Seeing Creation

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in eastern Kentucky.  I spent a couple of hours photographing the gorgeous fall foliage along Highway 23 in Pike and Letcher County.   I wouldn’t call this autumn a great year for foliage but there certainly are a number of beautiful spots, as you can see from the pictures I’ve included here.  One of the things that intrigued me yesterday while I was standing on the side of the road was how no one else stopped and looked.  People were zooming by at breakneck speed.  I wondered if they even noticed the incredible beauty that was there on both sides of the highway.  Several years ago the country group Alabama had a song which repeated the words “I’m in a hurry and don’t know why” several times.  It would seem that could be our world’s theme song.  Yes, we all seem to be in a hurry and I’m not sure we even know why. 

I have no doubt that our hurriedness is causing us to miss a lot of wonderful blessings.  There’s no way the people who drove by me yesterday going 60 miles per hour could have seen the things I did when I stopped my car and got out to look.  In fact, even after I stopped and looked things over it took me a while to see some of the compositions I ended up photographing.  Being in a hurry is not conducive to good photography; nor is it good for seeing and experiencing God’s blessings in Creation and the rest of our lives.   Somehow, someway, we have got to learn to slow down. 

As you read the Gospels you get the impression that Jesus never got in a hurry.  There were a number of occasions when people tried to get him to do certain things and he either refused or said it wasn’t time yet.  Jesus definitely marched to the beat of a different drummer.  He did not let the world dictate his pace.  Instead, he let his heavenly Father do that.

I may do a decent job of slowing down to capture beautiful images with my camera but in other areas of my life I am doing far too much rushing.  I multitask far more than I should and I hurry to and fro when there’s really no reason to.  Like many other people I need to slow down.  I need to quit letting the world dictate my pace and listen more closely for the beat of the Creator’s drum.  How about you?

–Chuck

Earlier this week I had to make a trip to Tennessee to preside at a funeral.  The road trip was an enjoyable one because the parkway and interstate I travelled were lined with beautiful trees showing off their fall foliage.  It truly was a marvelous sight to behold.  I found myself offering thanks for trees time and time again.  The trip also caused me to think of the important role trees play in the Bible.

Trees play an important part in many different places in the Scriptures.  This is certainly true in the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis.  In the first account of Creation (chapter 1) fruit bearing trees are created on the third day and after humans are created on the sixth day God says “I give you…every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food.”  (v. 29)  In the second account of Creation (chapter 2) we read, “And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.”  (v. 9)  After this we are told “In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”  The first humans were prohibited to eat from the latter but in Genesis 3 we read that both Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit and sin became a part of man’s and earth’s story.  Because of the first couple’s rebellion they were expelled from the Garden of Eden.  Genesis 3:24 appears to indicate that one reason for this expulsion was to deny them access to the tree of life.

The “tree of life” reenters the Biblical story in the Book of Revelation.  In the last chapter of the Bible the tree of life is shown to be a part of the New Jerusalem that will come at the end of time.  John writes, “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.  And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.  No longer will there be any curse.” (22:2-3)  It appears quite significant that the tree of life is part of the story of both “paradise lost” and “paradise found.”

Between the two appearances of the “tree of life” there is another very important tree mentioned.  It, too, might be called the “tree of life” for this is the “tree” upon which Jesus Christ was crucified.  I realize that most people do not associate the cross with a tree but the biblical writers and early Christians certainly did.  First Peter 2:24 says Jesus “himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”  The apostle Paul makes the same association in Galatians 3:13.  The Cross of Calvary is clearly seen to be the tree of life or salvation.

Several years ago Shel Silverstein wrote a delightful book called The Giving Tree.  It’s the story of how a tree gave and gave of itself.  As we look at the role of trees in the Bible it is clear that God really did make them for giving.  They provide us fruit and nuts.  They lend shade for us when it is hot and they also operate as nature’s pollution fighter.  Trees supply wood for buildings and fuel for heat.  They also furnish a feast for the eyes—something made especially manifest in autumn. 

As you get a chance to observe the trees around you I hope you’ll offer thanks to God for the gift of trees.  They truly are life giving.  I also hope you’ll allow the trees you see to remind you of the life giving tree found in the Cross of Jesus and of the “tree of life” that awaits his followers at the end of time.  When it comes to trees, we really do have a lot to be thankful for!

–Chuck

(I took the top and bottom images in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.  The middle picture was taken in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.)

