sparkle joy

Renée Antrosio – March 1, 2022 1 Comment

I didn’t feel it right away. The morning was dreary. But warm. Tired of the same sweaters in endless rotation, I realized I could choose differently. Mardi Gras! Sparkling sequins transform gray. Dangly earrings languishing in the back of the drawer reflect the light unexpectedly. Something shifted. I unearthed a whimsical scarf in a purple too bright for a pandemic. The snow melted, revealing bulbs already two inches green above frozen ground.

You now rejoice in this hope, even if it’s necessary for you to be distressed for a short time by various trials. 1 Peter 1:6 (CEB)

Mardi Gras seems the last celebration before the world changed. Fat Tuesday 2020 Pancake Supper in the NCF lobby! Before we knew masks, distancing, shutdowns… the list goes on and on, the things we never imagined. We have been distressed by various trials for a much longer time than seems healthy. Did I become afraid to hope? 

Therefore, once you have your minds ready for action and you are thinking clearly, place your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus the Messiah is revealed. 1 Peter 1:13

Ready my mind for action. Clear out the cobwebs and think clearly. Tomorrow begins Lent. What gifts could it bring? Talking with my nun yesterday, I realized that I have missed being in God’s presence as myself. Just me. I have become my various roles. Seeking guidance as Pastor Renée, as Mom, as spouse- I’ve been getting by. We are all managing. 

Peter reminds his audience, and me- our hope, our life, our inheritance is based on what God has planned, on Jesus’ faithfulness, and on the Spirit’s work in us. All that is being guarded and kept safe for us. Salvation is not self-help, and Lent is not for self-improvement. We are invited to step closer to Jesus, place ourselves in his presence, so that we might see him more clearly.

Your genuine faith will result in praise, glory, and honor for you when Jesus the Anointed is revealed. Although you’ve never seen him, you love him. Even though you don’t see him now, you trust him and so rejoice with a glorious joy that is too much for words. 1 Peter 7b-8

This is the love and trust that I want more of during these forty-some days leading up to Easter, so that we can rejoice together again. Some of it is about choosing. More time to be in God’s presence. As myself, rather than all the roles I play. I will not become holy by making myself more holy. But I can choose what I behold. I can put myself in proximity to the faithful.

Hope doesn’t depend on the weather or sparkly things. And yet, beauty awakens our senses to the reality beyond these trials. There is much more- the face of our beloved, the Anointed One whom we trust, who will be revealed. Bringing us a glorious joy too much for words. -Renée