Ah, summer! Here in Minnesota, the early summer weeks can feel simply magical. I spent much of May marveling at the growth of plants in our backyard garden. Each morning brought new revelations: a hosta making its dance up from the ground, a baby bunny burrowed into its makeshift nest, countless birds flitting around the birdfeeder (and the squirrels clamoring for fallen treats on the ground!). When I slowed down enough to watch and listen, I received countless gifts of beauty and wonder. I am reminded of the oft-quoted gem of the late poet Mary Oliver, "Attention is the beginning of devotion."
Now that June has come around, I let out a deep sigh of gratitude for such marvels, the earth continuing to grow more lush and green around me. This year, the later timing of Easter has meant that some of the rhythms of our liturgical year have been pushed farther than usual into the summer. We celebrate Pentecost on June 8, and at least in Minnesota, it will have begun to feel like summertime by then! Pentecost invites us to ponder the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that mysterious person of the Trinity whose movement is at times quiet and gentle, and at other times persistent and impossible to ignore. This summer, I wonder where the Spirit will be revealed to you in creation. Will the Spirit move in the waters of a lake or stream, in the taste of the perfectly ripe tomato, in the whirr of a hummingbird, in the clash of a summer thunderstorm?
On our Pentecost Sing For Joy program on June 8, we will hear a Stephen Paulus choral setting of a beautiful poem by Minnesota poet Michael Dennis Browne. Browne’s poetry begins, "Every face is in you, every voice, every sorrow in you, / Every pity, every love, every memory, woven into fire." Indeed, the Spirit embraces the whole of our lives, every moment of every day. May you recognize the Spirit’s presence in every moment of your journey this summer, trusting that God is always at work around us.
Peace to you all,
