Poquonnock Bridge Baptist Church

“Fire-Flowers”
By Pauline Johnson

And only where the forest fires have sped,
Scorching relentlessly the cool north lands,
A sweet wild flower lifts its purple head,
And, like some gentle spirit sorrow-fed,
It hides the scars with almost human hands.

And only to the heart that knows of grief,
Of desolating fire, of human pain,
There comes some purifying sweet belief,
Some fellow-feeling beautiful, if brief,
And life revives, and blossoms once again.

As we mark Earth Day this week, we see signs of spring blossoming around us, and we find hope in the promise that as the earth re-awakens, death gives way to life and God revives us again.

How we need the revival this poem proclaims…for a year we have tended to sorrows and scars, we have known grief and loss, we have missed one another, prayed for one another, and loved one another, knowing that one day we’d be together again in gentle spirit and “sweet belief.”

As you know we are planning and preparing to return to in-person Sunday morning worship while continuing to follow safety guidelines and pandemic protocol. Thank you for your quick responses and feedback; we are in the process of organizing the service for Sunday, May 23rd.

That will be the Day of Pentecost, the day we recall the coming of the Holy Spirit, arriving with the rush of wind and tongues of fire, with baptism like a dove and the birth of the early church. Usually we celebrate it as the birthday of the church; this year it will be the re-birth of a church.

For the next four weeks we will continue to post an audio recording of the service on our website, and please know that if you are not comfortable with returning to the sanctuary yet, you have our understanding, encouragement and blessing to continue listening from home.

May life be revived, may love blossom once again, and may God bless us in a Spirit of hope…
Pastor Claudine