Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.                 -Psalm 1:1-3
 
These are days of change and transition for many among us.  The Castine community has weathered significant loss in the last several days; grief is a time of profound change and transition as our hearts and lives adapt to the absence of someone dear. 
 
These are days of seasonal transition, too.  The wave of late-summer flowers is ebbing.  It smells like fall in the aspen groves along the trails at Witherle Woods.  And the college students are back, with all of their youthful exuberance, while some of our beloved seasonal residents are preparing to pack up and head off to winter homes.
 
Change is all around.
 
And maybe that’s why the opening verses of Psalm 1 are resonating so deeply in my heart this week: they speak a profound wisdom in times of change and transition.  However much our lives may change, God is a constant – the bedrock, the quiet center, the perennial stream into which our roots sink deep. 

And so I invite you, this week, to simply be awhile in God’s presence.  Resist the pull of frenetic motion.  Ignore that voice telling you that you’re too busy to be still.  Find a quiet place to sit.  Get comfortable.  Breathe.  Notice your shoulders: if they’re up around your ears, let them drop.  Breathe some more.  And then, as your breath continues to move in and out of your lungs – lungs whose branching tubes and alveoli, I might add, bear a striking resemblance to a tree’s roots – try repeating this prayer. 
 
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
 
Grace and peace,
 
Pastor Andi

Drawing of the root system of Norway spruce, from a remarkable collection of root system drawings at Wageningen University (https://images.wur.nl/digital/collection/coll13).  I highly recommend a visit to the site, as a warm-up to meditating on this psalm!