The Gospel of Beauty and Bounty

Sermon preached at Faith United Church, UCC, International Falls, MN
Scriptures: Genesis 1:9-13, Psalm 33:1-9 and Isaiah 55:10—56:2

The Gospel of Beauty and Bounty

“God writes the gospel, not in the Bible alone, but on the trees and flowers and clouds and stars.” – Martin Luther

This week I received my new UCC Desk Calendar and Plan Book. We get them each year in June and they run from July 1st through the next 18 months so schedules, weddings and other events can be planned ahead. They also contain a wealth of helpful information, phone numbers and addresses in the back for all sorts of UCC-related offices, Conferences, ministries and other important connections within our denomination. I usually begin using the new calendar on July 1, but with sabbatical and everything, Sherry just gave it to me just a few days ago.

Every other year the calendar cover reflects the theme for the upcoming General Synod. Next year Synod will be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan and the theme is “Immerse Yourself.” This year’s calendar also has a quote at the top of each month. I read through them all and got an idea. In one way or another each quote relates to the wondrous creation God has given us to care for and enjoy. July’s was “Every day is Earth Day.”

I think it’s time for us to immerse ourselves in the beauty and bounty all around us on this beautiful planet, so I plan to preach another sermon series. This time it will be on the first Sunday of each month, based on the calendar quote for that month.

You’ll find the August quote on the front of your bulletin. It’s by Martin Luther who said, “God writes the gospel, not in the Bible alone, but on the trees and flowers and clouds and stars.”

We live in such a beautiful area, and I know we appreciate it most of the time, but how often do we REALLY think about it, I wonder? A lot of people talk about how they feel closest to God in nature. For many years when I was asked to visualize the place I felt most at peace or closest to God, I would always go, in my mind’s eye, to Vesper Point at UCC Camp Cazadero in northern California. I had another intense experience of God’s presence on a bike-ride in the beautiful Napa Valley. Some people tell me they feel closest to God on Rainy Lake. A friend recently told me she has had lots of conversations with God while sitting in the woods in a deer stand. Some churches have even capitalized on the nature that surrounds them. I understand that Holladay UCC in Salt Lake City has a large window overlooking a beautiful mountain. Church of the Red Rocks, UCC, in Sedona, Arizona has windows across the whole area behind the altar so the congregation sees the view of the adjacent Red Rock formations during worship services.

So, whether they realize it or not, many people experience the gospel that is written on the trees, flowers, clouds, stars, rocks, soil, and in the glimpses of wild animals we see in the “great outdoors.” But what do we learn from that gospel?

In the beginning, and from the very beginning, the bible tells us that the earth, the seas, the stars, sky, sun, trees, flowers, plants and animals are glorious gifts from God, and the most important thing for us to remember from the first chapter of Genesis is that “God saw that it was good.” ALL of it was good! IS good. A little farther along in Genesis, God creates human beings and gives them “dominion” (which means “the power or right of governing and controlling; sovereign authority.”[1]) over everything else God has created. Some people think that means they can do whatever they want, destroying, polluting, using the earth for their own selfish purposes without thinking about the consequences for everyone else living on the planet. Other people realize that with dominion comes an enormous responsibility for care and protection. It is our home, after all; we might want to consider preserving its delicate balance – its amazing ecosystem – so that humankind may continue living here for generations to come.

A couple of years ago St. Thomas Catholic church hosted what they called a “mission” for a week. Two visiting priests came to lead sessions that were open to anyone in the community who wanted to attend. Their theme was the earth and creation. One night they set up a “creation walk” in Aquinas Hall. A large spiral was laid out on the floor and we all had the opportunity to walk it. Along the way there were lighted candles and cards for us to read. The spiral represented the universe from the time it came into being over 50 billion years ago to the present. The cards explained when certain things happened, such as a star exploding and creating particular gasses which were then introduced into the earth’s atmosphere allowing grass to begin to grow, which provided food for cows who then began to live on our planet.
As we walked the spiral of the universe’s history, we started in the center and worked our way out. It was rather shocking, and humbling, to note that civilization as we know it came into existence about 4,000 years ago and represented an extremely small end portion of the spiral.

I don’t know about anyone else who was there, but I came away with a very clear – and to me, hopeful – message. That message was that our planet earth and our universe have been around so much longer than we have that I have the feeling the earth will not allow human beings to destroy it. I don’t know if that means the earth will cause the extinction of humankind, but it does make you wonder when there are destructive storms, tsunamis, floods and earthquakes, which are all natural occurrences in nature.

In our reading from the book of Isaiah – verses we usually hear during Advent – we are reminded that everything God created has a purpose. Rain and snow provide water for the earth so that plants grow and people can eat. God made this entire beautiful, bountiful, wondrous world so that we might live and experience joy.

We see that joy in the mountains and hills, trees, flowers, clouds, stars, rocks and waves, rivers, animals, sun and moon. We see that joy in a healthy creation, which it is our responsibility to maintain and cultivate for our own and future generations to thrive in and enjoy.

The psalmist calls all the earth to have great respect for God and for the inhabitants of the world to stand in awe of God. “For the Lord spoke, and it came to be; God commanded and it stood firm.”

The gospel of justice is written in nature and upon our precious earth as well as in human lives and situations. In Isaiah we read, “thus says the Lord: maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come and my deliverance be revealed. Happy is the mortal who does this, the one who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from doing any evil.”

So look upon what we call the natural wonders of the world and be inspired to preserve, conserve, love and enjoy. And I’m not just talking about natural wonders like the Grand Canyon or the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon. I’m talking about Rainy River, Rainy Lake, colorful sunsets, wildflowers and deliberately planted flowers in your home and yard, ducks and turtles sunning on the same log in the creek, a bald eagle standing sentinel in a tree, storm clouds and rain, Red Rocks and green grass, blue skies and autumn leaves.

It’s all there for us to enjoy, appreciate and preserve. The gospel of love and justice is written on everything we see. It’s time for us to pay attention and to love and care for the whole world, being reminded that “God saw everything that [God] had made, and indeed, it was very good.”[2] AMEN.

Endnotes

1. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dominion
2. Genesis 1:31, NRSV.