This poem was written in the 1930’s by a dear friend of mine, Nan Northam It seems good to celebrate Rogationtide as a way of a rite of passage in Spring and a thanksgiving for creation.
O GOD, we thank you for this earth, our home; for the wide sky and the blessed sun, for the ocean and streams, for the towering hills and the whispering wind, for the trees and green grass. We thank you for our senses by which we hear the songs of birds, and see the splendour of fields of golden wheat, and taste autumn’s fruit, and rejoice in the feel of snow, and smell the breath of spring flowers.
GRANT US a heart opened wide to all this beauty; and save us from being so blind that we pass unseeing when even the common thornbush is aflame with your glory.
The Daily Reflections on Scripture Readings by the Church of England over the past 2 days have been based on the Book of Genesis, Chapter One. This inspired me to think of it as a Love Poem from God.
Father God,
Your poem spoke creation into being telling us of our origins, our companions, the light and darkness of our existence, the moments of our being; your gift, which is the earth.
You appoint us custodians of all that you have made and go on making, stamping your image on us and all that we receive; showing us how good it is.
Help us to hear your poem and fulfill its meaning of who and where and what we are, of all that you have given us to cherish ~ a poem spoken out of pure love.
Wood Anemone photographed by Gill Henwood in the Lake District.
Wood Anemone…. A little story.
According to the poem at the beginning of the Book of Genesis, God completed the creative action on Planet earth after six days of total activity. Genesis informs us that on the 7th day, God rested. But rest rarely means inaction, especially for God. There is no way that The Maker of everything can either unmake nor stop the inbuilt process of evolving, developing, deepening, the love which God had poured into all that was made. You see, in order to ‘make’, God had to use the very essence of being to do this and that same essence, being God, is never absent. That’s a quick way of saying that God is always God and always making things in his and her own image! God broods over creation like a father and a mother, holding it in being, trying to save it from harm, and guiding with all encompassing ‘love’. That’s the work chosen by God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
But none of that needed to be explained on that first Sunday morning. Later, God would invent and make some very clever people called ‘theologians’ who could mull over everything that God has made and decide whether it is good or not so good. They will helpfully disagree on this which makes it very simple for us to ignore them, or become one of them. (tongue in cheek remark!) On that first Sunday morning, God wasn’t prepared to get too involved in all that. He was resting. I suppose, being, God it wasn’t the forty-winks kind of rest that we know it to be now. It was a creative rather than restorative rest.
As God the Father rested, God the Son pointed up at the lovely stars and noticed that, appropriately, one of the stars had six points, one for each day of creation. In fact, many people would give it the name of The Creator’s Star. These 6 ‘pinpricks’ touched the darkness and so it wasn’t as dark as it would be without them. In fact, the light had a bright and luminous beauty which simply shone amazingly.
As God the Father, watched this, God the Holy Spirit allowed inspiration to flow. Earlier, a joint effort had created things like paper, pens and pencils, paint and ink and paint brushes. So God the Spirit set to work. Gently, the pencil floated over the paper as God thought what to make of the stars with six points drawn on the paper. What had emerged was a flower, robust but also vulnerable. It would live amongst the trees and in the Spring, it would shine with a brilliant light. Ah!, thought God. This little flower will become part of something very special.
God knew that one day it would be necessary for some extremely Good News to be announced and the Son of God would make it. The plan, still to be unfolded, would involve the Son in a supreme act of love though as with all acts of self-giving, it would come at a price. So, in using the little flower to be part of the message of hope and joy to lighten a dark world, God knew that it would perhaps not live very long because as we all know, when we light a candle, as it burns to give us light, it dies. But in the case of the little white flower, there would be no permanent death because death merely continues a journey of life but in another place. Well, almost, because what the flower leaves behind is a root system which means it will come alive on earth again.
God loved the little flower and as the Son held it up, the Spirit breathed on it and it danced. It moved as if in the wind, so God said that it would be known as ‘wind flower’. The Spirit then pronounced the Name which would be ‘Anemone’ – Daughter of the wind.
Jesus loved the white colour because it would be the Easter colour of Resurrection and the anemone would live in forests and woodlands because that would remind people of the wood of the Cross. It would therefore suggest to the people who saw it that through the love of God poured out from the Crucifixion, the world would be a brighter, lighter, more joyful place. It would be a world able to celebrate hope and beauty and love again. The little white flower would remind people of this
… and the little Wood Anemone? Having done her job she would rest a little until next year.
Valentine’s Day dawn over Hawkshead Church. Photograph by Gill Henwood.
Today we celebrate St Valentine who was martyred in Rome about the year 269AD. At that time there was a persecution of Christians under the reign of the Emperor Claudius. Valentine’s association with expressions of love to those special to you isn’t really known. In Medieval times it was thought that on this day birds began to mate but there are other ideas.
Today it is associated with the sending of cards to someone you would like to express your love to. However, as there is a custom that this is sent anonymously, it rather defeats the object! It is also one of those festivals when purveyors of love signs – flowers, chocolates, cards etc – encourage us to express our love in some tangible way. Obligingly those who supply these needs increase the cost of purchase, just to prove that you really mean it!
The One who truly expresses His deep love for us is God, though as ever, he pays the price Himself. God is busily renewing our world at this time and all around us are signs of His love in the joy of creation beginning to show itself in the bursting forth of new life. Valentine’s day can therefore be a day when we give thanks to God for creating us, loving us and sustaining us.
There is much that is dark in our world right now so it is good to be able to pause from our anxiety, pain and despair to look also at what is hopeful and what sustains us in the depth of our souls. The Valentine’s day message from God is that we are to love one another as He loves us. That is what Jesus tells us and it is when we put that into practice we have already turned the world into a lighter and brighter and more loving place.
Meanwhile, thanks to my friend Gill Henwood, God has sent us a Valentine’s card full of beauty and vision. Look around you. God really does want you to be filled with His joy and love. Give Him thanks.
Here’s another reminder of the beauty of Creation, and below it, a suggested text for your Valentine’s Card to God. (Don’t forget to sign it – Amen!)
[Mr G]
Creator God, We acknowledge that as your handiwork, we stand alongside all that you have made. Trees and rivers, mountains and valleys, soaring birds and scuttling creatures, all are held within your care. May we grow in our love and appreciation for the fabulous variety around us; and may our awe and wonder draw us closer to the natural world, and through it to you, the God of all things. We pray in Jesus name, Amen
Prayer by Revd Cate Williams, Mission and Evangelism Officer Diocese of Gloucester
Mr G's Ponderings 