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Grant to
us, O Lord, the royalty of inward happiness, and the serenity which comes from
living close to thee. Daily renew in us the sense
of joy,
and let the eternal Spirit of the Father dwell in our souls and bodies,
filling every corner of our hearts with light and grace; so that, bearing
about with us the infection of good courage, we may be diffusers of life, and
may meet all ills and cross accidents with gallant and high-hearted happiness,
giving thee thanks always for all things.
(A prayer composed by Robert Louis Stevenson. Found
in Michael Counsell, Ed., 2000 Years of Prayer
(Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1999) p. 418)
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Reflection
I'll
confess that until I looked for a prayer for the season to share with you, I had
no idea that Robert Louis Stevenson composed and shared prayers. It was a
wonderful discovery.
The
time after Thanksgiving is a peculiar time for all of us. Culturally we explode
into action, shopping for and buying gifts, giving parties, going to parties,
and writing and sending cards to people we haven't seen or spoken to in a year.
We are bombarded by images of joy and laughter and "holiday spirit." We are
constantly reminded that this is "the best time of the year."
Spiritually, it is the season of Advent. Our worship includes readings and hymns
reminding us of the end of time and the coming of the Lord "in power and great
glory." We hear how John the Baptist exhorted his hearers to repent for the
Kingdom of God was near. We listen with wonder, again, to the stories
surrounding the birth of Jesus. We sing, "O come Emmanuel." Within our worship
key words are repent, wait, watch, be patient, prepare your heart, be ready for
the Lord is near -- quite a contrast to the cultural messages competing for our
attention.
As
husband and wife, as parents, as members of extended families (with all the
complexities that implies) I write to you and ask you to slow down (for at least
for 5 minutes) and petition God (as did Stevenson) for the "royalty of inward
happiness and the serenity which comes from living close to [God]." Believe that
if you ask, God will renew within you the sense of joy; after all, didn't Jesus
promise an abundant joy to all his friends in all times and in all
circumstances?
An
aside.
You
are no doubt aware of others for whom this is a season, not of joy, but of
painful reminders of loss or suffering. Perhaps you are the person waking and
walking in this season in pain; perhaps you are the person keeping watch with,
counseling, or comforting someone who is terminally ill, divorcing, struggling
financially, or suffering in one of the numerous ways a person can suffer. Our
culture has little room for such pain in this "holiday season." Perhaps you
are the one who is hurting, and hoping for companionship and comfort.
(Spouses, remember we are to be for each other a "counselor in perplexity, a
comfort in sorrow, and a companion in joy" -- by God's grace and our love for
each other.)
Asking for the royalty of inward happiness, or serenity, or joy may be the
last thing you want to do. It may be something just beyond your strength.
Nonetheless, I encourage you to ask; I believe God desires your happiness and
your joy (not your sorrow and sadness), I believe that God will work
tirelessly with you as you put one foot in front of the other (or encourage
others to do so if you are in the role of counselor); I believe God will bless
you in the way you most need and will use you to bless others if you find
yourself in the role of comforter and counselor.
If
you are hurting, or if you know someone who is, you can also call on the
priests and pastoral ministers of your church for help. Find others who are
understanding enough to let you share your pain and strong enough to share
their faith and joy if you are the one who needs this. Direct others to such
persons if God has asked you to be their comforter, their counselor. We are in
this together.
Let
the Word of God (shared in the readings of Advent, part of your personal
reading) be a counter-point, a focal point, a force in your life as you deal
with the craziness of the "holiday season" perpetuated by our society and
culture.
And
in that spirit, let me share a prayer from David Adam, Vicar of Lindisfarne (a
monastery). It is a prayer for you and me. It is a prayer you can use to bless
each other and your family. It is a prayer you can use as a blessing for others
as God sends and directs you.
Blessed are you, Creator and giver
of peace. Peace be upon us; peace be upon this place; peace be upon this day.
The deep, deep peace of God, which the world cannot give, be upon us and
remain with us always.
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Robert Louis Stevenson
(1850-1894)
R. L. Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, the son and grandson of engineers to
the Board of Lighthouses. After one session in which he attempted to study
engineering, he turned to law and qualified as an advocate. But his interest
was in literature. He traveled, chiefly in France, and wrote
Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes.
It
was in France that he met a divorcée, Fanny Osbourne; he followed her to
America and married her in
1880.
When
they returned to Europe, with Fanny's son by her first marriage, Robert began
his struggle with tuberculosis and a wretched peripatetic existence. It was
only in the last five years, which the three of them spent on Samoa, that he
found peace, and it was during this time that most of his prayers were
written. Meanwhile he had soared to fame with
Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Catriona, The Master of Ballantrae, Dr Jekyll and
Mr Hyde, Virginibus Puerisque
and
A
Child's Garden of Verses.
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