Unremitting joy

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Fr Philip Blackledge of Holy Trinity Scottish Episcopal Church, Melrose.
Script:
Good morning.
For many of us, Easter seems a long time ago now – the eggs are all eaten and the subsequent diets have begun, but until next Thursday which is the feast of the Ascension, the church is still celebrating the Easter season – notoriously known as the “forty days of unremitting joy”. And at this stage, the thirty second of forty, being unremittingly joyful can feel a stretch! We like to think of joy as a gift that comes down from heaven, but like many gifts it can take nurturing, supporting.

There’s an old joke about a priest walking past a beautiful garden, and he remarks to the gardener “Isn’t God’s creation wonderful!” And the gardener replies “Aye but you should have seen the mess he made of it before I turned up”. Every gift we are given from God, if it is truly worth something, requires not just our gratitude, but our participation.

One of the things I do every Easter season is to re-read the Acts of the Apostles. They really teach us how to be Good News people. They never gave up on being full of happiness, and that was sometimes hard won – they endured beatings, imprisonment, even execution. But they knew that Joy was a gift that would never leave them, if they never left it. And through them the world changed.

God of joy, we thank you for that gift of happiness which you give us to grow into. May we strive for the fuller joys of heaven, may we never let go of the hope of better days. May we be joyous participants in the building of your Kingdom, that we and those who come after us may see the glorious fruits of your gifts and our labour. Amen.