Feb 24 2010
Blessed are those who weep…
A Boydseye View – February 24, 2010
I’ve noticed a lot of tears of late. In myself, in others, here at church, at the hospital, even around town. Tears in predictable places like memorial services when we remember with both joy and sadness the life of someone we loved. Or at the exchange of precious gifts at Christmas time or birthdays. Or in deep grief at tragedies like Haiti or senseless acts of violence on the news. But they also come at unpredictable times and places.
I often see tears in worship, where the reason for the tears isn’t always clear. They show up during music, after prayers, during a sermon and while we are sharing joys and concerns. Every week there are tears of some sort. For some of us they are predictable. They come as we return to this community after a long hiatus due to a personal struggle. We fight the emotions of joy and embarrassment even as we feel the love of a community that accepts us as we are, with no preconditions or expectations. Maybe we are in the midst of a particularly tender season of our life or of the year. Possibly, we have had a rough week and are finally able to sink into our fatigue or stress.
For some of us the tears come out of nowhere. A song we have not heard in years prompts a memory of a long held sadness or loved one. The smell of the room hearkens back to a previous church community that we miss. A word of testimony from a youth or adult stirs up emotions of joy and longing for our own loved ones. A moment of relaxation and quiet allows the yet to be acknowledged rigors of a week or month gone by to rise to the surface.
Of course, tears occur in other places and at other times. I have one friend who I see only occasionally, maybe once a year. Every time I see him, though, my heart melts and tears rise to the surface. I have experienced deep and active listening, heartfelt companionship, and great care every time I see him. I’ve known him for most of my adult life, so whether or not he realizes it, when I am with him I feel deeply embraced. Maybe we all have people or places that cause us to well up with both joy and gratitude?
Suffice it to say, in the life of a faith community and in our spiritual life, tears are indeed a way of prayer. Far too often, we understand spirituality only in thinking terms. While this is important, tears are just one of the non-rational, embodied ways that we connect with the Spirit of God within and around us. They signal pain and accompany a faith that professes the Spirit knows are sighs that are “too deep for words.” They reveal gratitude, longing, humility, and joy and remind us that we are connected to a power and person far greater than ourselves.
If tears are indeed a form of prayer, they require a safe and trusted space to be shared. I’m grateful, and at times brought to tears, to know this community of faith as such a trusted and safe community. May we continue to hold this sacred place together. For you, for me, for the stranger who walked in today, for our children; indeed, for whoever needs it. Blessed are you who weep, Jesus said, for you shall be comforted. By our God, and by one another in the name of God.
