Trinitytide, An Evensong

Evening comes late, yet even the darkened earth refuses to shake off the moist heat hanging over the backyard. It is as though the Lord has spread a warm wool blanket over the earth and all His creatures. Even the oppressive heat of the day cannot remove our enlightened spirits as we pray evening prayer. Nor can the setting sun and enveloping darkness overcome the sparkles of stars descending upon our backyard. These stars descend upon my family and me in the backyard: the lightning bugs have arrived. It’s Trinitytide. “O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth stand in awe of him.” 

Doves continue their love songs, cooing back and forth. Slowly their whimsical tales of love fade into the early evening as the Southern pines emerge with the cascade of cicadas picking up in their rhythm and subsequently abating. Back and forth. The echoes of God’s creation surround us. “O Lord, open thou our lips. And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.” 

Between the ever-prevalent and evergreen pines rises the maples and oaks. The Japanese maples are finally shedding their maroon color and transforming – transfiguring – into a perfect green. Everywhere it is green. Life is everywhere. The Trinity is everywhere. “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.” 

Dusk is only moments before us as the fading moments of the sun pour over the mountain behind us and dip into the valley below. The weeping willow bows her mighty limbs and branches as an offering to the Lord as if she is singing with the Blessed Virgin and all the Church during evensong, “For he hath regarded * the lowliness of his handmaiden.” 

Lightning bugs become more numerous, and the added light is a welcome reminder that though the sunlight fades, the light of God’s presence remains forever. Such wonderful little creatures dance, or almost float, upon the evening sky and flash their reminders that Christ is present. A flash to my right, another on my left, now several in my periphery. Yes, these little insects remind us that the Blessed and Holy Trinity sent our Lord “To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, * and to be the glory of thy people Israel.” 

Night nearly settles upon the earth and the warm blanket of evening has just the slightest coolness to it. Had the Lord God planted the Garden in the South, this would be “the cool of the day” in which He would have walked the earth. There is a quietness and stillness now to the evening. “LORD, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, * according to thy word.” 

The night is tranquil. The sound of the tree frogs and crickets brings a joyful noise of peace that is lost in the hurriedness and busyness of the day. It is tempting to worry about the cares of tomorrow instead of remaining still this night, this moment, with the Lord. “Give peace in our time, O Lord. * For it is thou, Lord, only, that makest us dwell in safety.”  

Safety, peace, and security from the perils of tomorrow are what we need. The worries of tomorrow are the demon’s tools for the darkness. Yet in the midst of darkness, our Lord God created on the first day. Therefore, “[l]ighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; …” 

The rest we seek is in the open arms of the Blessed Trinity. Where we were once sinners, now we find grace. Once we were unloved in the day and we sought shelter in the dark deeds of our hearts, yet now we find love and light amidst the darkness. In the crowded streets of the city we were completely alone, but now we have fellowship with our very Maker. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.”