As we reflected back on our theme of “Press Refresh” in 2022, the Bloom Team sensed that a fitting theme would be one that builds on the foundation of rest we have been practicing. We believe DELIGHT is just the theme for the job! As Tish Harrison Warren explains in, Liturgy of the Ordinary, “We must be formed as a people who are capable of appreciating goodness, truth, and beauty.” It doesn’t happen overnight—it is a continuation of noticing. What a beautiful invitation!

Scripture tells us to: “Delight yourselves in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” –Psalm 37:4. We’re also told by Jesus himself that “My yoke is easy and his burden is light” —Matthew 11:28 and encourages us to learn the “unforced rhythms of grace” (MSG). Those practices indeed sound delightful!

Delight, however, starts with the Lord.

In Psalm 18:19, David wrote that “He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me”. And in Zephaniah 3:17, the writer prophesied: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Now, some may instantly resonate with this idea of Delight, and for others, the image of a carnival just floods the mind and results in a “hard pass”. However, the delight that we seek to understand is much sturdier, a much heartier variety than a ride on a Merry Go Round.

Much faulty theology and the creep of Toxic Productivity Culture have muddied the waters when it comes to Delight, Enjoyment, and Desire. Together, we will seek to learn the “Craft of Discernment” which Warren alludes to, which C.S. Lewis encourages by reminding us that “one must walk before one can run…[We] shall not be able to adore God on the highest occasions if we have learned no habit of doing so in the lowest.”

We want to notice! We want to be a people of celebration, whether that be in the quiet stillness of your heart, or the loud expression of your lungs—All are welcomed here and we are so excited to journey together!