. Nothing in life compares with the joy of my salvation! Praise His Holy Name!

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  3. Randall,

    I agree. The pursuit of happiness comes to mind. Would that all experience the joy that the Geezer has found in his pursuit.

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