October 2024
O hope of every contrite heart, O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind thou art! How good to those who seek!
But what to those who find? Ah, this nor tongue nor pen can show;
The love of Jesus, what it is, none but his loved ones know.
Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee, UMH 175, vv. 2-3
Bernaud of Clairvaux, 12th century
I was riding my bike along the back river road recently, and was yet again in awe at the beauty that surrounds us here in Delhi. I stopped to take a picture, but it just can’t capture the entirety of the glory of our mountains in late summer or early fall. When I try to explain to friends the excellence of my surroundings every day, I just can’t find the words. All I can say is, ‘Come visit. You won’t really get it until you experience it.’
Bernard of Clairvaux said the same thing about hanging out with Jesus – you can’t grasp its wonderfulness until you claim it, until you experience it. The joy and peace we find as followers of Jesus Christ is at the heart of the good news we have to share. The excellence of spending each day offering love and care to the world while resting in that same love in God’s hands is really good. And it’s not always easy to put into words. We try. We tell stories and we sing hymns; we offer our presence and our witness, and communication happens. And that’s good. But we also sometimes have to encourage others to come and visit, to try it out for themselves in order to really know how good it is to be part of the Jesus project in the world.
Offer Jesus to the world. Invite neighbors to church. Let friends see Jesus’ love made real in you. Let your grandkids see you speak out for justice and compassion for those in need. Let the reality of God’s love in the world be seen and experienced through you. And enjoy the beauty of autumn in Delhi. Amen.
