Tag Archives: creation

For the beauty of the earth…

23 Thursday Apr 2015

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This winter on Long Island was particularly rough.  We went months without seeing the grass – months!  I have friends on Facebook who live all over the country and I remember seeing their pictures of kids playing in the grass in March, and I was so jealous.  That experience of hunkering down through all the snow and ice accumulation left most of us here on Long Island feeling weary and listless.

But this past week, I feel like I have been brought back to life.  Daffodils are in full bloom, the forsythia finally emerged, tulip trees are opening, and not only is there grass, there is also that bright green grass that only comes out in spring.  I feel like I can finally breathe.  There is a lightness that comes with spring, and that lightness is even more potent after a long, arduous winter.

This morning at Eucharist we prayed, “For seasonable weather, and for an abundance of the fruits of the earth…For the good earth which God has given us, and for the wisdom and will to conserve it, let us pray to the Lord.”  Having just had Earth Day yesterday, watching our church’s community garden slowly sprout its early crop, and seeing spring unfold has given me a new appreciation of the gift of God’s creation.  Snow can be beautiful in its own right, but after a long winter, I am especially amazed at the bountiful and beautiful gift of God’s earth that one sees in spring.  And I am honored that God has invited us to be stewards of that earth.  As God’s earth is bursting forth with life, I find myself bubbling with new life and joy.  But mostly I feel grateful: grateful for this beautiful earth, our island home; grateful for a God who entrusts that earth to us; and grateful for how each new color and bloom reminds me of the beauty and grace surrounding me every day.  Thank you Mother Earth.  Thank you spring blooms.  Thank you God, for forming this beautiful earth out of a formless void.  We are blessed beyond measure and we promise to be the good stewards You would have us be!

Male and female, God created them…

11 Thursday Sep 2014

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I have been thinking a lot these last couple of weeks about violence against women.  As college students have been moving onto campuses across the country, stories have been emerging about how campuses are handling sexual assault prevention.  One story has been catching attention about a woman protesting the handling of her rape case by carrying around a mattress on campus.  I also listened to a story on NPR as students debated about effective prevention methods.  Those stories made me realize how far we have to go on understanding culpability and protection.

Then, over the course of this week, the conversation about Ray Rice has been in the forefront.  Though the footage of his attack on his then fiancée is horrendous, what the footage has highlighted for me is how desensitized we have become when we talk about domestic violence.  Domestic violence has become an issue we talk about, but for many, not an issue for which we have a real, visceral understanding and sympathy.  The conversation and hashtag campaign, #whyIstayed, about why women stay in abusive relationships has enabled us to see how murky this issue really is.

Then today, my friend also shared a video from a non-profit in Atlanta that supports victims of domestic violence.  What caught my attention in the video was a statement from a volunteer from the agency.  He says, “It’s important for men to be involved in this work because we are both the cause of, and I believe the solution to, ending violence against women.”  His statement is one of the boldest statements I have heard about the responsibility to end violence against women, especially from a man.  But I would modify his statement.  I think we all have a stake in ending violence against women.

In Genesis, the text says, “God created humankind in God’s image, in the image of God, God created them; male and female God created them.”  Though we cannot erase the systems of power and patriarchy in our world, we can work toward reclaiming the fact that we are all created in the image of God – male and female.  God created us and blessed us, and I believe God longs for us to love and protect one another equally.  I know this is loaded blog entry, on a very complex issue that I could talk about and we could argue about for a very long time.  But I find myself this week mourning the ways in which we degrade God’s creation – in particular women.  I believe the confluence of events lately is not an accident, but an invitation to remember how God created us in God’s image – male and female; and perhaps an invitation to be better stewards of God’s creation, in whatever ways feel most compelling to you.

