Seeing Creation

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place…” Psalm 8:3

My friends at R120 (make sure to check out their Facebook page) recently shared a quote from Rachael Carson’s delightful book, The Sense of Wonder.  It reads: “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.” I could not agree more with Carson’s words.

In God’s awesome Creation there truly are reserves of strength waiting for all of us.  I would like to emphasize the word “waiting” here because we do not gain strength from these reserves automatically.  As Carson points out, they prove profitable for those “who contemplate the beauty of the earth.”  Some will notice a flock of birds flying overhead and think nothing of it.  Others will just observe the crashing waves and give no thought to the perpetual ebb and flow of the tides.  As spring begins to put on its annual show of color many will no doubt take note but how many will give any noticable thought to what it means for the earth to renew itself this way each year?

In the Scriptures it becomes clear that David, Jesus, Paul and others paid close attention to what was happening in the natural world.  They found spiritual lessons there but one cannot help but believe they also found healing and strength in God’s Creation.  I am convinced that this was God’s plan from the beginning.  The natural world does not exist solely to meet our physical needs.  There is much in Creation that meets emotional and spiritual needs as well.  Spending time in nature can be therapeutic and healing.  By actually taking the time to contemplate on or study God’s “other Book” we can find strength to sustain us, as well as reason for hope.

I believe nature has something to offer us in all seasons but spring truly is a special time.  I encourage you to get out and enjoy the wonders of this season.  As you do so contemplate what you are seeing, hearing and feeling.  Remember that God is waiting to be found in Creation and that in nature He has provided for all of us reserves of strength to help us on our journey.  It only makes sense that we take advantage of this precious gift.

–Chuck

(I took the top image from my driveway in Pikeville, Ky; the middle image on the coast of California; and the coneflower in Tennessee.)

I usually read a few Psalms before going to bed each night.  Last night I happened to read Psalm 61 and 62.  It didn’t take long to find a common denominator in these two psalms.  In both David compares God to a rock.  In Psalm 61 he says, “lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.”  Vs. 2b-3)  In Psalm 62 he writes, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” (vs. 1-2)  In this second psalm David repeatedly uses this image.  In v. 7 he says “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.”

The imagery of God as a rock is a meaningful one.  Historically, high rocks have been viewed as places of refuge and even fortresses.  One might climb a rock for safety when the flood waters rise.  One might also find protection there from other dangers.  These days we may have other places we turn to for safety in floods or times of danger but we still understand the idea.  It is not hard to see how high rocks might be viewed as safe havens.

Nor is it hard to see how still today God might be compared to a rock.  God brings stability to our lives.  That is no small thing in the world in which we live!  God also is someone we can turn to when the floods of life come our way or when we find ourselves in times of trouble.  Martin Luther recognized.  One of the hymns he wrote begins with the words, “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing, our present help amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.”

I am very thankful to have the rocklike presence of God in my life. In God I find the refuge I need in times of trial or sorrow.  In God I find a fortress or place of protection in life’s dangerous moments.  In more ways than one I would be lost were it not for “the rock that is higher than I.”  I happen to live in the mountains where there are a lot of high rocks.  I’ve also been privileged to travel to several places and photograph amazing rock formations and towers.  All of these serve as visual reminders to me of the true source of security and salvation in my life.  All of these remind me of the “solid rock” upon which I stand.

For these reminders, and the many others presented to us in Creation, I offer my gratitude.

–Chuck

(I took the top image at Devils Tower National Monument, the middle image at Grand Teton National Park, and the bottom image at Yosemite National Park.)

This morning I resigned from the church I’ve served the past five years.  It was not an easy thing to do.  It was made even more difficult by the fact that I don’t have another job waiting for me.  I now live with the recognition that in a few weeks I may very well be unemployed.  I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that causes me a bit of fear and anxiety.  How could it not?  Still I have a peace about the situation and sincerely believe that somehow, someway, God will provide.

