January 2: Inexpressible Joy
♫ Music:
Day 37 - Monday, January 2
Title: INEXPRESSIBLE JOY
Scripture #1: Luke 15:7–10
“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. What woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Scripture #2: 1 Peter 1:6–9
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
Poetry & Poet:
“Having Confessed”
by Patrick Kavanagh
Having confessed he feels
That he should go down on his knees and pray
For forgiveness for his pride, for having
Dared to view his soul from the outside.
Lie at the heart of the emotion, time
Has its own work to do. We must not anticipate
Or awaken for a moment. God cannot catch us
Unless we stay in the unconscious room
Of our hearts. We must be nothing,
Nothing that God may make us something.
We must not touch the immortal material
We must not daydream to-morrow’s judgment—
God must be allowed to surprise us.
We have sinned, sinned like Lucifer
By this anticipation. Let us lie down again
Deep in anonymous humility and God
May find us worthy material for His hand.
INEXPRESSIBLE JOY
As much as we tell ourselves that our year, our church year, really begins with the onset of Advent, we can’t help but lock into the newness of the calendar year that everyone else celebrates. On the first of January we turn our backs on the prior year and face off with a year that is yet to be defined, yet to be experienced. Given the experiences of the past two years, we can either look forward to this new year with hope or with caution, even with fear.
Either way, when that calendar flips, we lose the old year. We no longer belong to it nor it to us.
In Jesus’ parable about the woman who lost her coin (actually set in context with parables about a lost sheep and a lost son), the woman conducts a painstaking search because she hopes the coin might still be found. She does not buy into the idea that the thing that appears lost is lost for good, like a year flipped away on a paper calendar. Hope (and maybe just a bit of desperation) drives the woman to keep searching.
It’s one thing for hope to emerge when attempting to restore something. It’s another thing to find hope when immersed in a time of suffering. Peter’s audience seems to have been in a struggle, a place of trial that had to do with their commitment to Christian faith. Peter tells them to hang on to hope in Christ even though they have yet to see him.
In Chris Martin’s work Altar, the sculpture depicts an open framework that seems to represent an ancient altarpiece. Altarpieces were usually made up of a series of frames depicting scenes from the gospels or stories from the lives of saints. The sides were hinged and could be closed against the primary frame, revealing the images painted on the back of them.
But in Martin’s work, the frames are empty. There are no images telling the viewer a story from start to finish. Some might say there really is no story to tell, no larger narrative of meaning that offers people hope. But we might say that the frames are empty because the story is still being written. Ours is a story of hope that is always revealing and yet to be fully revealed.
In Jesus’ stories about lost things being found, the joy that is expressed comes because that which is lost is back where it belongs. Our hope in Christ is like that. We don’t hope in a vacuum; our hope is grounded in the historic reality of Jesus and the witness we have received about him. Even when we hope in suffering, our hope has a precedent in the person and work of Jesus. The very act of hoping in Christ is experiencing hope returning to where it belongs: In the expectation that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ will act.
Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
Prayer:
O God, our Father.
Grant to us—in our uncertainties, our fears, our sufferings—eyes of hope, that we might look ahead toward your work in the world and, at the same time, look back at the hope that we have been given in your Son, Jesus the Christ. We ask, even though we cannot see what lies ahead, that you will fill us with the inexpressible joy that comes from hoping in you.
Amen.
Michael McNichols, D.Min.
Pastor and Author
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Altar
Kris Martin
2014
Steel
527 x 529 cm
Ostend, Belgium
Photo by Benny Proot
Artist Kris Martin’s sculpture entitled Altar is a metal frame that exactly mimics the form of the framework of the multi-paneled Ghent Altarpiece or the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (1432) by the early Northern Renaissance Van Eyck brothers. Altar is an empty frame that stands erected on the beach of Ostend, Belgium, and invites the visitor to cast a view on the sea through the “window.” Martin says, “This is an open window, a window to the sea in this case. The outline changes with respect to whether you stand close-by or far away. It creates a sort of tableau vivant. It is ever changing, the colors are always different, because the sea is always different: untamed and unpredictable.” A monumental sculpture, six meters high and five meters wide, it is an open window to the endless sea, a glimpse of eternity in its sweeping scope and timeless quality. Martin’s work is poetic and contemplative, and reminds us of the brevity and impermanence of the human condition.
