Bible Readings
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17)
Thought
On Sunday morning Rob and I sat down to watch the service as it was being live streamed from the church in our village. The morning had not started too well, we had had a very heavy rain shower and a gust of wind had blown water out of the guttering and down the door leading into our kitchen. Our house is old, the doorframe is not square and the door does not fit very well, so the rain found a way in through the top of the door and into the kitchen. We mopped it up. As we sat down to watch the service however, the rain had all gone and the sun was shining in a clear blue sky. This was lovely apart from the fact that as the sun shone in through our windows it highlighted the dust on the occasional table and the cobwebs that had been formed around the windowsill.
As soon as the service was finished I got myself a duster and dusted the table and removed the cobwebs. I also paused to look at what else had been highlighted by the sunshine. Outside I could see flowers raising up their heads in the sunlight, I could see spider’s webs (outside where they should be) with the remainders of that earlier rain still on them. The sun shone through the last of the golden leaves which are on the old oak tree in the middle of the green and the world looked very beautiful.
Sometimes we get so distracted by the dirt and ugliness in our world, that we forget to look and notice the beauty. The beauty can be found in very simple things, a small flower, the sound of a bird singing, the smile of a stranger (socially distanced of course) or the smell of bread baking in the over. I was reminded of the words of the hymn “For the beauty of the Earth”, written by Folliott S Pierpoint in 1864 who was inspired by the beauty of the countryside around him. The version I have put at the bottom of this thought is a more modern adaptation, but the words have remained the same.
So when we look at our world, try to always see the beauty in it and be thankful to God for the wonder of his creation.
Prayer
God bless the Earth and all living creature.
God bless the Earth and its rugged feature.
God bless the Earth, every ocean and sea.
God bless the Earth and water’s clarity.
God bless the Earth, its atmosphere and air.
God bless the Earth, keep it in your care.
God bless the Earth, protect the dear soil.
God bless the Earth, and all those who toil.
God bless the Earth and its daily light.
God bless the Earth by your great might.
Amen
Song: For the beauty of the Earth (Rutter)