The Bible is filled with verses which speak of God’s provision.  We heard Psalm 23 read this morning at church and in this most famous of Psalms David declares, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”  He then goes on to speak of the many ways God takes care of his needs.  In Philippians 4:19 the apostle Paul also speaks of God’s ability to provide for our needs.  He says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in heaven.”

According to Jesus there is also plenty of evidence in nature that God will take care of us.  Rob and I have both shared what Jesus said in previous posts but it is worth looking at again.  During his Sermon on the Mount Jesus declared, “do not worry about your life, what you eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and you’re your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26)

A few verses later Jesus points to more evidence from nature.  He said, “And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (vs. 28-30)

In light of my current situation, today I am very thankful for God’s promises found in both the Bible and Creation that He does, indeed, look after His children.  I honestly do believe that God will provide.

–Chuck

(I photographed the cardinal at my home in Pikeville and the crested dwarf iris at Red River Gorge National Geological Area.)

The theme for the third Sunday of Advent is joy but I’m struggling to find something joyful to write about.  I’ll be honest; I don’t feel a lot of joy right now.  It’s just one of those times.  The senseless murder of innocent children and adults in Connecticut this past Friday hasn’t helped matters.  Neither have some problems at work.  I know it’s supposedly “the most wonderful time of the year” but there’s a lot about Christmas that also brings me sadness.  I miss loved ones who are no longer here especially at Christmas.  Many of the songs I hear played dampen my spirits rather than lift them.  We may have lit a pink candle at church today to represent joy but I find myself wondering right now, “Where is the joy?”

I raise that question periodically but deep down I always know the answer.  My primary joy always has been, and always will be, found in my relationship with God.  When I am sad and blue I rarely doubt God’s existence or His love for me.  I just don’t sense His presence or feel His love at such times.  And it is in such times that I have to hold on to my faith and realize that “this, too, will pass.”  It is also helpful to remember that what I’m going through is a very common experience for believers.  You cannot be joyful (or full of joy) all of the time.  Sad times are a part of life.  An honest reading of the Scriptures will reveal that most of our biblical heroes also struggled with sadness and a lack of joy at times.  If anyone tells you that you must be joyful at all times I’d suggest you tell them to “get real.”  My own experience, as well as my observation of others, reveals that feelings of sadness are inevitable.

My experience and observations also reveal that these feelings of sadness do not last forever.  They do, in fact, pass.  In Psalm 30 the writer declares “weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (v.5)    The wise author of Ecclesiastes wrote “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.” (3:1)  A few verses later he added that there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh.”  Joy and sadness are cycles that come to each of our lives.  Such cycles are reflected throughout nature.  As the Psalmist indicated, sunrise eventually follows sunset.  The tide rolls out but it always rolls back in.  Winter comes each year but invariably spring follows.  The moon in the sky goes through its phases and so do we.

When I am sad both of God’s Books—Scripture and Creation—offer me encouragement to hang in there.  Both Books give me hope of better days to come.  Both Books remind me that the Creator is still in control and that joy will, in fact, return in time.  On this Third Sunday of Advent I am grateful for their faithful testimony.  In them I find reason to believe that “comfort and joy” will sooner or later be mine once again.

–Chuck

(I took the top image at Coyote Buttes in Arizona and the bottom two images at Big Bend National Park in Texas.)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

It is the first week of Advent and the theme for the week is hope.  In coming weeks the theme will change to peace, joy and love.  Of the four, I think hope may be the most important.  No one wants to live a life without peace, joy or love but I’m convinced that no one can live life without hope.  It is that important.  In his classic work, Theology of Hope, Jurgen Moltmann wrote, “Totally without hope one cannot live. To live without hope is to cease to live. Hell is hopelessness. It is no accident that above the entrance to Dante’s hell is the inscription: ‘Leave behind all hope, you who enter here.’”   Martin Luther King, Jr. echoed this sentiment when he said, “If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all.”

The Bible has much to say about hope.  From beginning to end the Scriptures call for us to hold on to hope.  Even when we find ourselves in what appear to be hopeless situations we are challenged to maintain hope.  Why?  Because with God in the picture there is always cause for hope.  Always!