About the Artist:
Kris Martin (b. 1972) is a Belgian conceptual artist. Martin's sculptures, photographs, and installations reflect his preoccupation with the great themes of human existence and its intricacies and contradictions. The oeuvre of the artist examines the passing of time from a variety of angles, often contrasting the distinctive pace of individual life with an abstract vision of global continuity. Martin's art retains an openness that appeals to the viewer and inspires personal reflections. He often works with found materials, making minor alterations or additions to effect shifts of meaning, modifications that charge the objects with narrative as well as metaphorical potential.
http://www.dreamideamachine.com/?p=55531
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris_Martin
https://smak.be/en/news/altar-from-kris-martin-at-st-bavos-cathedral
About the Music:
“Ringing Them Bells” from the album Black History Project
Lyrics:
Oh Mary Oh Martha
Oh Mary ring them bells
Oh Oh Mary Oh Martha
Oh Mary ring them bells
I hear Archangels are rocking Jerusalem
I hear Archangels are ringing them bells
I hear Archangels are rocking Jerusalem
I hear Archangels are ringing them bells
Oh Mary Oh Martha
Oh Mary ring them bells
Oh Oh Mary Oh Martha
Oh Mary ring them bells
I hear Archangels are rocking Jerusalem
I hear Archangels are ringing them bells
I hear Archangels are rocking Jerusalem
I hear Archangels are ring them bells
I hear Archangels are rocking Jerusalem
I hear Archangels are ringing them bells
I hear Archangels are rocking Jerusalem
I hear Archangels are ringing them bells
Oh Oh Mary Oh Oh Martha
Oh Mary ring them bells
Oh Oh Mary Oh Oh Martha
Oh Mary ring them bells
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem gonna ringing them bells
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem gonna ringing them bells
Church getting higher (I hear Archangels are rocking Jerusalem)
Church getting higher (I hear Archangels are ringing them bells)
Church getting higher (I hear Archangels are rocking Jerusalem)
Church getting higher (I hear Archangels are ringing them bells)
Ding Dong Ding Dong
I hear Archangels are rocking Jerusalem (Ding Dong)
I hear Archangels are ringing them bells (Ding Dong)
I hear Archangels are rocking Jerusalem
I hear Archangels are ringing them bells
I hear Archangels are rocking Jerusalem
I hear Archangels are ringing them bells
I hear Archangels are rocking Jerusalem
I hear Archangels are ringing them bells
I hear Archangels
Rocking Jerusalem
I hear Archangels
About the Performers:
“Ringing Them Bells” is part of a powerful tribute to songs that have marked monumental moments in Black history, music, and culture. Singer-songwriter Junior Garr and choir conductor Marsha B. Morrison led The Spirituals Choir in sending out a message of hope. Junior Garr says of this collection, “This is a collection of negro spirituals and songs that have inspired and championed the story of Black people. With all that is happening in the world today there has never been a better time for the power of music to bring us together. This is a commemoration of not only our breakthrough and achievements but also an acknowledgement of the continuous pain and sorrow experienced by Black people today. We must find a way to foster and fight for the justice and equality of Black individuals everywhere. Justice and the good news go hand in hand.”
About the Performers:
The Spirituals Choir conducted by Marsha B. Morrison
The Spirituals Choir was formed in 2020 by music artist Junior Garr and arranger/conductor Marsha B. Morrison. Based in London, Junior Garr and The Spirituals Choir have a style of music so unique that they have quickly gained attention from groups ranging from the music industry to the Church of England. The Black History Project was their reimagining of spiritual anthems including “Wade in the Water.” The choir’s commemoration of Black history in a televised performance has already reached more than twenty-three thousand views on YouTube. Garr stated, “This is a reimagination of the Christmas season. These songs have been with us for our whole lives and this project allows the songs to take on a completely new meaning in a world that is hungry and desperate for hope and comfort and joy.” The Spirituals have already released two EPs created alongside televised performances which were filmed in Lambeth Palace and the iconic St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Junior's heart is for people to see the beauty of God through a multicultural expression of worship.
https://thebritishblacklist.co.uk/junior-garr-the-spirituals-choir-reimagine-traditional-christmas-carols-at-st-pauls-cathedral/
About the Composer:
Junior Garr is a Ghanian-born UK MoboAward–nominated singer-songwriter and worship artist whose catalog of genre-crossing music is breaking new ground in the Christian music sphere. After a number of years serving as a worship leader at Ruach City Church in London, Junior Garr went on to study at Bethel’s Ministry School (BSSM) in Redding, California, for three years. Subsequently he spent a few years traveling around the USA, working with various church establishments helping to build and grow worship communities. The singer-songwriter formed The Spirituals Choir in October 2020. Their premier event, the televised “Black History Project,'' was a tremendous success, with over twenty-three thousand YouTube views to date. Garr's music is a multicultural showcase of gospel sounds and hope-filled lyrics.
https://www.premiergospel.org.uk/Latest-News/Junior-Garr-The-Spirituals-Choir-unite-with-The-Church-of-England-to-bring-us-4-Carols-4-Christmas
https://www.newreleasetoday.com/artistdetail.php?artist_id=6614
About the Poetry & Poet:
Patrick Kavanagh (1904–1967) was an Irish poet and novelist. His best-known works include the novel Tarry Flynn and the poems "On Raglan Road" and "The Great Hunger." He is known for his accounts of Irish life filled with reference to the everyday and commonplace.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Kavanagh
About the Devotion Author:
Michael McNichols, D.Min.
Pastor and Author
Mike McNichols is a pastor and served as Director of Fuller Seminary’s regional campus in Irvine, California, for over thirteen years. He and his wife Emily live in Orange County, California.