On delight…

27 Wednesday Aug 2014

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As parents of two young children, whose family lives far away, we try to be diligent about documenting our children’s development and milestones.  In our family we do that with group emails and links to recent photos.  At the beginning of our children’s lives, we share about the many firsts:  first smile, first laugh, first crawl, first step.  As they age, we note other developments: conversation skills, playing abilities, sleeping habits, physical growth.  Of course we usually include funny anecdotes which give a little insight into the unique personalities of both our children.  At this age, there is a sense that everything is monumental and to be cherished.  We get excited about and are fascinated by the constant changes and growth.  Consequently, we are often scrambling for a camera, or trying to memorize details to share later.

As I was filling out my youngest child’s “First Year Calendar” this week, noting all the little details I could remember from the last month, I was thinking about what a shame it is that we do not do the same things for ourselves as adults.  I do not know about you, but I find that I am so busy looking ahead and attacking tasks in front of me, that I rarely sit down and look back at what has happened in my life – in the last day, the last week, the last month.   And when I do look back, I more often look back at things I have yet to do.  I have lost altogether a sense of wonder and amazement at my own life – the accomplishments, blessings, and goodness of life.  I cannot remember a time when I thought, “Wow, look at how I have grown and changed in this last month!  What a blessing!”

I wonder if this might be a spiritual discipline that could bring us closer to God.  Our God is a God of love, who looks at us and is well pleased.  In fact, when God created humankind, God said that it was “very good.”  I like to imagine God as the kind of God who takes the same kind of delight in each of us as we take in little children.  I invite you this week to grab your family calendar, your smart phone planner, or your recent photographs and reflect on the goodness that is you.  You are made in the image of God and are wonderfully made.  I invite you to take delight in God’s creation.

Fearfully and wonderfully made…

30 Thursday Jan 2014

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I grew up in the South, which means I have a particular perspective about the experience of snow.  When snow was in the forecast, even a little dusting, schools were usually closed, people stayed off the road, and the grocery store shelves were bare.  We did not have the kind of equipment needed for snow removal, so when it snowed, you stayed home.  So, when we first moved to Delaware and there was snow in the forecast, I asked my boss whether the office be closed.  My boss looked at me like I had three heads, and very slowly explained to me (as though I were mentally incompetent) that we would come into work because the roads would be cleared.  I was both reassured by the fact that the roads would be cleared and panicked because I knew how scared I am of driving in the snow.

Eight-plus years of life in Delaware and now two years of life in New York have toughened me up a little, but I still have a healthy fear and dread of snow, in particular for the necessity of driving in it.  The good news is that having a four-year old has reopened for me the joy of snow.  When we see snow now, she wants to go run, roll, and play in it.  She thinks snowballs are hilarious, is very proud of the snow angels she makes, and is a snow cream connoisseur.  She whines about the fact that we haven’t purchased a sled (I know; terrible parent!), and she longs to build a snowman (sadly, this winter’s snows have been accompanied by bitterly cold temperatures, so we have not been able to commit to the time outside needed for snowman-building).

So you can imagine my fascination watching the various responses to snow in the South this past week.  The things I fear about snow have certainly shown their ugly side – cars were abandoned, people needed ten-plus hours to get home, children had to be left at school overnight until parents could safely get to them.  In general, the whole thing seemed like a disaster, with many people pointing fingers of blame.  But at the same time, I have also seen photos of children and adults enjoying a rare joy – sledding in the snow, making snowmen and snow angels, and generally getting wet, cold, and having a blast.  The sharp contrast between joy and desperation has been so vivid in my mind that it is almost hard to grasp.

Meanwhile, another phenomenon has arisen.  Stories have been emerging of people helping each other out of the snow; friends texting, tweeting, and Facebooking about safe places to stay overnight; and teachers staying with children who were totally unprepared for a sleepover at school.  I saw a couple of stories of people who stood by highways, offering sandwiches, cocoa, and cereal to anyone who needed it.

The storm has reminded me of the ways in which God’s creation is both fearfully and wonderfully made.  I see both the awful things that can happen, and the beautiful ways that God’s people rise above.  I see the joy of life that is ready for those willing to find it.  As someone who can be a grouch about the snow and what already feels like an interminable winter, I am grateful for the reminder about the beauty and fun that comes with God’s creation too.  It truly is both fearfully and wonderfully made.