The story of Noah and the great Flood concludes with God making a covenant with Noah and the rest of Creation.  Genesis 9:13 says “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”  Ever since God did this rainbows have been associated with hope.  I cannot see a rainbow without remembering the Genesis story and also its message of hope.  But even on the days that we don’t see rainbows we still have the assurance of God’s presence and love.  That’s what Advent and Christmas are all about.  And because we have this assurance, we are never without hope.

I will close today with some words that have come to mean a lot to me.  I’m not sure who wrote the following words but I keep them taped to my computer at work: “Whatever you do, hold on to hope!  The tiniest thread will twist into an unbreakable cord.  Let hope anchor you in the possibility that this is not the end of your story, that change will bring you to peaceful shores.”  Whether things are going well for you right now or they seem to be falling apart, I encourage you to hold on to hope, hold on to God.

–Chuck

(I took the top image at Cumberland Falls in Kentucky, the middle image at Yellowstone National park, and the bottom one near Devils Tower National Monument.

Today is the first day of Advent.  Advent is a word that means “coming.”  In the four weeks leading up to Christmas Christians will be asked to reflect on the coming of Jesus long ago and also on the fact that Scripture declares that he will one day come again.  We tend to place the most emphasis on the former but Advent calls us to remember both “comings.”  When I was a child I recall hearing preachers say that Jesus was coming back anytime now.  It was a message I heard often enough that I remember eventually coming to the conclusion that he sure was taking his time.  It’s not easy for children to wait.  I’m not sure it’s much easier for adults.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “Celebrating Advent means being able to wait. Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten.”  Yes, waiting can be difficult, especially this time of the year.  Children will certainly be restless between now and Christmas.  For them it will be a long wait before the big day arrives and they get to open presents.  Advent is likewise difficult for us adults as we wait and wait and wait for Christ’s return.  This waiting can be as painful for us as it is for our kids waiting for Santa Claus to come.  But wait we must.

Interestingly enough, we do not wait alone.  The Bible indicates that all of Creation also awaits the coming of Christ.  In Romans 8 Paul talks about how “the creation waits in eager expectation” for the glory that will be revealed.  And there is good reason for Creation to wait in eager expectation.    In vs. 20-21 Paul writes, “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”

In v. 22 Paul goes to add, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”  This verse contains both bad news and good news.  The bad news is Creation suffers today.  It is in pain from the “bondage of decay” brought upon it by the sin of man.  In his commentary on the Book of Romans, Paul Achtemeier says, “If one wonders at the ‘mythology’ involved in earth’s suffering for human perversity, one can have its truth demonstrated in a quite literal way by seeing what humankind has done by way of the pollution of air and water and the thoughtless exploitation of the natural resources of the world in which we live.”  Considering how we have treated the earth and its resources, how could it not suffer?  How could it not eagerly long for restoration?

That leads to the good news.  Paul says creation groans “as in the pains of childbirth.”  Although pain is associated with childbirth the pain points to something better to come—the birth of a child.  Nature’s pain and eager expectation are important because they point to a better day and a better world to come.  Paul’s words in Romans 8 are all about hope, which happens to be the theme of the First Sunday of Advent.  For both humans and Creation the Bible points to a brighter and more glorious future.  Many churches today heard passages read from the Book of Isaiah.  This prophet, likewise, looked forward to a better day to come, a day when “the wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together.” (11:6)  One day there will be “a new heaven and a new earth” where all shall be as God intended.  That truly is something worth waiting for.

Yes, a better day is coming for both believers and Creation.  In the meantime, we are called by God to make the most of our time on this earth and one way we can do this is by being good stewards of God’s Creation.  There are lots of ways we can help nature suffer less in the here and now.  Considering how long nature has already waited, wouldn’t you agree that it’s past time we did something to help?

–Chuck

p.s. I came across a wonderful video a few days ago where “Blessed Earth’s” Matthew and Nancy Sleeth are interview by Tony Campolo and Shane Claibore.  I encourage you to take time to watch it.  Here’s the link: http://vimeo.com/29624868