Good morning…
The subject line in his email read, “A Nifty Poem.” Opening the gift this Sunday morning after Christmas 2020, I was invited outside the box with God.
“I’ve never seen that poem before,” he wrote, “and yes it is quite appropriate for now. You know, we were talking about this recently, that I’ve gone to church my entire life. Rarely missing a Sunday – I mean – rarely – It’s been so ingrained in me that going to church is, good, meaningful, part of what it means to be spiritual. I’m surprised at how quickly and easily I’ve made the transition to not going to church on Sundays. Never realized what other people have been doing all these years that I’ve been getting up and going to church on Sundays.”
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Some keep the Sabbath going to Church – BY EMILY DICKINSON
Some keep the Sabbath going to Church –
I keep it, staying at Home –
With a Bobolink for a Chorister –
And an Orchard, for a Dome –
Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice –
I, just wear my Wings –
And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church,
Our little Sexton – sings.
God preaches, a noted Clergyman –
And the sermon is never long,
So instead of getting to Heaven, at last –
I’m going, all along.
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Intrigued, I look up a few of the words I do not know, to gain some added meaning. The bobolink is a small New World blackbird. A chorister is a single singer in a church choir. A surplice is a liturgical vestment of the Western Christian Church, a tunic of white linen or cotton fabric, reaching to the knees, with wide sleeves. A sexton is an officer of a church, congregation, or synagogue charged with the maintenance of its buildings and the surrounding graveyard.
This morning, the Creator of our universe is being worshipped both at Church and at Home. The birds and the orchard join with the talented choir. Both fancy dress and whimsical wings cover us well, with the church bell and the maintenance person singing in sync. God preaches constantly, thought provoking sermons each day and each night.
Instead of going to Heaven, at last, might we be inching our way there all along?
O my soul, come, praise the Eternal with all that is in me—body, emotions, mind, and will—every part of who I am—praise His holy name. O my soul, come, praise the Eternal; sing a song from a grateful heart; sing and never forget all the good He has done (Psalm 103:1-2, VOICE).
…Sue…