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines the word “abstract” a number of different ways.  Two of the definitions are: “considered apart from concrete existence or a specification thereof” and “not easily understood; abstruse.”  The word “abstract” is also used to describe a type of photography.  Abstract photos tend to be more creative or contemplative than straightforward.   Some people like abstract images, others don’t.  While visiting a quaint fishing village in Maine a couple of weeks ago I worked on some abstract images.  I had a chance to do so again last night when I paid a visit to a nearby state park.   I happen to like abstract images.  To me there is something soulful about them, and I mean that literally.  Abstract images often speak to or come from the soul.

Having had a chance to do some abstract photography recently has made me think about the various ways we see the world, ways we see Creation.  A book both Rob and I have been reading lately is Richard Rohr’s The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See.  In this fascinating work Rohr suggests that there are three primary ways of seeing things.  He identifies the first eye as “the eye of the flesh” which takes in thought and sight.  The second eye is “the eye of reason,” which includes meditation or reflection.  The third eye is “the eye of true understanding” or contemplation.  Rohr goes on to define contemplation as “an exercise in keeping your heart and mind spaces open long enough for the mind to see other hidden material.”

Abstract photography seems to be served by the third eye.  As I grow older (and hopefully wiser) I am seeing more and more the importance of a non-dualistic approach to life.  Rohr believes too many people see things only dualistically.  It’s either all or nothing, black or white, up or down, right or wrong, etc.  We truly do need a third set of eyes for the world God has created is far more complex and multi-layered than any of us could ever imagine.  There is always far more going on than we realize.  We simply have to be humble and acknowledge that we don’t see everything or know it all.

In abstract pictures things do not always make sense; they cannot easily be explained.  Still, they can be quite beautiful.  Likewise, much in the world and in our lives do not make sense.  That, however, does not mean that there is no beauty even in those “abstract” areas.  Increasingly it is becoming apparent to me that I need to be open to seeing things from different viewpoints.  I need to be willing to look through lenses that may not be comfortable at first.  If God is all the Scriptures say He is, then it should not surprise us at all that we will need many different sets of eyes to behold His beauty, majesty and glory.  There is a mysterious side to God that we cannot deny.  For some reason, taking abstract photographs reminds me of this important truth on a regular basis.

–Chuck

(I took the top two images at Jenny Wiley State Park yesterday evening.  The bottom picture was taken a couple of weeks ago at Lubec, Maine.)

This past Sunday I preached a message called “Our Foremost Duty.”  The text for my message was Psalm 148.  In this beautiful psalm the psalmist plays a role similar to an orchestra director.  He motions to the sun and says it’s time to praise the Lord.  He next turns to the moon and indicates that it is the moon’s turn to praise the Lord.  Following the sun and the moon the psalmist motions to the sea creatures, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, the mountains and all hills, the trees and wild animals and tells them likewise to praise the Lord.  Finally, the psalmist turns to humans—rich and poor, young and old—and beckons them to praise the Lord.

After the psalmist called all of Creation to praise the Lord he goes on to say why.  He says we should all praise God “for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.” (v. 13)  Everything that has been created is to praise God because He alone is worthy of praise.  The Creator is far greater than the Creation for “he commanded and they were created.” (v. 5)  Because of His greatness God is worthy of our praise and worship.  In fact, the Bible indicates that praising God is our foremost duty. 

There are a couple of things I’d like to emphasize about this ultimate call to worship.  First, the psalmist includes humans in his long list from Creation.  We are no different from the rest of Creation in our obligation to praise God.  Old Testament scholar James L. Mays says, “We human beings are one with all beings in our relation to One whose name alone is exalted and whose majesty is above earth and heaven.”  It truly is important that we remember our oneness with the rest of Creation.  Our failure to do so has resulted in many destructive practices.

Second, somehow, someway, the rest of Creation praises God with or without us.  Some may see the psalmist’s call to those other than humans as being fanciful or symbolic, but there appears to be more to it than that.  The psalmist is quite serious in this call to worship.  Concerning this James Mays says “The creation and the creatures praise in their very being and doing, by existing and filling their assigned place.”  The sun by shining praises God.  The winds by blowing praise God.  Mountains and hills praise God just by being there.

