Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
I have said these things to you
so that my joy may be in you,
and that your joy may be complete.
This is my commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
—John 15.11-13
Two great energies stand side by side,
dance together in harmony:
the dark readiness to die,
the befriending of loss, risk and suffering—
and beside this somber pledge,
deep joy, complete joy,
the joy of a lover with her beloved.
A martyr’s a fraud who’s not happy to go.
Once you find your delight
in your neighbor’s well-being,
you are never far from the road to joy.
The opportunities for parties are endless!
Any moment, you can bless someone
undeserving, and there you are—
celebrating again!
Lay down your mortal life,
your little scrap of cloth,
and you are left with nothing at all
but the infinite delight of God.
When the little cage of your life
is battered and smashed,
out flies the bird
that never stops singing.
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve
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Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net