One cold January in the early 1990's, when I was serving as a youth minister at New Haven United Methodist Church, we made a float out of chicken wire and white tissue paper. It was a dove that we pulled on a trailer behind a truck during the Martin Luther King, Jr. parade in Tulsa.
Except that a winter wind made the parade less than pleasant. To make matters worse, driving our float through town to get to the start of the parade route left the dove looking like a skeleton of itself after leaving behind a trail of tissue paper. It looked more like a bomber than a dove when we crossed the finish line of the parade.
This is ironic in that the dove is supposed to be a symbol of peace.
In today's reading, the dove is symbolic of the reconciliation of humanity with the land. Noah and his family were ready to leave the ark and take up residence on the earth again when the dove failed to return signifying the dawn of a new day.
The dove represents the Holy Spirit at the baptism of Jesus.
Mark 1:10 remarks, "And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him."
This signifies to the reader the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. Just as the dove signaled a new start for Noah, it also signals a new beginning - a new vocation - for Jesus.
As we continue in Lent, it is good for us to think about new beginnings. What new start would you hope to celebrate in your life this year?
a prayer to the Spirit as dove
Holy Spirit,
when Jesus Christ
came up out of the waters of baptism,
the sky lit up with the voice of the Father
and you—you alit on Christ in the form of a dove.
when Jesus Christ
came up out of the waters of baptism,
the sky lit up with the voice of the Father
and you—you alit on Christ in the form of a dove.
You descended not as an eagle,
powerful and regal;
not as a hawk,
keen-eyed and quick;
not as a sparrow,
flitting to and fro;
but a dove.
powerful and regal;
not as a hawk,
keen-eyed and quick;
not as a sparrow,
flitting to and fro;
but a dove.
You descended upon Christ as a meek bird,
the sort of bird that the poorest of the poor
could afford to offer as a sacrifice,
the sort of bird that the poorest of the poor
could afford to offer as a sacrifice,
with wings full of peace and hope, too,
like the dove who returned to Noah
after six straight weeks of unrelenting rain,
with a sprig of olive in her beak,
extending the hope of life once again.
like the dove who returned to Noah
after six straight weeks of unrelenting rain,
with a sprig of olive in her beak,
extending the hope of life once again.
When you alit on Christ at his baptism,
full of meekness and innocence,
you anointed him for a ministry
not of royal power
or military might,
but of humility, hope, purity, peace.
full of meekness and innocence,
you anointed him for a ministry
not of royal power
or military might,
but of humility, hope, purity, peace.
Anoint us with those same gifts,
and send us out wise as serpents
and innocent as doves,
preparing the way for hope and peace.
and send us out wise as serpents
and innocent as doves,
preparing the way for hope and peace.
In the gentle, humble name of Jesus the Son, we pray,
Amen.
Amen.
Prayer by Grace Claus from her blog, Forsythia Root.
No comments:
Post a Comment