“Bells in Her Spirit Rang New Changes”

 

This quote from a poem by Denise Levertov ‘rings true’ to my experience these days.  Not only am I hearing bells in my spirit, I am hearing them everywhere!  Because of the winter starkness of the trees in my backyard I am able to hear the bells of a nearby church.  Everyday the bells toll the hour, but on Sundays the bells play hymns.  I had my own private worship experience on my back deck a few weeks ago as I sat with my cat and sang the words to every hymn the bells rang out.  The bells invited me to a “Sweet Hour of Prayer” and encouraged me to “Take Time to be Holy.”  They also reminded me of God’s “Amazing Grace.”

 

In medieval times people did not wear watches and the way they knew the time of day was by hearing the bells of the church.  The bells actually were calling monks to prayer.   This is where the term ‘hallowing the day’ originates.   The hours of the day were hallowed—made holy—by the bells’ reminder that it was time to pray.

 

Cistercian Monk, Thomas Merton, had this to say about bells:  “Bells are meant to remind us that God alone is good, that we belong to God, that we are not living for this world.  They break in on our cares in order to remind us that all things pass away and that our preoccupations are not important.  They speak to us of our freedom, which responsibilities and transient cares make us forget.  They are the voice of our alliance with the God of heaven.  They tell us we are God’s true temple.  They call us to peace with God within ourselves.”

 

I agree with Merton.  Not only do bells remind us that we are God’s.  They also call us to different things.  They call us to prayer, to worship, to celebrate and to gather.  Bells remind us that other people are praying and worshipping and celebrating all over our community and the whole world.  Bells join us to one another.

 

They signal when our prayer is ended or they send us out into the world when our worship is ended. Sometimes their call is a warning that danger may be near by.  And sometimes bells signal our loss or sorrow.

 

The bells I hear these days remind me of the work God is doing in my life.  The bells of my spirit are ringing new changes.  I would encourage you to listen for bells in the days ahead.  Maybe there is a church near the place where you work or live.  Your bell could be a wind chime or a decoration.  Ask yourself, “What are these bells calling me to?  What are they reminding of?”  How are these bells inviting me to ‘hallow’ my day, my life?

 

In the midst of those questions listen for the bells of your spirit calling you to  risk change.  Calling you to sing in ways you’ve never sung before.