Seeing Creation

“Forgive us our sins…” Luke 11:4

One of the most powerful novels I’ve ever read is The Brothers Karamazov by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky.  In one portion of this classic the character Father Zossima tells his fellow monks the story of his brother’s, Markel, last days.  Markel, who previously cared little for God or religion had a change of heart.  He began asking for both God’s forgiveness and that of others.  Next he did something no one could have expected, he asked the birds to forgive him.  Here are his words: “Birds of God, joyful birds, you, too, must forgive me, because I have also sinned before you.”  Zossima says “None of us could understand it then, but he was weeping with joy.   ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘there was so much of God’s glory around me: birds, trees, meadows, sky and I alone lived in shame.  I alone dishonored everything, and did not notice the beauty and glory of it all.’ “ When Markel’s mother told him he was “taking too many sins upon yourself” he responded, “Dear mother, my joy, I am weeping from gladness, not from grief; I want to be guilty before them, only I cannot explain it to you, for I do not even know how to love them.”

I’ve been involved in a lot of discussions lately concerning forgiveness but most of them related to people who had hurt one another. In forty years of ministry I’m not sure I’ve heard anyone speak of asking the birds or nature to forgive them but as I read Dostoevsky’s words again this morning it seemed like what Markel did was something we all need to do.  In so many different ways we sin against Creation on a regular basis.  The birds Markel spoke of have certainly suffered.  At nearby John James Audubon State Park there is a museum that features a lot of items related to Audubon’s life.  One item tour guides invariably point to is a well preserved stuffed passenger pigeon.  At one time there were millions of these birds but today they are now extinct.  I almost feel like the next time I’m there I need to ask its forgiveness.

To some asking a bird or some tree for forgiveness would sound ridiculous but I do not believe that it is at all. When you look at the stress that we have placed on animals as we’ve wiped out their habitat how can you not apologize?  When you see where huge majestic trees have been clear-cut how can you not weep and feel sorry?  When you see fish that have died from pollution dead on the shore how can you not ask for their forgiveness?

In Dostoevsky’s novel Merkel admits that he does not “even know how to love” all of God’s creatures.  Elsewhere in The Brothers Karamazov one of his characters says, “Love all God’s creation, both the whole and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of light. Love the animals, love the plants, love each separate thing. If thou love each thing thou wilt perceive the mystery of God in all; and when once thou perceive this, thou wilt thenceforward grow every day to a fuller understanding of it: until thou come at last to love the whole world with a love that will then be all-embracing and universal.”  It is certainly clear that Dostoevsky believed that we should, in fact, love all of Creation and for good reason—so that we might in turn know and love the Creator.

In any relationship where love is involved there will come a time when we must ask the one we love for forgiveness. If we truly love God’s Creation there will likewise be times when we must say “I’m sorry.”  As I look around me it would seem that time is now.

–Chuck

(I photographed the northern cardinal and indigo bunting in western Kentucky and the raven at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico.)

Yesterday was the final day at my church in Pikeville. After the service was over Bonita and I drove across state so that I could visit my mother and family. The drive from Pikeville to Paducah is certainly not a short one. It entails going from the extreme eastern portion of the state to the western boundary. I know there are plenty of states that require far more miles to cross but the drive yesterday offered me an important reminder–it’s a long way from east to west.

Why would I consider this an important reminder? Because it points to the wonder of God’s forgiveness. In Psalm 103 David says “as far as the east is from the west so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (v. 12) Needless to say, the distance referred to here cannot be measured in miles. It is simply the biblical writer’s way of saying God completely removes our sins from us. This is incredibly good news! Unfortunately, a lot of people struggle with accepting God’s forgiveness. They find it hard to believe that God can actually forgive them for the things they have done.

The Bible goes to great length to emphasize the certainty of God’s forgiveness. At times images from nature are used to drive home the point. One example is found in Isaiah 1:18 which says, “‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.'”

I think that a lot of people find it hard to believe that God can be so forgiving because they find it so difficult to forgive others themselves. When others hurt us we tend to hold on to that hurt. We struggle with both forgiving and forgetting. God, however, does not. Through Isaiah God says, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (43:25) At the heart of the Christian faith is the affirmation “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24) Yes, we are all sinners but by turning to Christ we discover that the price or penalty for our sins has been paid in full. As a result, we stand forgiven before God and He remembers our sins no more.

As we drove across the state of Kentucky yesterday and followed the sun west I found myself giving thanks for God’s amazing grace and how He has removed my sins from me as far as the east is from the west. It also occurred to me that every day, as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, we witness a visible reminder of this grace. Every day there is this wonderful witness to God’s love and forgiveness. No wonder, then, the Psalmist declared, “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” (113:3) No wonder at all!

–Chuck

(I took the top picture in Pikeville two days ago. The middle image was taken at Cumberland Falls State Park in central Kentucky and the last image on the banks of the Mississippi River in extreme western Kentucky.)

A large magnolia tree grows in my backyard.  It is a southern magnolia, a widely recognized symbol of the South.  Despite the fact that the trees’ leaves have to be constantly raked and have a knack for finding their way into our swimming pool, I’m glad the tree is there.  The tree is a beauty to behold and each spring and summer its flowers remind me of an important spiritual lesson.

Even though I have been a Christian for 43 years and a minister for 33, I am still a sinner.   Maybe it’s because I am a minister who feels like he should know better, but when I do sin I feel really guilty.   If I’m not careful I can get quite discouraged and let my guilt drag me down.  Thankfully I find some reminders in nature that help me to recall a greater reality—my forgiveness. 

In Isaiah 1:18 God says “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”   It is indeed my conviction that because of what Jesus did for us at Calvary “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1).  The beautiful white magnolia blossom (like the one pictured here and photographed yesterday) is for me a symbol not just of the South but of God’s amazing grace.  It, like snow, is there to remind me of my true status before God—I am a sinner saved by grace!  To quote the late Jerry Clower, “Ain’t God good?!”

–Chuck Summers