To all those who are new here — thank you for joining The Cottage.
Each Sunday, I take a break from issues of faith and the news and offer a text from scripture, a good book, or a poem for reflection.
Today’s musing is a poem to end a difficult week: Jack Gilbert’s A Brief for the Defense. The poet reminds us that even amid the worst of human suffering, there is still joy. And perhaps delight is necessary to both wonder and courage in the worst of times.
A Brief for the Defense
by Jack Gilbert (1925–2012)
Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere. If babies
are not starving someplace, they are starving
somewhere else. With flies in their nostrils.
But we enjoy our lives because that's what God wants.
Otherwise the mornings before summer dawn would not
be made so fine. The Bengal tiger would not
be fashioned so miraculously well. The poor women
at the fountain are laughing together between
the suffering they have known and the awfulness
in their future, smiling and laughing while somebody
in the village is very sick. There is laughter
every day in the terrible streets of Calcutta,
and the women laugh in the cages of Bombay.
If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction,
we lessen the importance of their deprivation.
We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,
but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have
the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless
furnace of this world. To make injustice the only
measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.
If the locomotive of the Lord runs us down,
we should give thanks that the end had magnitude.
We must admit there will be music despite everything.
We stand at the prow again of a small ship
anchored late at night in the tiny port
looking over to the sleeping island: the waterfront
is three shuttered cafés and one naked light burning.
To hear the faint sound of oars in the silence as a rowboat
comes slowly out and then goes back is truly worth
all the years of sorrow that are to come.
Today (Sunday February 27), I’ll be preaching at Hyde Park UMC in Tampa, Florida at 9:30 and 11:00AM (eastern). You are welcome to watch HERE.
The church also asked me to pre-record a prayer for Ukraine. Since it is recorded, you can join with me in prayer at any time.
LENT AT THE COTTAGE
Ash Wednesday is March 2.
Here’s what is planned:
For all subscribers (free and paid): Sunday Musings will focus on lectionary readings with informal reflections and poetry. Mid-week pieces on religion, politics, the news, and culture will continue as usual. You needn’t do anything to receive the regular essays and the Sunday Lent posts.
For the paid list only: DAILY LENTEN REFLECTIONS delivered to your inbox! The theme: A Grounded Lent. I’ll take you through forty days from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday (but no separate devotion on Sunday other than Sunday Musings) based on a devotional I originally wrote for the paperback of Grounded — with added material and updated for the Cottage.
If you want to get the DAILY Lenten reflections you can sign-up for a monthly paid subscription for March and April, at $5 per month for a total of $10 to receive all of the devotions — and you can cancel at the end of April (I won’t be offended!).If you can’t afford that and would like the DAILY reflections, please let us know by replying to this email (just hit reply as you would for any email). We’ll give you a complimentary subscription for two months. It is that easy. No one is ever turned away for lack of funds.
For anyone interested in a multi-week learning experience: The Cottage and Homebrewed Christianity team up for a 6-week Lenten class on Jesus De/Constructed (same title as above) — on Thursday nights from March 3 through April 7, live lectures, open Q&A, a pop-up learning community, a special SURPRISE podcast with guests from Westar on Jesus scholarship, and recordings available for later viewing.
Information and sign-up HERE. This event is free or a free-will donation. Whatever. So far, more than 2400 people have signed up! Woo hoo! And we want you to join in the journey.
Thank you for this beautiful poem!
Thanks for the Prayer for Ukraine. Did you see this on SNL last night?
Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York performs Prayer for Ukraine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjE4_h0t7qI&t=23s