Welcome, Spring!

As I talk with brides and grooms about their spring and summer weddings, it is sometimes hard to imagine that it will be warm enough again for these outdoor ceremonies. It has felt like a longer, colder winter than we have been used to around here in recent years. I know that we have not had it as rough as other parts of the country where they were slammed with snowstorm after snowstorm. Nonetheless, everyone I know is grateful to see the first signs of spring all around us, more sunny days, and warmer temperatures.

On this day of the Vernal Equinox, I share this prayer borrowed in part from the Chinook Psalter:

O Lord, may we today be touched by grace, fascinated and moved by this your creation, energized by the power of new growth at work in your world.

May we move beyond viewing this life only through a frame, but touch it and be touched by it, know it and be known by it, love it and be loved by it.

May our bodies, our minds, our spirits, learn a new rhythm paced by the rhythmic pulse of the whole created order.

May spring come to us, be in us, and recreate life in us.

Amen!