Burst into Bloom!

There is something about this time of year which asks us to pay a little more attention.  Paying attention is a spiritual practice.

I walked out of my house early in the morning for my weekend run. A little late, I was in a tired funk which took more time to lace up the shoes than I would like. Opening the front door I was greeted by a whole herd (more than fifteen) fluffy tailed deer grazing on my front lawn.  Looking down, two robins hobbled on the ground over to some seeds.  They were not disturbed in the least by my presence. The air was beautiful with the presence of something more. Though I left no impression on the wildlife, they definitely left an impression on me.

We are welcomed into a cacophony of sounds; birds in mobs roam the skies with sounds of chirping, rustling through the once leaf barren limbs, and even the daily traffic of humans in outside activities as they awaken from the slumber of winter.  Sights such as tulips and daffodils start to open to just say “hello.”  Deer run around in packs, robins with full bellies soon to lay eggs, and bunnies hop around eating those tulips you just caught sight of a few moments ago.  Plantings just seeded with expectation of a good early harvest or two.  Smells of sweet grass fill the nostrils. Excitement is in the air. 

We shift.  Shifting from the bitter cold to slightly warmer.  The environment shouts of the opportunities that literally spring forth. The impressions of opportunity are all around us.

The Spirit of the living God whispers for us to pay attention.  To see!  Paying attention is a spiritual practice.  If anything, our journey through the Gospel of Mark has been about sight.  Resurrection is about seeing, noticing, and paying attention to the opportunities in our midst.  Seeing the ways God is moving, the ways others are calling upon us, and our own hearts full of love for the neighbor.

Maybe when we feel disconnected form the church or God all we need to do is open our eyes—our hearts and hands—or perceptions.  Daily, God calls out to look a little deeper; to see the world God has made, holy and good.  Are we good stewards of the impressions we hold of others?  Do we graze on the opportunities to care (caring for and being cared for) that God has put before us? To reimagine the deeply held, deeply rooted, assumptions we have it takes the breaking in of God so that something else can spring forth.    

I love the passage of Isaiah 25:1-2.  The prophet Isaiah speaks to his people calling them to the hopeful opportunities of shifting, springing forth to represent the image of God’s goodness. 

"The desert and the dry land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom like the dandelion, carnation, the crocus. They will burst into bloom, and rejoice with joy and singing." 

Crocus is such a fun word.  God releases us from our dry negativity, unfounded fear, and disjointed assumptions.  Fear, persistent negativity, and unfounded assumptions are killers of faith.  It is hard to tell what God is springing forth in your life, but if you look and see.  If you take a moment interact with God’s call to do something which brings life.  To look a little deeper and listen a little more. To serve the world that calls out; recognizing the poor, disenfranchised, and hungry in your midst.  Maybe then the wildness of life will make an impression on you.

• Where do you see our church moving into something glorious?

• Where do you see our world calling out for a fresh spring?

• Where do you hear the whisper of God to deepen your faith in the goodness of all of creation and humanity?

Pastor Jon Bailey