Irreverently Reverend

  Ordinary Time The Bride Adores Her Beloved 8  The voice of my beloved!     Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains,     bounding over the hills. 9  My beloved is like a gazelle     or a young stag. Behold, there he stands     behind our wall, gazing through the windows,     looking through the lattice. 10  My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one,     and come away, 11  for behold, the winter is past;     the rain is over and gone. 12  The flowers appear on the earth,     the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove     is heard in our land. 13  The fig tree ripens its figs,     and the vines are in blossom;     they give forth fragrance. ...

  Ordinary Time 15  Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise,  16  making the most of the time, because the days are evil.  17  So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  18  Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit,  19  as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts,  20  giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . (NRSV)               A friend of mine introduced me to the song “Joy” in college, playing it on a CD in her well-worn Honda Fit while the sun slid down behind the railroad tracks.   I didn’t get it—didn’t like it, at first.   The lyrics are jarringly at odds with the chord progression and the whole thing felt right at the edge...