The Sounds of Spring

If you live near a baseball field that is in frequent use you are familiar with the sound of a well-hit ball coming off an aluminum bat. I happen to hear this often.  It is a sweet sound as one can envision the ball shooting off the batter's well-timed swing as it travels to it's destination in the outfield. At the same time working outside I also hear the birds chirping loudly in the breeze, singing their song of the delight in the afternoon stillness.

This all comes in the silence of the midday when I retreat outside.  It is the time when as the last words of the Gospel today mentions that Peter, James and John fell silent as they found Jesus alone. The voice of God saying, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him" had disappeared with Elijah and Moses.  Silence sometimes so deafening it causes us to reach instantly for a cell phone, turn on the TV, or find something to fill the void.  Yet this is not what God wants.  Hearing the sounds of the ball connecting with bat and the birds chirping is God.  These are God's creations. Yes these are all things good. Art Garfunkel is quoted in his explanation about the song, Sounds of Silence, that the song is about people's inability to communicate (Eliot, Marc (2010).  Although this seems quite true in our society of noise, I prefer listening to God in the silence of day and say "Praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of everliving God and  creator of all that is good."