In May of 2009 Rob Sheppard and I decided to launch a blog called “Seeing Creation.” The purpose of the blog was to give us an opportunity to share our love for nature and photography, and the spiritual connection we felt with both of these, with others. Today’s post marks the 733rd entry for the Seeing Creation site. It will also be the last. Rob felt the need to move on to other endeavors a number of years ago and I have carried on solo since then. I feel it is now time to bring this project to a close. I hope to share more posts from time to time on my personal Facebook page but will no longer maintain this site. I want to thank all of you who supported and read our Seeing Creation posts over the years. I also want to thank the editors who chose to share a number of my posts on their own social media sites. Finally, I want to thank Rob for encouraging me to pursue this dream with him long ago.
I would like to wrap things up by encouraging you to continue to explore the spiritual connection that can be found in nature. I remain as convinced as ever that the God who created the world is still revealing Himself through nature for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. I also remain as convinced as ever that we are all called to be good stewards of God’s Creation. There is a divine imperative for us to love, protect, preserve and care for this sacred earth and all its inhabitants. I feel that so many of our current problems are related to humankind’s failure to respond appropriately to this divine imperative. We can and must do better. And we will if we truly love God.
Thanks again for the support you gave Rob and I over the years. As you continue your journey through life may the Maker of heaven and earth open your eyes and heart to see the wonders of God’s love all around you in Creation. “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8)
I came across a quote by Joan Chittister a few days ago that I really like and want to share with you: “To understand Christmas is to come face-to-face with the incarnation. The very notion that God imbued creation with divinity makes everything we see sacred, every step we take a pilgrimage to the divine.” I find these words to be quite profound and helpful.
Chittister’s first sentence conveys a truth most Christians readily accept. John 1:14 says “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The word “incarnation” means “in flesh” and points to the miracle of Christmas—that the Almighty God, the Maker of heaven and earth, at one point in history took on human form (flesh) in Jesus and actually dwelt among us. It is this event we celebrate every December 25. And well we should!
It is the second sentence in Chittister’s quote that conveys a truth that many believers may not be so aware of and this is that by joining us here on earth God made “everything we see sacred.” We now abide on holy ground. The Bible makes clear from the very beginning that God created the world and declares its goodness. The Bible also tells us that “the earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1); it belongs to God. I suppose there is a sense in which these two truths also point to the earth’s sacredness but this is made most clear in the incarnation, the birth of Christ. At Bethlehem “God imbued creation with divinity.” I’m not sure many, if any, of us can fully comprehended the meaning of this but it should be enough for us to realize that the world we live in is holy and that all we see in God’s creation is sacred. God’s holiness is literally all around us. This should lead us to worship God every day and cause us to live in a perpetual state of wonder and awe. I would also like to think that realizing the earth is sacred would cause us to do a better job of protecting and preserving it.
I like Chittister’s suggestion that every step we take here on earth is “a pilgrimage to the divine.” This probably shouldn’t be taken literally but there is a sense in which what Chittister says is true. We are not only created by God, we are made for God. It is God’s intention that we draw nearer and nearer to Him. God longs to envelope us in His love and to enjoy fellowship with us. Hopefully every step we take will, in fact, draw us closer to the fullness of God’s love and His divine presence. That is my goal for the days to come and throughout the New Year. I hope it will be your goal too.
It’s Halloween. Are you afraid? I am. It’s not the ghosts and goblins that may appear at my front door tonight that I’m afraid of. No, it’s something much more sinister. It is the lack of concern for the environment I see in so many people, especially political leaders. A number of recent studies indicate that our planet is in big trouble. On a weekly basis we see reports on television of growing wildfires, severe drought, extreme storms, and devastating floods. We now know that no one on earth is safe from the harmful effects of pollution. Climate change and pollution are taking a heavy toll on plants and animals everywhere. They’re taking a toll on all of us. But who cares? O, I know many people do but not nearly enough. I’ve seen several polls listing the primary concern of voters for the midterm elections. In most of them environmental issues do not even make the list. The lack of concern for our planet right now truly does frighten me!
The damage we are doing to the earth literally affects everyone. It affects our physical health. It affects our economy. It affects the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. It affects our general well-being. It affects the places we choose to live and love to visit. It affects the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees. It affects our children and pets. It affects our future. How can something that affects all of us so much be of such little concern in today’s society? This frightens me!
It also scares me that environmental issues have polarized our political leaders. If there should be unity on any issue it should be the health and welfare of our planet and its inhabitants. But that is not the case, is it? Every day I pray that our leaders will learn to put aside their political differences and do what is right, what is best, for our country and the rest of the world. Far too much is at stake for them not to! We can do better than this. It frightens me that we’re not.
Finally, it frightens me that so many who claim to believe in God and the Bible ignore the biblical mandate to be good stewards of Creation. Too many forget that “the earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1) and that it does not belong to us to do with as we please. One of God’s first commands was that we tend the Garden and be good caretakers. God gave us “dominion” so that this wonderful planet can be preserved and maintained for the good of all–not to abuse for selfish gain. I happen to be a Christian minister who believes that caring for the environment is a vital part of our spiritual journey. It frightens me that so many other believers do not.
Yes, on this Halloween I am finding many things that frighten me. I hope they frighten you too.
