This sunny morning the lilacs seem to be racing against
time to produce green leaves and the ensuing promise of purple flowers. This is
a tender season as buds force themselves into the light so quickly, and the
canopy of green elm and ash reasserts itself against the lengthening blue in
the sky.
…
The sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
…
I didn't resonate with the biblical need for shelter from
the sun and sky until I moved here, where the long days and dry heat - and cold
- are so unrelenting. Beautiful but unrelenting. On the east coast,
sunshine and heat are welcome respite from grey fog and summer rain. Here I
have learned a different sense of sun and long evenings.
…
I always appreciated the part of the biblical passage that
follows: and God will wipe away every
tear from their eyes. But now I have a fuller sense of the protection we
need from the open sky. I am watching the trees on my street form a sheltering
green cover, and hour by hour I see a difference.
…
Tender and brave, those buds are. They press against the
morning air and break open with a shimmering green of hope.
…
I trust that in your rough, unprotected times, when the
heat of life seems set to scorch you, that the promise of Revelation 7 brings
you relief. I trust the gentle hand of God will wipe away the tears, and a
canopy of fragrant greening hope will protect you. …
…
Blessings,
The Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean
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