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| Image by Philip Goddard |
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A GREETING
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
(Psalm 51:7)
A READING
He composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He would speak of trees, from the cedar that is in the Lebanon to the hyssop that grows in the wall; he would speak of animals, and birds, and reptiles, and fish. People came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon; they came from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom
(1 Kings 4:32-34)
MUSIC
Note: this selection is almost ten minutes;
today's note below explains why it's worth watching it all
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
A jar full of sour wine was standing there.
So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.
(John 19:29)
A POEM
Bloom upon the Mountain—stated—
Blameless of a Name—
Efflorescence of a Sunset—
Reproduced—the same—
Seed, had I, my Purple Sowing
Should endow the Day—
Not a Topic of a Twilight—
Show itself away—
Who for tilling—to the Mountain
Come, and disappear—
Whose be Her Renown, or fading,
Witness, is not here—
While I state—the Solemn Petals,
Far as North—and East,
Far as South and West—expanding—
Culminate—in Rest—
And the Mountain to the Evening
Fit His Countenance—
Indicating, by no Muscle—
The Experience—
- "Bloom Upon the Mountain," by Emily Dickinson
VERSE OF THE DAY
We have not forgotten you,
or been false to your covenant.
(Psalm 44:17)
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| Image by Bart Busschots |
Marjoram and thyme share ancestral common ground with ‘hyssop’, a biblical plant deeply associated with cleansing ritual and purification. The contemporary hyssop plant is not likely the biblical one, which researchers believe is closer to contemporary marjoram, or to oregano syriacum, a Syrian herb. Thyme, a close family relative of marjoram is associated in the ancient world with bravery. These herbs were used to cleanse the temple after sacrificial rituals; therefore, the activity became symbolic of the washing of oneself from transgressions. ‘White as snow,’ refers to the colour of the herbs in some cases.
At the same time, the cleansing nature of hyssop was also a way of signifying that sacrifice had taken place. Where there was hyssop, there had also first been blood that needed to be cleaned away. When he is on the Cross, Jesus receives sour wine on a hyssop branch. The blood of his scourging and the wounds of the crucifixion are met with the healing energy of the hyssop.
Throughout this week, we have reflected on the timelessness of some ancient seeds and grains and trees, whose capacity to survive and thrive have been made evident. Trees like the sycamore, seeds like grape and coriander, grain like barley, and herbs such as marjoram and thyme have a relationship to human beings through food. When God created the world and offered us limitless vegetation for our wellbeing on the third day, it turns out to have been covenantal: the plants endure through thousands and sometimes millions of years. But are we upholding our part of the covenant? How well, or not, are we stewarding all that we were given?
In today’s music, we hear three popular young artists with diverse musical styles and solo careers come together to sing the Scots-Irish tune “Wild Mountain Thyme.” Halfway into the performance, Jacob Collier leads the audience in humming harmonies — something he often does in concert. These harmonies eventually provide an underlying sound for the resolution of the song among the trio and with the orchestra.
That underlying hum is not unlike Spirit, working in and through everything we do, composing harmonies of intersectedness and inter-relationships among all creatures, while we sing our way forward on our journeys. How willing are we to stop and listen to how the Spirit calls us into care of Creation? How can we be filled again with wonder so much that we strive to preserve what has kept us alive since the beginning of time?
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A STORY OF HOPE
A herbarium is a collection of dried and pressed plants. Herbaria can fill up a building, or exist in the private world of one collector. They usually include notations of the type of plant, place it was found and date, as well as any other particular notes that seem important. Emily Dickinson was an avid botanist -- long before she was writing. She wrote that her herbarium was as much an expression of her 'muse' as her poems were. The original book in which she pressed plants is in the Houghton Library at Harvard University, but is so fragile it cannot even be reviewed by scholars. Recently, however, it was digitized. It is now possible for anyone to review. (Read more here.)
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| A page from the Herbarium of Emily Dickinson, as found on marginalian.org |
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LC† Seeds of Hope is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!