Seeing Creation

The Holiday Season is one of gift-giving, from Christmas to Hanukkah, and of course, as Christians, we know that the greatest gift of Christmas is the birth of Christ, God incarnate.

But what of God’s other great gift, this amazing, life-filled planet? As a naturalist and a Christian, I am sometimes dismayed at how other Christians treat this gift as if it were not very important. While Christ is extremely important to our lives, if you think about it, Christ would not matter at all if we did not have a place to live or if life was always a struggle to just stay alive.

Chuck has often talked about the “second book of God”, nature. Think about it. The Bible had to come through people and then translated for most of us. As my friend and pastor, Dr. Paul Spaulding says, the Bible is the word of God but it can never be the words of God because of translation, etc. But nature comes directly to us from God, not through any intermediary. And there really is no reason why nature has to be so amazing or so beautiful other than this is God’s creation — God can be seen as the ultimate artist.

And what a gift His art is. I think this goes way beyond icons like Yosemite or Yellowstone. There is amazing beauty in the smallest of landscapes, in the smallest of creatures, if we are simply open to it. And there is stunning beauty in the way the natural  world works in every ecosystem.

There is actually a lot of research now about how important nature is to us. Connecting with nature gives us an increased attention span, a better memory, reduced stress, an improved mood and greater creativity (sources for this research are in the December issue of Outside magazine). What wonderful gifts those are. Imagine if you could have gotten a gift of reduced stress, an improved mood and greater creativity under the Christmas tree. Yet those gifts are here for us at any time. And the research says that this is not about going to Yosemite or any other distant location. These gifts are freely available anywhere there is nature, including our own backyards if we are open to them. The images here are, from the top, a native bush poppy in my garden, a gulf frittilary butterfly caterpillar on a passion flower vine in my garden, and a simple swampy area in Maine in spring showing skunk cabbage.    – Rob

It’s Christmas Day.  I doubt that “all is calm, all is bright” or that everyone is enjoying the “white Christmas” they dreamed of.  Still, it is a wonderful day, one of the most wonderful days of the year.  It is wonderful, if for no other reason, because today we are all reminded of just how much God loves us.  John 3:16 declares, “For God so loved the world He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”  More than anything else, the message of Christmas confirms God’s love for the world.  His love was so great that He gave the best He had to offer.  He gave us His Son; He gave us Himself.

My hope this day is that all who read these words will know beyond the shadow of any doubt that they are loved.  You and I are loved unconditionally by the One who matters most and unlike the love of so many other people, God’s love is not fickle or undependable.  It is always there and always will be.  The gift of Jesus that first Christmas makes this clear.

It probably won’t surprise you that I feel that we should also pause to remember today not just God’s love for us but for all of the world—for all of Creation.  It would be egotistical of us to assume that the love of God that caused Him to send Jesus only included humans.  The Bible affirms from beginning to end God’s love for the entire world.  And I, along with many others, would also argue that the salvation made possible through Jesus Christ also affects more than just mankind.  God’s redemptive plan is cosmic in nature.  In Romans 8 Paul talks about how God’s plan includes “that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (v. 21)

Just as God’s love for us causes us to look differently at ourselves, God’s love for the rest of Creation should cause us to look differently at it.  We should see its goodness and worth.  It has both whether we recognize it or not for God has already established this.  If, however, we can recognize the goodness  andvalue of Creation to God we might do more to love it ourselves.  This would include not just spending more time enjoying Creation’s beauty and wonders but also attempting to preserve and protect what God has made and deemed good.

Today we should all celebrate God’s love for us but let us not forget to remember His love for the rest of the world too.  Perhaps one way we can show our appreciation to God for His gift of love expressed in Jesus is to show our love for the rest of the world by treating it better.  Merry Christmas and God bless!

–Chuck

(I took the top and bottom pictures at Yellowstone National Park.  I captured the middle image at Pine Mountain State Park in eastern Kentucky.)

The winter solstice is once again upon us.  This is a day that has been celebrated for centuries.   The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year.  Once it passes the hours of daylight slowly begin to lengthen.  Ancient people found this as cause for celebration.  They were reminded each year at this time that darkness would not prevail.   Many people believe that Christmas came to be celebrated this time of year for the same reason.  We do not know for a fact what month Christ was born.  Some scholars believe it likely occurred in the spring rather than at the start of winter but the date of December 25 may well have been chosen to coincide with the winter solstice because the message of Christmas likewise declares that darkness will not prevail.

Long before Jesus came the prophet Isaiah wrote, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2)  This prophecy has been linked with Christ for centuries.  His coming brought light to the world, a light that darkness cannot extinguish.   Jesus himself said “I am the light of the world.”  (John 9:5)  Reflecting on Jesus the author of the Fourth Gospel said, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)

Darkness can be a scary thing both literally and figuratively.  We all know that darkness often conveys the idea of danger.  It can also be a metaphor for despair.  Darkness pretty much describes what life is like apart from Christ.  Without him things are gloomy.  Without Jesus there is little hope.  Without Christ we live in “the shadow of death.”  If I had to describe in one word what my life would be like apart from Jesus I could think of no more appropriate word than “darkness.”

As the winter solstice approaches and the celebration of Christmas draws near I give thanks that into this world of darkness “a light has dawned.”  I rejoice knowing that because of what God did that first Christmas long ago darkness does not have the final word.  Even though there is still plenty of darkness in the world I remain confident that this darkness will not prevail because that child born in Bethlehem truly was and is “the light of the world.”

