22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

​Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise my love, my fair one and come away.

Sounds like paradise, doesn’t it? A garden after a refreshing rain. A new season of flowers and fruits and singing, from people and birds! The senses are alive, delighted by all they see, hear, smell, and feel. 

Can we get back to the garden? To the place we were created for?

We are blessed to have some outstanding gardeners in our community here, and they readily share the fruits of their labors. It seems we all have the desire for these beautiful flowers and gardens, whether we have a green thumb or not. There is a longing there, possibly deep down, to get back to paradise, to the original garden, to beauty and peace and love.

Can we get back to the garden?

Come and gather for worship. Sunday morning at 10:00am in-person or online.
 
Readings: Readings: Song of Solomon 2:8-13. Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9. James 1:17-27.   Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

About the art:  20th century. Artist: Claudio Pastro. Song of Solomon - “Arise my love…and come away…” A mural in the Virgin’s Monastery in Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
From Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.

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