Rhododendron's Bloom on the Hillside beside Norton United Methodist Church

-A Call to Faith-


Outside the window where I pray
a rhododendron blossom begins to open.
It’s flame-shaped bud rests on a platter of green
like a lotus, like a promise.
Soon it will unfold into a wild and exuberant beauty --
but not yet.
For now, it folds its hands in prayer and waits,
for rain, for warmth, for juices within,
for the fullness of time.
Such a blossom rises in you, child of God.
An extravagance of mystery hides within you,
a beauty undisclosed by the husk of your life.
It abides, curled and folded,
but whole and intense in its secret darkness.
Sit in the sun and rain and wait for it,
the sun unfolding from within you.
God blooming in you.
Let this be your prayer,
your promise, your confidence --
you, upon whom loving eyes look
in awe and devotion
from their window every morning.

A poem by Steve Garnaas-Holmes