Springtime

Almost 5 years ago, my husband’s birthday fell on Easter weekend. For a minister, there couldn’t be worse timing! I began seeking a way to make his birthday meaningful in the midst of all the busyness of Easter season.

At that time in our lives, we celebrated a Seder meal on the Saturday night before Easter with some of our closest friends. Seder is the Jewish Passover feast. These friends introduced me to the idea of a Christian celebration of Passover. It became one of the most meaningful events in my year. Traditional Seder is a family celebration around the dinner table. The story of the Passover is told through the symbols of food. These friends were our family in that city and I told them about my desire to honor my husband’s birthday. We all decided that Seder was a great time to do it. Bob, one of our friends, set himself to researching Jewish birthday traditions in the spirit of Seder.

He discovered a Jewish tradition of claiming a Psalm each year. In fact, the tradition states that your age is the number Psalm that is yours for the year. You meditate on it, love it and wrestle with it for a year. The moment for my husband was beautiful, affirming and meaningful! Just what I was hoping for.

The unexpected part of that moment was that I have claimed that tradition for my own. Each year I rest in “my Psalm” for an entire year. I think I might have mentioned that I turned 30 back in February. While I was not dreading that birthday at all, the 8 weeks since have been a nightmare! Because of all that has gone on in our lives during that time, I had not had time to claim my Psalm.

Please don’t misunderstand me. There is not a sacred ceremony to claiming it or anything. But I do like to have a quiet moment to read it for the first time that it is mine. I want to savor the first time I read those words as my own and wonder about all God will do in the next year of my life. I finally had my moment on Sunday.

My soul has been feeling like my yard and flower beds look: like winter. The grass is dead and brown, still waiting for warmer weather to wake it up. The only things living in the yard are fire ants! My flower bed is empty of meaningful blooms and full of nasty weeds. I am in need of spring. I long for warmth to return to my heart. I want the weeds gone and beautiful spring blooms to fill my mind. I desperately desire to shake off winter and welcome new growth.

Here is my Psalm for the year. Feel free to make it yours if you can feel the sun in its words and a warm wind in the movement of phrases.

Psalm 30
1 I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.

3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave;
you spared me from going down into the pit.

4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.

5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."

7 O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

8 To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:

9 "What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help."

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.