Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Scripture for the Day
The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Look, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
looking through the lattice.
My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away;
for now the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away.
Through this season of quarantining and limited social interactions, I have been so very grateful to live near Piedmont Park. I have always found being out in nature and God’s creation to be spiritually restorative. I walk with my dog, Calvin, in the park and in the neighborhood throughout the day. Our morning walk in the still brisk, not yet too humid air has been an anchor point in my daily routine. In the morning air, the worries of this season seem lighter. As Calvin and I walk, I see other people starting their day outside. I see members of this congregation walking and biking. But this only happens when I am able to be wholly present, to be invested in my walk. Too often I find myself distracted by an email subject line or other notification waiting for me when I wake up.
In past seasons of my life, I have discovered how important spending time outside is for my spiritual, emotional, and mental health. And in this current season of Covid, social distance, heightened awareness of and movement around racial justice, and other tensions, we are all needing to pay extra attention to the health of our bodies, minds, and spirits. This is all overwhelming. We feel vulnerable. We feel unsafe. We feel lonely. We feel disconnected from the people and activities we hold dear in our hearts. Friends, this is a hard season.
Before this week, I would not have bet on Song of Solomon as my reflection choice. When I was looking through the readings in today’s daily lectionary, however, this love poem spoke to me the language I needed to hear. I needed to be reminded of the beauty of God’s creation. I needed to be reminded of this scriptural inclusion of love poetry. Above all, I think I needed to be reminded to pay attention to the ways God is working in nature that continue to be marvelous and wonderful. We are reaching the peak of summer here in Atlanta, and plants and animals are thriving. We see the hills all around us. Flowers have bloomed and continue to inspire us. We can sing along with the birds or sit and listen to their songs. Fruits are coming into season, ready for enjoyment. This love poem helps me to take a slower, less-distracted look around me. God’s love and care for creation is all around us. And the next time I start to feel overwhelmed, I can go sit at my window and gaze through the lattice, or head to a favorite spot in the park and simply sit and be. Sit and be in God’s presence. Sit and be one with God’s creation. Sit and be known by God. Sit and be at peace. Thanks be to God.
