Friday, April 12, 2024  

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Today's Hymn
“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”

Joyful, joyful, we adore thee,
God of glory, Lord of love!
Hearts unfold like flowers before thee,
Opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
drive the dark of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness,
fill us with the light of day.

by Henry van Dyke
Hymn 611, Glory to God
verse 1



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Reflection

Where are you when your heart feels a full measure of joy?

Perhaps receiving good news, such as the long-awaited pregnancy or an acceptance letter from the preferred college or the special occasion of a desired proposal. All of these touch our spirits with joy.

The Sunday morning Easter service evokes our fresh experience of full joy. A message of hope, offered from the “Giver of immortal gladness.”

The singing of Henry van Dykes’ hymn ”Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” and the other standard Easter hymns fill me with a joy from a heartfelt sense of worship, gratitude, and praise.

Sharing these moments with others completes the fullness of joy through song.

This leads me to ponder, how can we join with the Giver of Gladness and others to experience joy in the course of our ordinary life?

I recently was introduced to a poem by Danusha Lameris entitled “Small Kindnesses.” The theme is how small acts of kindness create a sense of soul connection to oneself and others, in moments of shared gatherings that result in a shared “… mutuality of blessing.” Such acts as waving at another dog walker across the street or smiling at a stranger, simple moments of goodwill unite us in simple joy.

As we seek to share the Easter joy through song, thought, or deed, let us reflect on the poet’s words in her final stanza:

We have so little of each other, now. So far
from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these
fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,
Have my seat,” “go ahead, you first,” “I like your hat.”

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Prayer
Dear Lord, help us to extend and receive with gratitude simple kindness to ourselves and others. Amen.

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Written by Susan Cornelius, Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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