May


Pastor’s Epistle—May, A.D. 2014 A
The Merry Month of May

Few of the warm weather months manage to convey the same sort of wistful romance that we find in, say, October or December. May might well be the exception.

May is the spring month par excellence. Everywhere we look we encounter flowers and fresh, living, blooming things. March still growls through winter’s teeth and April mires us in cold mud and rain, but with May the new season arrives in force. The root meaning of May is “growth,” and it seems to be the time when Mother Nature finally builds up enough head of steam to shake off her well-worn garment of ice and snow.

Several May Day traditions are probably familiar to some in the congregation. In olden days folks would hang May baskets on neighbors’ door handles, replete with fresh flowers and sweets. Each flower represented some sentiment, usually complimentary, though some saucier May baskets could include a rebuke. (Geraniums, for example, represented friendship, while lavender indicated distrust. Harsh.) On Walpurgis Night, the evening before May Day, the superstitious would pour a little milk on their doorsteps to reward the fairies—just the good ones, mind you. And washing one’s face in the dew before sunrise was said to bring youth and beauty.

Other May rituals include the infamous maypole so beloved by the English and so maligned by the Puritans of New England; and crowning a young girl as the Queen of May. I’ve never danced a maypole myself, but they’re making a comeback in America, especially at Renaissance fairs and the like. The old English were also quite fond of reading Shakespeare and fairy stories during the month of May. Double up with A Midsummer Night’s Dream or The Tempest.

The Church dedicates May to the loveliest flower in God’s garden: Mary, the Mother of God. Tradition holds that the entire month be a time of meditation upon and appreciation for the woman chosen to bear and to mother our Lord Jesus Christ. Little wonder, then, that Mother’s Day falls on the second Sunday in May. (Consider yourselves duly reminded, gentlemen.) St. Peter’s will be hosting some celebrations of our own, including our annual midweek banquet for graduating seniors and confirmands, followed by Confirmation Sunday. We’ll also have special guests from Gideons International and Thrivent, who will be offering temple talks at the end of worship, leading into further opportunities for discussion during our fellowship hour.

The last Sunday in May happens to be Rogation Sunday, when the Church blesses seed, soil, garden implements and the like. In previous years we’ve had special midweek vespers to celebrate the Major or Minor Rogations, climaxing in a procession about the parish grounds, beating the earth with brooms while reciting the Liturgy of the Saints! If you haven’t participated before, it’s a hoot. This year we’ll simply include the blessing and procession after regular Sunday worship (weather permitting), so bring any gardening or farming supplies that you’d like to have blessed, along with a broom from home. The earth ain’t gonna beat itself.

Welcome, beloved, to an entire month of Easter joys. God bless the merry month of May.

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