I recently came upon a prayer found in the Book of Common Prayer that should be of interest to those who are concerned about being good stewards of Creation. It is a short prayer that might be said on a regular basis. It reads, “Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth, you made us fellowship workers in your creation. Give us wisdom and reverence so to use the resources of nature, that no one may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet to come may continue to praise you for your bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
There are several things I like about this prayer. One of the great things about it is that it reminds us of the true meaning of the word “dominion.” The biblical call found in Genesis 1:28 for humans to have dominion over the earth has certainly been misunderstood by many over the centuries. This misunderstanding has led to the horrible abuse of God’s Creation in a lot of instances. In this prayer we catch a glimpse of the true meaning of dominion; it involves our being “fellowship workers” in God’s Creation. Our calling is to work with and in Creation for its good. When we do this together the world becomes a better place for us and for those who will come after us.
Another thing I like about this prayer is the recognition that we need “wisdom and reverence” to do what we are supposed to do. We need wisdom because it is not always clear exactly what we should do or how. We are called to be caretakers of God’s Creation but at times we must seek the Creator’s help in knowing how best to take care of what He has made. We must also do our work with an attitude of reverence. We revere the One who has called us to serve in His Garden and we must also show reverence for the work of God’s hands. If we fail to do either of these things we will likely be unsuccessful in our fundamental calling to tend to the earth. Reverence for both God and Creation are essential. This prayer helps us to remember this.
Finally, I like this prayer because it serves as a reminder that our actions have consequences. If we do not seek God’s wisdom and live in reverence of the Creator and the Creation we may very well abuse the earth’s resources. We will be more likely to cause harm where we are supposed to bring help and healing. This abuse and harm, as we have clearly learned, comes back to bite us. The earth alone does not suffer when we abuse it, so do we. Furthermore, it is not just we who live today that are affected by this abuse but also those who shall follow us. As “fellowship workers” we have to be concerned about more than just ourselves. We must tend to the earth in such a way that there will be plenty of resources left for the generations yet to come–resources that will not only sustain and nurture them but lead them to worship and praise the Giver of all good gifts.
For a short prayer this gem from the Book of Common Prayer has a lot of important reminders for us. For that reason I encourage you to remember it and to use it on a regular basis as part of your prayer regimen. It can’t hurt and it has the potential to do a world of good.
Toward the end of Psalm 104, having spent thirty verses praising God’s greatness made manifest in Creation, the Psalmist says in verse 31: “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works…” What God has created is worth an eternity of praise! It is the Psalmist’s hope that God can “rejoice in His works.”
We know that when God created the earth that following each day God paused and “saw that it was good.” Like an artist (or photographer) standing before his or her work, God looked upon what He had made and took delight in it. In the Psalmist’s words here he seems to be hoping that this delight will be ongoing, that God would always be able to take delight in what He had made. Did the Psalmist have reason for concern?
I don’t know if he did then or not but as we observe God’s Creation now there does, in fact, seem to be reason for concern. We have polluted the skies and water that once were clean. We have destroyed mountains and made new ones piled high with waste. We have hunted some of God’s creatures into extinction or destroyed their habitat to the point that they can no longer survive. We have poisoned the land and cut down the majority of the earth’s forests. If present day scientists are correct we have even altered the environment to the point where the climate is being changed in a detrimental fashion.
Is God still able to rejoice in His works? My guess is that God still does find much to delight in (just as we do) but I also cannot help but feel that God must experience some degree of sadness at the current state of the world. That which God created “good” has been marred. Out of love for God we should all seek to do everything we can to preserve and restore God’s Creation. It should be our concern, as it was the Psalmist’s, that “the glory of the Lord endure forever” and that God “rejoice in His works” always.
During my retirement I have been rereading some of my textbooks from seminary. Many of these are over forty years old! Currently I’m reading The Christian Doctrine of God by Emil Brunner. In this classic work Brunner highlights the self-revelation of God and emphasizes God’s revelation of Godself as holy and love. Both aspects of God’s nature must be maintained in order to have a significant grasp of who God is. Brunner says “love is the very nature of God.”“Love is the self-giving God: love is the free and generous grace of the One who is Holy Lord.” Elsewhere he adds, “Only now do we understand why love and revelation belong to one another. Love is the movement which goes-out-of-oneself, which stoops down to that which is below: it is the self-giving, the self-communication of God—and it is this which is His revelation. The idea of self-communication gathers up into one the two elements love and revelation.”
Reading Brunner’s words has caused me to give further thought to God’s self-communication through nature. I firmly believe that God has used that which God created to reveal numerous truths to us. These truths are given in love and continuously point us back to the Source of this love—a God who is Holy Love. So many times nature has forced me to recognize the holiness of God. How can we not be struck by God’s holiness or otherness when we contemplate the sun, moon, and stars? The Psalmist wrote “The heavens declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 19:1) How can we not sense God’s holiness when we visit the ocean, mountains, or desert? I find myself standing in awe of God in natural settings more than any other place. I suspect many of you do too.
Yes, Creation points me to the holiness of God over and over again, but it also serves as a perpetual reminder of God’s infinite love. Creation may be viewed as an incredible gift God has lavished upon us out of love. It is a precious gift for many reasons. In Creation we find many of our physical, spiritual, mental and emotional needs met. In Creation we discover a beauty that both humbles and inspires us. For those with eyes to see, all around us is the evidence of God’s love. The fact that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) here on earth reveals the full measure of God’s love for both the world and us. Recognizing the value of this gift of love should move us to pay more attention to God’s overtures of love and affection. It should also move us to cherish, protect, and preserve this amazing gift.
Now that spring has arrived I hope we will all get outside more and with the eyes of faith contemplate the wonders and glory of God’s handiwork. As we do so, let us offer our praise and thanksgiving to the One who has been revealed to us as Holy Love.
