“God made Sun and Moon to distinguish seasons, and day, and night, and we cannot have the fruits of the earth but in their seasons: But God hath made no decree to distinguish the seasons of his mercies; In paradise, the fruits were ripe, the first minute, and in heaven it is alwaies Autumne, his mercies are ever in their maturity.” John Donne
Growing up I read the above words in a framed reflection by John Donne my parents hung by our dining table. I loved the way some words were preserved in the spelling of John Donne’s time. But I also loved the image of God’s mercies ever in maturity. It gave me a different perspective on the season of Fall. Rather than just seeing the season as the end of a great summer, or the warning that a cold winter was coming, John Donne painted for me a picture of Autumne as being the illustration of God’s fullness. That has remained with me as I enjoy the season. And I believe I enjoy it even more now. Getting out in the garden harvesting the later vegetables and fruits provides moments of listening to the birdsong watching the leaves fall to the ground while bringing in the produce for preserving. Just holding a tree-ripened apple in hand has that sense of the fullness of God’s providence. (And by the way, the forbidden fruit in the Bible was not an apple!)
Over time John Donne’s reflection has continued to inform my perspective, especially as a pastor. It has only been in my own maturity that the later part of his reflection has held deeper wisdom. Let me share. Donne writes: “He brought light out of darknesse, not out of lesser light; he can bring thy Summer out of Winter, though thou have no Spring; though in the ways of fortune, or understanding, or conscience, thou have been benighted till now, wintred and frozen, clouded and eclypsed, damped and benummed, smothered and stupefied till now, and God comes to thee, not as in the dawning of a new day, not as in the bud of the spring, but as Sun at noon to illustrate all shadowes, as the sheaves in harvest, to fill all penuries, all occasions invite his mercies, and all times are his seasons.”
In my work I have met with, prayed with, and petitioned God on behalf of people who have expressed feeling “wintred and frozen, clouded and ecylpsed, damped and benummed.” We all know that there are occasions and incidents of life and death that can smother our sense of hope and joy. In particular right now so many people are daily facing more than they can bear alone. What I hear in Donne’s reflection is what I hear in the Word of God even more than in the Book of Nature, and that is that God is able to enter our moments and transform our experience of them. The simple phrase in Donne’s reflection, “and God comes to thee,” holds the promise that carries us forward. It reminds me of the promise heard in the Bible from Genesis to Isaiah to the very words of Jesus, “I am with you.” That promise delivers the assurance, which provides the strength to face those things, which may have you “benighted till now.” With the presence of God however we are not alone. God is with you. So I commend this truth to you which we read in the Autumne colors of the Book of Nature and which the Book of God’s Word makes plain, “God comes to thee.”
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This month our contributor is Reverend Mark Ditmanson of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais.
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