Sunday, June 17, 2012
Scripture Readings:
Psalm 27: 7-9 Ezekiel 17:22-24 Psalm 92 *15-16 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 Mark 14: 12-26
God Grows Us Up!
This time of year is ripe with proof that a Creator is at work in nature. Trees are taller and fuller, flowers are abundant and rich with blooming. Birds are feeding their young in spite of heavy wind and rain. We notice as we drive or walk about, that our neighbors are joining this Creator in enabling beauty to abound. I invite you all to stop by and see the amazing efforts of our D’Youville elders and support staff as they plant and grow flowers and vegetables on our patio for the enjoyment of all. Our psalm metaphorically speaks of trees and plants as well as of people in their aging process;
Psalm 92 “Lord it is good to give thanks to you!
They shall bear fruit even in old age; vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
Declaring, how just is the Lord, my rock in whom there is no wrong.
I was out yesterday trimming my cedars and “bumped” right into lines from our reading from Ezekiel 17:
Thus says the Lord God: I, too will take the crest
of the cedar from its topmost branch, tear off a tender shoot and plant it on a high and lofty mountain…
…It shall put forth branches and bear fruit …birds of every kind shall dwell
beneath it, every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.
And all the trees of the field shall know that I the lord bring low the high tree
And lift the lowly tree… and make the withered tree bloom.
This is a beautiful verse which I believe speaks to us about the good we do each day as we live and work together here at St. Mary’s. The love and good we share is used by our God to enhance and grow the lives of others and there is no limit to the affect that energy has. When and wherever love and kindness are breathed out, negative feelings such as grief, anger and fear can be dispelled. These positive gifts breathed out are the seeds God asks us to sow as told in the gospel to follow.
Mark. 4:26-34 Jesus is teaching the crowd using the metaphor of planting seeds. We are the ones who scatter the seeds that will determine our own growth and to a great extent the growth of others. Jesus uses the parable of the mustard seed; the tiniest seed of all which grows into one of the largest trees in creation. There’s a smile from God…you don’t need to start out great to become great!
Growing isn’t easy. Planting, pruning and weeding are not easy! Our entrance psalm for this Sunday: Psalm 27 indicates that God expects us to ask for help. “O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to you; be my help. Do not abandon or forsake me, O God, my Savior!
Don’t hesitate to call… grow…reach out…breathe out… pick a flower!
Go Well!
Chaplain Elizabeth Lowe BC
Tags: chaplain, corinthians, Ezekiel, God, Gospel, lewiston maine, lord god, mark, pastoral care, psalm 27, psalm 92, scripture readings, St. Mary's, St. Mary's Health System, sunday gospel, Sunday Scribes, word of the lord