–Chuck

(I took the top image of Skylight Cave in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.  I took the bottom image at Sequoia National Park.)

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14

Even though I was a history major in college I do not consider myself much of a historian.  Still, I do remember that at the time of Christ many Greeks believed that matter was evil.  Only things related to the spirit were considered good.  This philosophy affected many early Christians.  There was the belief among some early followers that the body and all things material were corrupt.  One can only imagine how those holding such a view looked at the natural world.

Today we can say with confidence that the material world is not evil.  We know from Genesis 1 that the world was created by God and that He declared it “good.”  But even if we didn’t have this passage, the birth of Christ also makes the same positive affirmation.  How so?  Simply by His willingness to take on human flesh in the Incarnation God affirms the goodness of the material world and Creation.

Although you rarely hear people declaring the material world evil these days there are still many who make a clear distinction between things sacred and secular.  After the coming of Christ I am not sure that even this is a valid distinction.  The coming of Jesus as Emmanuel—God with us—reveals the truth that the divine presence permeates all of the world.  As Emmanuel, God remains present in and around us.  This means that if we truly have eyes to see then we will discern His presence in Creation and in those around us.  Jesus himself said “the kingdom of God is in your midst.”  If we look closely we will see it all around us.

While I was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a couple of weeks ago I had a chance to spend some time at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.  In additions to her delightful paintings, the museum displays a number of sayings from the famous artist.  O’Keeffe once said, “seeing takes time.”  When it comes to seeing the divine in this present world it does, in fact, take time.  But if we will be persistent in our looking and open to God’s wonderful surprises, we will discover that the God who made Himself known through the Child born in Bethlehem is still very much in our midst.

–Chuck

(I took the two pictures above on my recent trip to New Mexico.)

I have to admit when I heard what the special music was going to be for last Sunday’s service I wondered if it was actually a religious song.  The title of the song was “Winter Snow.”  It sure didn’t sound like a “religious” song but once I heard it sung by one of our youth I realized that my concerns were for aught.  In fact, it turned out that the song was both beautiful and inspirational, with a message most appropriate for an Advent service and for the readers of this blog.

Here are the words to “Winter Snow” as penned by Audrey Assad.  “Could’ve come like a mighty storm with all the strength of a hurricane.  You could’ve come like a forest fire with the power of Heaven in Your flame.  But You came like a winter snow—quiet and soft and slow—falling from the sky in the night to the earth below.  Could’ve swept in like a tidal wave or an ocean to ravish our hearts.  You could have come through like a roaring flood to wipe away the things we’ve scarred.  No, Your voice wasn’t in a bush burning.  No, Your voice wasn’t in a rushing wind.  It was still, it was small, it was hidden.”

I hope you’ll give some thought to these words in the days to come.  As the celebration of Christmas draws near we can find in nature a reminder of the miracle of the Incarnation.  The song writer is correct, Jesus could have come in any number of ways to the earth, but God’s plan was for him to come in a still, small, hidden way—to come “quiet and soft and slow” like a winter snow.

There is so much about Jesus’ coming I find incomprehensible.  Even with all the prophecies of the Old Testament I don’t think anyone could have imagined the Son of God coming as he did.  I am certain not even the prophets themselves could have imagined God becoming one of us “like a winter snow.”

If you’re lucky enough to have a good snow in the coming days (I know, some would consider that unlucky), I hope that you’ll pause to think about this song and the parallels there are between a winter snow and the birth of our Savior.  And whether you experience that snow or not, I hope and pray that in some still, small and hidden way you will experience Emmanuel, God with us, in your own particular way.

–Chuck

(I took the top image at Arches National Park.  The bottom image was taken at Bryce Canyon National Park.)

It’s the third Sunday in Advent and since the theme for this Sunday is joy we sang “Joy to the World!” at church this morning.  This has to be one of the most familiar and popular of all Christmas hymns.  I have enjoyed singing this song since my childhood.  Even as a kid I particularly liked the part that says, “let heaven and nature sing.”  What I didn’t realize back then is that the idea of heaven and nature singing comes straight out of the Bible.

Few people seem to know that the background for Isaac Watts’ famous carol is Psalm 98.  In verse 4 of this Psalm we read, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music.”  This, of course, is where the title for “Joy to the World!” comes from.  But what about “heaven and nature” singing?  That comes later.  In the last three verses the Psalmist declares: “Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.  Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.”  Here we see that the sea, along with all the creatures that inhabit it; the world, along with all of its inhabitants; and also the rivers and mountains are called to sing a joyful song unto the coming Lord.

The Bible teaches us that God created the world and us for His glory.  It only makes sense then that all of Creation should join together in singing God’s praise.  And there is certainly no better time to lift our voices with the rest of Creation than during this season when we pause to remember that “God so loved the world He gave His only Son.” (John 3:16)  We may not understand how, or even accept that it is true, but nature does, in fact, offer praise to its Maker.  If we are wise, we will do the same.  And if we truly realize what’s going on it will be a joyful song we sing.  So let’s not rest content with just heaven and nature singing, let’s all do our part as well!

–Chuck

(The top image was taken at Cape Elizabeth in Maine.  The middle image was taken in Big South Fork N.R.R.A. in Kentucky.  The bottom image was taken in Kings Canyon N.P. in California.)