the heavens declare

Everywhere I turn, I hear the same message. (re) Connect with creation. I thought I was just leaning into the theme of our Community Garden worship service. Sunday was gorgeous in Champaign-Urbana, a strong dose of summer before cooler weather sets in. But the theme of Wild & Cultivated stays with me. Our need for both. Plants, animals, in our relationships, and within ourselves. 

Ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through the things God has made. Romans 1:20a (CEB)

How do I take my own advice? Usually, a teaching affects me most on the front end- in the discerning and writing stage. By Sunday afternoon it has been thoroughly processed and sent out into the world, releasing me from the message. I move on to the next thing. 

This Sunday began Richard Rohr’s meditation series of Contemplating Creation, well worth reading, articulating this need and reminding me to apply the teaching. How can I put this into practice- today and in the coming weeks? Rohr reflects on times alone in nature, spent in a hermitage during Lent. 

Hm, do I hear a hermitage calling my name? Sounds strange, but in fact, that is what the little one-person cabins at the remote retreat of Christ in the Wilderness are called. I was nervous, my first time. For some reason, the thought of bringing and preparing my food seemed difficult. It wasn’t. Being alone in the silence, walking the paths, watching the wildlife. Restorative. 

So humans are without excuse. Romans 1:20b (CEB)

But we have built a society in which we feel guilty for taking time away. We measure our work and our worth by activities. Most of which are indoors, isolated from nature. We are too busy to waste time just being outside. Listening. Observing. Being. 

Today there is a break in the rain. My garden beckons. I feel like planting. Tonight we will sit around the firepit, watching the flames and the moon rise. I check the weather forecast again. Sunday looks good for sitting on the deck, listening to online worship in small gatherings around town. 

Heaven is declaring God’s glory; the sky is proclaiming his handiwork. One day gushes the news to the next, and one night informs another what needs to be known. Psalm 19:1-2 (CEB)

May we lift our eyes and open our ears to hear the message that the sky proclaims. May we sense God’s power and better understand God’s nature through the things God has made. May we honor God with thanks for the wonders of creation that surround us. 

 –Renée 

One Comment On “the heavens declare”

  1. It is a blessing to be able to be in a natural environment for the connection to it, God and ourselves.

    Reply

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