A Reflection

Posted

Rev. Vicki Mouradian
Bell Tower Reflection for 3/20/20

A Reflection

by Rev. Vicki

This morning, as usual, I awoke in the dark. As a morning person, I love to greet the day and experience the beauty of gradual daylight. As I took the dogs for a walk, I noticed a small golden light shining through tree branches, and I realized it was a crescent moon hanging low in the sky. It stirred in me a sense of well being and gratitude for the beauty of creation. It engaged me in a moment of Celtic spirituality, a type of Christian devotion. I’ve always likened this spirituality to time spent under a waterfall washing away that which is heavy on my heart and refreshing it with joy.

The natural world was the only world the ancient Celts knew. They lived with and prayed to and worshiped a God who surrounded them as truly as the fresh air of their green world did. Their intense and natural devotion suggests that the closer we are to nature, the more apt we are to pray and the more fervent our prayers will become. It seems that God so filled the pre-Christian Celtic spirit with the love of creation that when they met Christ, that love naturally spilled over into their Christian worship. Everywhere they looked, they saw the creative love and almighty nature of the holy Trinity. They believed that their prayers would endure forever. They would live in the air and they would move others like the breeze of Pentecost.   

During this time of Coronavirus, a time of uncertainty when we are asked to go against the grain of our normal daily life, let us seek refreshing ways to draw closer to our Triune God so we can embrace a new normal. Let us find comfort in the small things, see beauty in what we once thought dull, realize our blessings to dispel our fears, and give compassion to our neighbor through prayer and other means. Let us be aware that the knowledge we gain during this time of trial may be a source of blessing in the future.

In the beginning, O God,
your Spirit swept over the chaotic deep like a wild wind
and creation was born.
In the turbulence of my own life
and the unsettled waters of the world today
let there be new birthings of your Spirit.
In the currents of my own heart
and the upheavals of the world today
let there be new birthings of your mighty Spirit.
–J. Philip Newell