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| Image by Larry Lamsa |
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Celtic Animals and their Saints
A GREETING
I sing of your love and justice—
O God, I sing to you!
(Psalm 101:1)
A READING
The word of the Lord came to [Elijah], saying, ‘Go from here and turn eastwards, and hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.’ So he went and did according to the word of the Lord; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the wadi.
(1 Kings 16:2-6)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
The trees of God drink their fill—
those cedars of Lebanon,
where birds build their nests
and, on the highest branches,
the stork makes its home.
(Psalm 104:16-17)
A REFLECTION
Each year I try to go to Nebraska, to the cabin of my friend… It is on the Platte River, and I go during the migration of the sandhill cranes and snow geese and many other species of waterbird… It is a dramatic reminder of the resilience we have been discussing. Because despite the fact that we have polluted the river, despite the fact that the prairie has been converted for growing genetically modified corn, despite the fact that the irrigation is depleting the great Ogallala Aquifer, despite the fact that most of the wetlands have been drained—the birds still come every year, in the millions, to fatten up on the grain left after the harvest. I just love to sit on the riverbank and watch the cranes fly in, wave after wave against a glorious sunset, to hear their ancient wild calls—it is something quite special. It reminds me of the power of nature. And as the red sun sinks below the trees on the opposite bank, a gray, feathered blanket gradually spreads over the whole surface of the shallow river as the birds land for the night, and their ancient voices are silenced. And we walk back to the cabin in the dark.
- from Jane Goodall's Prayer for the Care of Creation
published in September, 2017 on janegoodall.org
A POEM PRAYER
I suppose
the Lord said:
Let there be fur upon the earth,
and let there be hair upon the earth,
and so the seeds stuttered forward into ripeness
and the roots twirled in the dark
to accomplish His desire.
from "How the Grass and the Flowers Came to Exist: A God Tale,"
by Mary Oliver. Found in Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver
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Florida Sandhill cranes in a mating dance. In Irish mythology,
cranes are associated with abundance and prosperity.
Video captured by Jeni Tirnauer.
Found on Instagrama at @jeni_tirnauer_photography.
You might try playng today's two videos at the same time.
In the Celtic world, time begins in the dark. The calendar of the year starts at the turn from autumn into winter, or Samhain (pronounced sow-en). The Celtic principle is that darkness is the beginning of life -- the womb is a dark place, nurturing growth. Deep in the earth is darkness, where seeds have gone to form new life and are gestating. We plant our bulbs in the fall, imagining their great blooms in spring. That vision keeps us going through winter, but the seeds themselves are also physically changing within the earth.
Kevin of Glendalough was a sixth-century monk in Ireland. One of the most popular stories about him involves Kevin's deep respect for the cycle of gestating life.His own life alternated between intense periods of hermitage and isolation and long periods of mission. He was a lover of nature and animals and his attributed miracles include them. He craved solitude and longed for it always, but was constantly drawn outward into teaching by the many who wanted to learn from him. One day when he had finally returned to his hermitage, grateful to be on his own again, he was kneeling in prayer with his arms outstretched. A blackbird flew in and began to build a nest in his outstretched hand. He understood immediately that he could retreat to his solitude, but the interconnectedness of all things meant that he would never be alone. Realizing the great teaching he was being given, he stayed this way for days, holding his arm aloft. He never grew tired. The blackbird seemed to know its role in the mystery and fed him with nuts and berries.
In her latter years, Jane Goodall traveled around the world -- spending only 60 days at home per year -- in order to continue to educate and advocate for the environment. This was true right up to this year of her death. And yet, she too experienced a spiritual awe found in solitude. We all need time to ourselves, in which we can return to that place where time starts in the dark, and we can remember the vast mystery of our origins. We also need time among loved ones, or even just in community with others. Finding the balance is challenging but necessary: the Spirit speaks to us in the hubbub and in the quiet spaces of our rest.
"Blackbird fly, into the light of the dark black night." In the story of Kevin and the blackbird, both are experiencing the presence of Spirit and the encouragement of God. How easy or not is it for us to do the same? How hard is it to imagine that each of us is a sacred part of the nature that surrounds us?
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Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
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LC† Vigil in Hope is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!
