Wednesday, October 27, 2021https://kuc.org/wp-content/uploads/joy-32-e1635338440136.jpg

Katie Snipes Lancaster

Scripture
May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

A Look at Joy
Hope requires the stamina of a long-distance runner rather than the desire for a quick fix that is so much a part of U.S. culture today. Combative spirituality is rooted in a subversive joy, ‘the ability to transform tears into laughter, a laughter that allows one to acknowledge just how difficult the journey is, but to also acknowledge one’s own sense of humanity and folly and humor in the midst of this very serious struggle. It’s a joy that allows one both a space, a distance from the absurd, but also empowers one to engage back in the struggle when the time is necessary’ (Cornell West).

(Diana L. Hayes, Forged in the Fiery Furnace: African American Spirituality, Orbis Books: 2012).

Prayer
Transform us, O God,
With a long-distance hope
That nurtures
a subversive joy.
Amen.