Seeing Creation

When I was in college I played on the tennis team.  Our coach was Peggy Birmingham, whom we affectionately called “Coach B. “ Coach B later felt a different calling and now serves as a pastor.  She recently sent me the following poem which echoes a sentiment often found on our blog.
 
He was just a little boy, on a week’s first day.
Wandering home from Bible School, and dawdling on the way.
He scuffed his shoes into the grass, and found a caterpillar.
He found a fluffy milkweed pod, and blew out all the ‘filler.’  
A bird’s nest in a tree overhead, wisely placed so high,
Was just another wonder, that caught his eager eye.  
A neighbor watched his zig-zag course, and hailed him

 from the lawn, asked him where he’d been that day

and what was going on.
‘I’ve been to Bible School’ , he said, as he turned up

a piece of sod, Then picked up a wiggly worm replying,

‘I’ve learned a lot about God.’
‘M’m, very fine way,’ the neighbor said, ‘for a boy to

spend his time.’   If you’ll tell me where God is, I’ll give

 you a brand new dime.’
Quick as a flash the answer came! Nor were his accents faint…  
‘I’ll give you a dollar, Mister, if you can tell me where God ain’t.’

In this morning’s sermon I spoke on Jesus’ beatitude that says “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”  I indicated that for those who are “pure in heart” seeing God is not just a future hope but a present reality.  Commenting on this beatitude Clovis Chappell wrote, “The truth is that if we do not see Him in the here and now we have no promise of seeing Him at all.”  The little boy described in the poem seems to have had a pure heart. That is something I long for knowing that those who do will see God everywhere.

–Chuck Summers