Sing with all the people of God, and join in the hymn of all creation:
Blessing, honor, glory, and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.
— A Hymn of Praise
Sometimes, it’s easier to hear “the hymn of all creation” when you’re on top of a mountain, overlooking peaks and valleys and miles and miles of sky and trees. For me, I can hear the hymn best sitting on a shoreline rock at the edge of my family’s lake, listening to the waves lap and the distant sound of a loon. This kind of experience is not unique; it has been expressed by many people throughout the ages:
Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Note it. Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead, he set before your eyes the things that he had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?
— St. Augustine (354-430)
All creation is a symphony of praise to God.
— Hidegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
Sacred writings are bound in two volumes: that of Creation and that of Holy Scripture.
—Thomas Aquinas (1225-12274)
One’s mind runs back up the sunbeam to the sun.
— C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)
Scripture, too, expresses the awe of God that comes from viewing the splendor of creation:
Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
You who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
2 From the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have established strength
Because of Your enemies,
To do away with the enemy and the revengeful.3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have set in place;
4 What is man that You think of him,
And a son of man that You are concerned about him?
5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6 You have him rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put everything under his feet,Psalms 8:1-6, NASB
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Romans 1:19-20, NASB
The heavens tell of the glory of God;
And their expanse declares the work of His hands.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,Psalms 19:1-4, NASB
Have you ever felt God’s presence in creation or nature? When? Where? How?
How and where do you hear the hymn of all creation? How might we learn new ways to hear it?
Joining in the hymn of creation at the top of a mountain or seated by a lake is a wonderful, beautiful thing. We don’t always find ourselves in these places, though. Indeed, creation is not confined to majestic vistas. Creation enters our everyday lives and the simplest moments; can we learn to sing a hymn of praise inspired by daily beauty as well? We’ll come back to this idea in the next ecotheology post, discussing Hearthside Spirituality.
Mysteriously and wondrously, God revels even more than we do in the slight bitterness of tea, the feel of sunshine on skin, a ripe avocado, a perfect guitar lick, or a good plot twist.
— Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary1
Wherever you are, today, I encourage you to take a deep breath and pay attention. Use all your senses! God’s presence weaves its way throughout creation. Spend 10 minutes sitting somewhere intentional, whether under a tree or at your kitchen table. Pray that you may be open to hearing the hymn of creation. Breath deep and exhale through your nose. What can you see or hear more clearly, the more you sit?2
Liturgy of the Ordinary. Tish Harrison Warren. 2016.
Many of the ideas for this post were inspired by Awakening to God’s Call to Earthkeeping. Kim Winchell, ELCA Diaconal Minister. 2006.
Thank you for this beautiful message this morning as we prepare to leave our beautiful lake (frozen) to view God’s creation as we cross the country to beautiful Maui!