Your servants, the bees

Friday, June 14, 2019

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
   and all your faithful shall bless you.  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
   and tell of your power, 
to make known to all people your^* mighty deeds.  (Psalm 145:1-12)

Your servants, the bees

I sit in the breezeway and watch the bees work their way through lavender blossoms of catmint, sage some call it. They ignore me, and even though they are but 10 feet away, I do not fear them though they number in the dozens.

They are too busy to concern themselves with one human observer of their tireless work. They gather sweet nectar and pollinate creation’s goodness so that I can sit here each morning and be carried away by the myriad diversity of exquisite colors and an extraordinary universe that bursts with life everywhere I look.

Their labor calls to mind a few words from the Easter Vigil liturgy that always makes me smile … even laugh. Sometimes weep.

The writers of that ancient prayer thank the Holy One for the burning candle, a pillar of flame signifying the breaking of death’s power, fed by the melting wax which “your servants, the bees” have provided.

I give thanks for the bees on their morning mission. They carry me into awareness that we live in a universe where everything belongs, everything has a place, and everything has a role to play in a great and holy work, called life.

All that I survey in my morning ruminations makes the life I live and love possible … and beautiful … and filled with hope. The bees and the innumerable processes of nature that surround go about their business, serving the divine Creator’s great work, paying me no mind, yet blessing me every moment.

So I thank you, O Lord, for everything that blesses and gives us life. Thank you for every hand that has touched and cared for me in these days when medical challenges reveal how profoundly I am dependent on the expertise, the skill and the common human goodness of others.

Thank you especially for your servants, the bees, who tell that we each have a part to play to make life real and good, beautiful and bountiful. May I be as faithful as they, loving all you are, all you have made… and doing my small part.

Pr. David L. Miller