Finding Joy in the Narrow Places
In this slushy, muddy, cloudy turning from winter to spring, how might we “practice” joy? What lifelines are available to us during times of spiritual deadness and exhaustion? Join us for a morning of reflection and joyful singing with artists-in-residence Give Get Sistet.
Worship services are at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m.
Order of Service: March 25 Order of Service
Musical Guests: Give Get Sistet
The Give Get Sistet are our Artists in Residence for 2017/2018. They are collaborating with our worship team to create and curate several services throughout the year. The Give Get Sistet is an improvisational chorus of women based in the Twin Cities with ties around the world. These women listen deeply and sing with great generosity and daring. First Universalist is honored to have these fine artists/community builders/activists in our midst.
Offering Recipient: Indigenous Youth Mentoring Society (give here)
March Worship Theme: Wrestling with Joy
What purpose does joy serve? What is its function? Joy has no utilitarian use, so why is it so necessary? Why does life feel flat without it? In Jack Gilbert’s poem, A Brief for the Defense, he states: “We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight.” Joy lightens the heavy lifting of justice work, or the difficulty of simply living. Joy is about experiencing life welling up, of lithe spirit having its way with us even in the midst of sadness. This month we wrestle with the meaning of joy, something that serves no practical purpose but is absolutely necessary. We cannot make it come to us, nor can we corral it into staying. Still we can invite it, become more prone to its appearance. Most certainly, it takes wrestling with all the ways and means by which we tell ourselves that joy is frivolous.
