Keeping Watch in Silence
This is the song that has been playing in my mind all day: Thistle and Weeds by Mumford and Sons.
It begins in despair. The images of the homegrown video are evocative in their own way, yet it is the words that capture the grief, anguish and anxiety of this liturgical day.
It’s getting dark darling, too dark to see
And I’m on my knees, and your faith in shreds, it seems
Yet as the song builds, it reaches for the promise of something more.
I will hold on
I will hold on hope
and it urges a turning away from all that leads to destruction and despair. . . it invites the courage to practice resurrection.
I begged you to hear me, there’s more than flesh and bones
Let the dead bury the dead, they will come out in droves
But take the spade from my hands and fill in the holes you’ve made
This is the kind of song that has grown out of a dwelling in silence, a sacred space of some kind. Whether is was meant for Holy Saturday or not, it fits.
It is my prayer.
But plant your hope with good seeds
Don’t cover yourself with thistle and weeds
Rain down, rain down on me
