Salvation Sound - May 2009

Posted on May 6, 2009

"March winds and April showers, bring forth May flowers."

"Cast not a clout 'till May be out."

"There are twelve months in all the year, as I hear many men say, But thy merriest month in all the year, is the merry month of May".

"Let no man boast himself that he has got through the perils of winter 'till at least the 7th of May."

"Green are the thoughts of youth and gardeners fingers;
Green is the happy memory that lingers;
Green is the weed grown seas unfathomed deep,
Green is the tropic jungles sweltered heat;
but greenest of all, though Englishmen Complain,

Is England's Springtime, grown from England's rain".

"Among the many buds proclaiming May, decking the fields in holiday array, Striving who shall surpass in braverie, Marke the faire flowering of the hawthorn tree, who finely clothed in a robe of white, fills full the wanton eye with May's delight."

To me May is not only a spring month - it is the herald of summer. That long awaited time when hedgerows are a living green as new life flows into our countryside. The woods hive carpets of anemones and wood sorrel, and the bluebells reflect the skies.

Bird song abounds, the buzz of bees and other insects can be heard. Nature is a timeless inspiration to artists, poets and composers. The artist can create a visual interpretation of his surroundings. The poet conjures a picture in rhyme. The composer notates his feelings in the sounds carried on the air.

Just think what a wonderful God we have who can create all of these things. Paul Gerhardt lived in the 17th century and wrote more than 100 hymns; one of them, "Holy Spirit, Scource of Gladness" contains these lines -

"Let that love which knows no measure
Now in quickening showers descend,
Bringing us the richest treasures
Man can wish or God can send".

A flower is a thing of lovliness. It contains sweet nectar, it gives forth a pleasing aroma; but its beauty and lifetime is very brief; the beauties of nature inspire and fill us with wonder, our world is full of things that bring us joy and pleasure, but true fulfillment only comes when Christ we love and treasure. Psalm: 103: 15-16-17. says,:

"As for us, our life is like grass, We grow and flourish like a wild flower; then the wind blows on it, and it is gone - no-one sees it again. But for those who honour the Lord, his love lasts forever."

Dostoyevsky wrote a book entitled "The Brothers Karamazov", it contained this passage. "Love all God's creation, the whole and every grain of sand in it. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants, everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things."

Source: Focus, May 2009