The Scent of Roses

(Beach Roses @ Sola Beach, Stavanger, Norway)

“The Roses”

By Mary Oliver

All afternoon I have been walking over the dunes,

hurrying from one thick raft of the wrinkled, salt

roses to another, leaning down close to their dark

or pale petals, red as blood or white as snow. And

now I am beginning to breathe slowly and evenly–

the way a hunted animal breathes, finally when it 

has galloped, and galloped–when it is wrung dry,

but, at last, is far away, so the panic begins to drain 

from the chest, from the wonderful legs, and the exhausted mind.

Oh sweetness pure and simple, may I join you?

I lie down next to them, on the sand. But to tell 

about what happens next, truly I need help.

Will somebody or something please start to sing?

~ 

Friends, two weeks ago I was in Stavanger, Norway for the Baptist World Alliance annual meetings. I was blessed with a few free days and the fickle, coastal Norwegian weather cooperated so that I was able to walk along the beach one day, dipping my toes in the Northern Sea. Like Rhode Island, the dunes there are lined with beach roses, filling the briny air with their vibrant, lemony scent.

I talk a lot about plants here, you might notice. The created world is a space for me where I feel especially close to our Creator, especially the ocean. So, you can imagine that time spent at Sola Beach was a holy time. If creation is a gift from God and if it is God’s Spirit that fills and enlivens all that is, it is no surprise that so many folks experience God amongst the trees and oceans, the flowers and clouds. 

Isaiah 35:1-2 reads:

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,

the desert shall rejoice and blossom;

like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,

and rejoice with joy and singing.

The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,

the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,

the majesty of our God.

Written to Israel during a time of great trial, the prophet Isaiah pointed them toward the hope and promise that God would again be present with them and that God would again bless them. Isaiah envisioned this as the greening of the desert. Having lived in the desert of Southern California (actually, it is a Mediterranean climate), I can envision the browns of the San Bernardino mountains turning vibrant green with the spring rains. Similarly, Isaiah proclaimed, after a time of trial, the blessings will come - just like after a season of drought the flowers will bloom. 

While we are not being held in political captivity like the ancient Israelites, we do still serve the same God who promised to bring the deserts to bloom. That God remains trustworthy - no matter what desert times we are in.

Friends, as you enjoy this wild jungle that Rhode Island has become after the past month of rain, I encourage you to take hope that the God who causes our gardens to grow is the same God who has promised life to us. Perhaps you will even smell our own beach roses as a sign of God’s ever abundant grace and you will start to sing.

Blessings,

Pastor Amy