Mays sees in Psalm 148 a unique role for humans.  He believes humans “are given the praise with which to voice the unspoken praise of all creation.  Praise is their place and purpose.  In the praise of the people of the Lord, the name that is the truth about the entire universe is spoken on behalf of the rest of creation.”  Personally, I’m not so sure the rest of Creation doesn’t have its own voice to offer praise but if Mays is correct then our duty to praise God is even greater than most of us have realized.  We are responsible for giving voice to all the trees and plants, birds, fish and animals, the hills and mountains, the oceans and deserts.  If we don’t offer God our praise, we let Creation down. 

There are many ways today we do, in fact, let Creation down.  In some of these ways we may not have a lot of personal control.  In this area we do.  Each of us has the ability to praise and worship God and no one can stop us from doing so.  So for God’s sake, and that of Creation, let’s just praise the Lord!

–Chuck

(The pictures used above are some I took yesterday here in southeast Kentucky.)

There’s a wonderful filter nature photographers use called a polarizer.  Like polarizing sunglasses they cut glare.  This filter can be useful in a number of different situations.  They can make clouds stand out in a sky, make the colors of fall foliage look more saturated, and removed unwanted glare on subjects.  I used my polarizer to do each of these things on my recent trip to New England.  In the picture you see to the left I used a polarizer to cut the glare on the surface of a tide pool so that the items below would be visible.  Without a polarizer you would not be able to see the subject as clearly, as seen in the image below where the subject is only slighltly polarized. 

In this blog Rob and I talk often about the possibility of seeing God more clearly in Creation.  As I was photographing the tide pools in Acadia National Park I found myself thinking it would be nice if we had some kind of spiritual filter comparable to a polarizer, something that would help us see God below the surface of things.  Perhaps there is such a filter.  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8)   When our hearts are pure we are able to see through the glare created by sin or impurity and see God much more clearly.

I know it’s not a popular thing to talk about sin but the Bible reveals that sin affects each of our lives.  The apostle Paul said, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)  He also indicated that “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  It would appear that another one of sin’s “wages” is glare.  Sin keeps us from seeing God in both Creation and others.  It clouds our vision and prohibits a clear view God.

If we want to see more of God we can help ourselves by dealing with the sin we find in our lives.  We will also benefit by striving for a pure heart, one that is truly focused on Christ.  The result will be a truly “blessed” life, one where we are able to see God where we could not before. 

–Chuck

(I took the three images above last week at a tide pool near Otter Cove in Acadia National Park.)

This past Sunday Pat O’Hara and I stopped by the visitor center at Acadia National Park. Along the path to the center there are a number of interpretive signs. One in particular caught my eye because it included my favorite saying by John Muir. (You can see a portion of the sign above.) As I read the quote I told Pat “There’s something missing.” For some reason the National Park Service chose to leave out the words “and pray in”. Those words belong where you see the “…”. Pat suggested we type the missing words and tape them on the sign. Perhaps we should have.

It does bother me that the the three words are missing. It bothers me because I feel just as strongly as John Muir did that the beauty of Creation is meant to lead us into communion with God. I feel that places of beauty are conducive to prayer. They certainly are for me.

This week as I have enjoyed the beauty of Acadia National Park I have found myself time and time again offering praise to my Creator for the wonders of nature. I have felt close to my Savior as I’ve walked the trails and stood upon the rocks overlooking the ocean. I have uttered the words “Thank you, Lord” countless times. Yesterday I spent some time at Otter Cove upon the recommendation of Rob. As I sat on the rocks I felt as though God were telling me that He was my Rock of refuge, my strong foundation, and the source of my strength. I was reminded that Christ is the “solid rock upon which I stand” and that “all other ground is sinking sand.” The beauty of Otter Cove ushered me into a sweet time of prayer.

There’s just something about natural places of beauty that move me spiritually, and I know I am not the only one. Muir was exactly right; we all need such places “to play in and pray in.” We need “places where nature
may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul.” That is one reason why I am such a supporter of our national parks and wilderness areas. We need them not just to protect ecosystems, wildlife and unique geographical locations but so that we might have a place to retreat to–beautiful places where we can feel God’s nearness and pray.

I really don’t know why the National Park Service felt it necessary to remove the three words from Muir’s quote. Perhaps it was an effort to be “politically correct,” though I hardly think many, if any, would find the words offensive. Regardless, their omission did not lessen my inclination to pray in Acadia National Park and I would like to think that will be true for others as well.

–Chuck

 (I took the bottom two pictures yesterday at Otter Cove in Acadia National Park.)