The strong driving winds of Pentecost
have quieted, Lord,
but the Spirit's holy fragrance lingers
in the scent of lilacs just outside
the doors of Saint Ann Church...
As incense hangs in the air,
the lilacs' bouquet
floats on the lightest breeze
whispering its presence,
its essence an anointing
of my willing, open heart...
So I cut a few choice branches
and arranged them in a vase
and brought them to my room
where they've filled the space with sweetness,
graced my prayer with elegance
and filled my soul with you...
But these lilacs
resist domestication, Lord:
too soon they'll wilt
and lose their fine perfume,
their tiny petals falling,
softly dropping from the branch...
So too, your Spirit, Lord will not be pruned,
cut back or tamed
- much less, arranged as decoration -
but will roam and soar
and rise and seek
and fill me and illumine me
and sweep me off my feet
to comfort and to challenge me,
to break, then mend and heal me,
to mold and form and shape me
as the person you created me to be...
So, thank you for the lilacs, Lord
and for their sweet sachet
and for the prayer your Spirit made of them,
an aromatic offering, wafting,
from my heart up to yours...
Yes, thank you for the lilacs, Lord
- I love them!
Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
Tonight's music is the instrumental background for a time lapse video of lilacs blooming. You might pray simply by watching the lilacs unfold and bloom and reflecting on times when the Holy Spirit, through the beauty of creation, has led you closer to the Lord...
Lilac Blooming by ProTimeLapse
If a video doesn't appear below, click here!
The scent from lilacs mixed with other flowering aromas reminds me of: let my prayer rise like incense…. What a sensual recalling of Spirit in our midst.
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