Seeing Creation

In recent days I’ve been reading Joan Chittister’s book, In Search of Belief.  The book is a careful and thoughtful look at the Apostles’ Creed.  When it comes time for Chittister to discuss God as “Father” it is apparent she has a problem with this appellation.   It’s not that she is opposed to referring to God as Father; instead, she finds it too limiting.  She feels the Church has made a mistake in focusing on just one of the Bible’s many images of God.  She notes that a number of the biblical images come from Creation and feels that these, as well as others, should also be used to give us a fuller and more complete understanding of God.

Chittister argues for expanding our metaphors and images of God. She says, “By naming God everything that makes God God, we come daily to see God differently, to see God wholly. More than that, by naming God the sum total of created goodness, we come to see the rest of life differently as well.  In the first place, we see God present to every distinct moment, every separate segment of life.  In the second place, we come to see every distinct moment of life, every gracious mortal being around us charged with that presence.  We come to see every facet of life—all of them, each of them—as glints of the Divine. We get a fuller picture of God.  At the same time, we get a deeper understanding of the sacredness of a creation that shares in this diversity.”

Joan goes on to say, “When we name God fully, all of life becomes an exercise in contemplation. We touch the divine dimensions of ourselves.  We see God everywhere.  We feel divinity everywhere.  We recognize God everywhere.  And, eventually, we become what we think about.  We become what we see, make holy what we touch, make sacred what we are.”

I appreciate what Chittister says here. Perhaps we have focused too much on just a few images of God when including several more would broaden both our understanding and experience of God and Jesus.  I am especially drawn to the biblical images found in Creation.  Jesus referred to himself as “the light of the world”  and spoke of the “living waters” that came from him.  I remember other nature images appearing in a hymn I sang often as a child: “He’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star…” Another song referred to God as “the sweetest rose of Sharon.” The Psalmist used nature images to refer to God.  He spoke of God as “a sun and shield” (84:11)  and “the Rock of our salvation.” (95:1)

There are lots of images of God related to nature and if we will regularly reflect on these, especially as we view them in nature itself, we should be able to connect with God in a fuller and richer way.  There truly are “glints of the Divine” all around us!  I encourage you to take Chittister’s lead and begin looking for other metaphors and images that will augment the few the Church has historically chosen to highlight so that you might come to know God in fresh and new ways.  As Joan reminds us, “Clearly, if God is really God, no one name can possibly hold all the allusions, say all the concepts, breathe in one breath all the qualities that are God.”

–Chuck

(I took the top image at Antelope Canyon near Page, Az.; the middle image in Missouri’s Ozark mountains; and the bottom image at Monument Valley in Az.)

The Hebrew Scriptures, also known as the Old or Older Testament, begin with an account of the creation of “the heavens and the earth.”  The strong affirmation here is that God spoke the world into existence.  Right at the start one learns that God is both mighty and extremely creative.  The world is viewed as God’s handiwork and remains evidence of God’s might and creativity.  Later in the Hebrew Scriptures God reveals Himself as a mighty deliverer, enabling the Hebrews to escape their bondage in Egypt.  Much later in time poets like David arose who sang God’s praises.  These poets frequently look back to these two revelations and refer to God as being the One who made the heavens and the earth or brought about Israel’s deliverance.

When one turns to the New Testament God reveals Himself in a most unexpected way.  The Gospel of John says “The word became flesh and dwelt among us.”  (1:14)  Through “the word,” or Jesus, the clearest picture of God we have was made manifest.  Christians now understand God first and foremost through Jesus.  Christ becomes the new deliverer and much is made of his role as such in the pages of the New Testament.  God’s role in Creation, however, also continues to be emphasized.

This year I have been teaching a study on the Book of Acts.  As we have gone through this book I’ve noticed how God’s role as Creator keeps popping up.  For example, in Acts 4:24 you find the disciples praying.  They begin their prayer with the words, “Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.”  Even after the marvelous manifestation of God in Christ God continues to be addressed as the Creator.  In chapter 14 of Acts Luke tells the story of Paul and Barnabas being worshiped by the people of Lystra after they heal a crippled man.  The two urged the group to stop and directed their attention to “the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.” (v. 15)  In Acts 17 we find Paul’s speech to the “men of Athens.”  Here he introduces them to “the God who made the world and everything in it.” (v. 24)

Clearly, even after Christ came the early Christian leaders felt it was necessary to hold on diligently to the idea of God as Creator.  I suspect there are a variety of reasons for this.  As already noted, in Creation they saw the evidence of God’s power or might.  This evidence was something they encountered each and every day in nature.  Creation bore testimony to God’s power and was a reminder that this same power was available to believers.   I also think they continued to focus on God’s role as Creator because this gave them a point of entry as they sought to spread the gospel.  Practically everyone believed that the world was brought into being by divine forces of one kind or another; the early Christians hoped to help people understand that the God they believed in, and who was made fully known in Jesus Christ, was, in fact, “the Maker of heaven and earth.”

I believe that it is important that we continue to hold on to and emphasize God’s role as Creator of the heavens and the earth.  Some Christian groups do so each week as they recite the Apostles Creed.  Others don’t.  Continuing to focus on God’s role as Creator will help us connect better with the world around us and we will daily be reminded of God’s power and creativity.  Focusing on God as Creator also is still a good starting point when it comes to sharing our faith with others.  Although not everyone today believes the world was actually created, most still feel that the world didn’t just come into existence on its own.  As Christians we can help people make the connection between nature and the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ.  This connection is vital for understanding the goodness of Creation, its sacredness, and our responsibility to take good care of it.

I hope we’ll never cease affirming God’s role as Maker of heaven and earth.  There is no reason not to and plenty of good reasons for doing so.

–Chuck

(I took the top two pictures in western Kentucky and the bottom two in southern Florida.)