In this time of increasing political tension – both here and in other parts of the world - it is good to be reminded of the power of words and how they can be linked to the beauty of the natural world. Pleasant or kind words “are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones”. Proverbs 16.24.

Some years ago, while conducting field research for my master’s thesis in Nepal, I worked very closely with Apris Cerana, the Asia honey bee. Just like William Paley’s vision of the watch, in my observation of bees, themselves and their creation of a hive, comb and honey, I saw the glory of God. But what particularly fascinated me was their sophistication in communicating with each other; how they “talked” to each other and using such methods as the miraculous “waggle” dance. using the dances almost as words of kindness and support. The bee’s waggle dance, and the buzzing sound which accompanies it, communicates from one bee to another the direction and distance to a flower patch rich in nectar, is a language so complex and so purposeful that it seemed to me that the Divine touch must be central to the bees and their existence. Also I sensed that the hive, made up of workers, drones and a queen, could not survive and prosper without each member working in unison with others in kind cooperation and using their productive, symbolic “language”. 

So I wonder today, particularly in times of political turmoil, whether we can remind ourselves, by contemplating each tiny bee community that that kindness and pleasant communication are the keys to co-operation and survival? There is no doubt that how we as humans communicate with each other matters. We must never forget that the power of the spoken word, uplifting language of encouragement and comfort can be “as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones” . Directed by the Spirit of God, language can change the hearts and minds of individuals and be like honey, sweet nourishment, inspiring how our “hive”, community and country operates. 

The Revd Charlotte Bannister-Parker

Associate Priest