May the blessings of the poet be with us as we are carried beyond the face of fear

Two-time Pulitzer prize nominee and Poet Laureate of my home state of Maryland, Lucille Clifton, offered us clear and metaphorical imagery and words to make sense of our hopes and our days—and this particular poem has been sitting with me again lately:

blessing the boats by Lucille Clifton

(at St. Mary’s)

may the tide

that is entering even now

the lip of our understanding

carry you out

beyond the face of fear

may you kiss

the wind then turn from it

certain that it will

love your back may you

open your eyes to water

water waving forever

and may you in your innocence

sail through this to that

St. Mary’s, the place that Clifton names at the start of the poem, is a small public liberal arts college on the Eastern Shore of Maryland not far from the land my mother’s family farmed for generations. I imagine that Clifton, a distinguished professor at St. Mary’s College, blessed not only the boats, but also her students, as they marked endings and beginnings and transitions of all kinds in their lives. 

We, too, are in a time of transitions—and isn’t that always true? Marking transitions is one of the intentional things we do at church. We take time and make space to say thank you and name with gratitude all that brought us to this particular moment or threshold. We let go of what no longer serves us and release resentments to grow in compassion, we recognize what is true in the moment, and we look ahead with hope together. My invitation in this time of transitions is simple: pick one or two or twelve of the transitions that are happening in this community or in your individual life, and mark that transition intentionally. Maybe you make sure to join us this Sunday as our 9th grade Coming of Age youth share their spiritual journeys with us. Maybe you come to the Budget Preview Meeting on Sunday at 11:30 to pay attention to the incredible investments in hope that so many have made to our Beloved Community, and to look ahead to what’s next. Maybe you make sure to get time on Rev. Ashley’s calendar for a conversation or send a note naming what she’s sparked in you before her ministry with us wraps up. Maybe you go to a child in your life’s end-of-year band concert or graduation or cheer them on as they cross the particular thresholds that matter to them. Maybe you do the same thing with a friend, a partner, an elder, yourself. 

In all of the transitions we mark, may the blessings of the poet be with us as we are carried beyond the face of fear, trusting that the wind will love our back as we sail through this to that. 

See you in church,

Rev. Jen