“Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God you are very great. You are clothed with majesty, wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent, you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers!” Ps. 104:1-4.
I love the summer. I particularly welcome the gift of a renewed appreciation for the wonders of creation. The created world comes alive for me in a special way as I visit a summer cottage, paddle a kayak or simply spend some time reading in the back garden. I experience a renewed appreciation of creation, and hopefully, a renewed appreciation of my own creatureliness!
We do not stand separate from creation. We are a part of is. As such, creation is not some superior entity to be worshipped, but rather a sibling, an expression of life with which we share kinship.
Just as one child in a family can have father’s nose and another mother’s eyes, so also can the different elements of creation reveal different aspects of our common parent. Different components of the created world reveal different characteristics of our common creator.
What does the magic of an evening sunset – no two exactly alike – tell us about our God’s creative impulses? What does the fury of a summer rainstorm tell us of God’s unbridled power and unpredictability? What do the various shapes, sizes, colours and textures of created things tell us of our God’s playful love of variety and diversity? What does a mother’s soothing caress tell us of God’s s inexhaustible capacity to love and to care?
As you enjoy the blessings of these special summer months, may you also experience a renewed appreciation for the wonders of the created world. May you experience a renewed delight in your own creatureliness and may you be blessed to catch a fleeting glimpse of the creator’s hands and face mirrored within the wonders of this beautiful season!
And may that blessing inspire and empower you to preserve, protect and safeguard the wellbeing of our common home.
Oh Lord, how manifold are your works. In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures! Ps. 104:24