Song of the Builders

Over at RevGals, in the comments for our sermon prep, we've talked about whether embers can be re-ignited, whether church communities can find passion again...

so I offer this poem. And for those of you tired of Mary Oliver, I apologize...she's just speaking to me these days....

Song of the Builders by Mary Oliver

On a summer morning
I sat down
on a hillside
to think about God -

a worthy pastime.
Near me, I saw
a single cricket;
it was moving the grains of the hillside

this way and that way.
How great was its energy,
how humble its effort.
Let us hope

it will always be like this,
each of us going on
in our inexplicable ways
building the universe.

for some, re-igniting the embers may feel like the work of this cricket, moving the grains of sand on a hillside - if the cricket paused to think about it the cricket would probably quit. But the cricket moves on inspiration and so should we...building the universe.

Comments

Barbara B. said…
I love the poetry of Mary Oliver, and love your thoughts too...
I think this poem gets printed out and put on my desk. :)
Terri said…
it is a lovely poem....
Diane M. Roth said…
yes, and thanks. I have not had time to think about Sunday's sermon yet. good introduction.
mmmm like that. although country church has now the annual invasion of the crickets... like a hundred of them in the basement. anyhoo... build, build, build... reminds me of the little green fuzzy 'doozers' I think they were called on Fraggle Rock... a later version/answer to the muppets. geesh sounds like I had that whole bottel of cyber wine don't it?
Terri said…
well. I'm sure you didn't have the whole bottle of cyber-wine, 'cuz I offered to share it with you! But you must be a lot younger than me because I'm too old for the muppets and therefore way too old for the Fraggle Rock version, but I'll take your word for it...

even if I'm old, we could still have some fun, right?

ewww an invasion of crickets, too noisy...I like to hear them outside, where they belong!
Gannet Girl said…
Nice to have a poem back.
lauraj said…
You can never have too much Mary Oliver.
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the inspiration!
rev h-d said…
Inspiring poem and a reference to Fraggle Rock? Perhaps both could blend into a sermon. It could preach!

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