Gioja

Time and again the Lord's sweet presence steals over us, often when we are expecting it the least, or are in greatest need of it. He comes quite unexpectedly, sometimes when we know ourselves to be in great need of receiving a fresh touch from Him. As the melody of this piece passes from one instrument to another, and the strings play a joyful pizzicato, may it release fresh joy into our own hearts. Musicians: Nicola Gerrard, Francis Cummings, Philippa Barton, Christiane Mueller, Jo Garcia How kind the Lord is –and how well He knows what people used to call ‘our mortal frame.’ Life can sometimes bring us so many unexpected challenges and tumbles, with a result that we can end up as it were holding our breath and feeling afraid to laugh in case tomorrow’s trials prove still more sever. But the Lord’s grace is always fresh, and it is good to laugh and not fear sheer joy and pleasure. “Laugh and fear not, creatures,” Aslan urges the newly created talking animals of Narnia. “Now that you are no longer dumb and witless, you need not always be grave. For jokes as well as justice come in with speech!” (CS Lewis, The Magician's Nephew, Chapter 10, The First Joke and Other Matters.) I have dedicated this piece to ‘Gioja,’ an unusual spelling of the Italian word for joy. Despite all that is serious and can even be grievous in life, the joy of the Lord remains our strength.