In the rhythm of the church year, the season of Pentecost is a slow waltz. This season, which lasts from the Day of Pentecost in early spring all the way to Advent in late fall, is marked by slow and steady growth. It has a specific feeling to it just like that distinctive 3 note phrase that defines a waltz. Listen (below) to one of the most famous waltz’: The Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss II. Our bodies immediately recognize it, swaying to the music. It is intuitive. There is something beautiful and soothing in the consistent rhythm. Such are also the long stretch of days in the Season of Pentecost. The summer days stretch out before us with their own rhythm, their own pace. If we allow ourselves to relax into it, we find times of rest in the midst of busyness. What is it for you that makes the pace of summer distinctive? Is it sitting outside with your morning coffee watching creation begin her day? Is it the evenings filled with long shadows as the sun inches its way down the horizon? Each day ebbs and flows into the next, like a story that continues to reveal itself.
The creators of our ancient liturgy have captured this and we experience this same divine flow in worship during the long season of Pentecost. At Faith we are following the story of David in the Old Testament readings. We hear of God’s grace each week as David’s story unfolds bit by bit. We don’t rush through it. We inch along like the setting sun, noting the subtle changes of both story and sky.
Great music is marked by its complexity. A waltz may repeat a simple 3 note phrase but it is surrounded by layers; layers of melody and interpretation which speak to the complexity inside each one of us. We sway to a waltz because we feel it. We also feel the movement of this long season: the gentle sway of rebirth towards the majesty of full bloom and then ultimately circling back to rest. We are responding to divine rhythms that ebb and flow in and through us, as our own complex story unfolds.
So as you sip your morning coffee and live into the simple moments of summer, remember that God’s grace surrounds you in the complexity within. Sway to the rhythm of the season.
The creators of our ancient liturgy have captured this and we experience this same divine flow in worship during the long season of Pentecost. At Faith we are following the story of David in the Old Testament readings. We hear of God’s grace each week as David’s story unfolds bit by bit. We don’t rush through it. We inch along like the setting sun, noting the subtle changes of both story and sky.
Great music is marked by its complexity. A waltz may repeat a simple 3 note phrase but it is surrounded by layers; layers of melody and interpretation which speak to the complexity inside each one of us. We sway to a waltz because we feel it. We also feel the movement of this long season: the gentle sway of rebirth towards the majesty of full bloom and then ultimately circling back to rest. We are responding to divine rhythms that ebb and flow in and through us, as our own complex story unfolds.
So as you sip your morning coffee and live into the simple moments of summer, remember that God’s grace surrounds you in the complexity within. Sway to the rhythm of the season.
