“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.” (Psalm 100:1)
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com
Recently we made a quick trip to northeast Iowa, to visit the grave of Bonnie’s brother Dwight, who died now five years ago. Instead of the usual term across Interstate 80, we went through Rockford and then through the rolling hills of northwest Illinois. I don’t know if ever I have seen the fields so beautiful; I’m sure Bonnie and the folks got tired of listening to me say repeatedly, “Look! Look how beautiful.” Corn that is hopefully “knee high by the Fourth of July” towered over our heads!
The overwhelming lingering sense is of abundance, and creation’s praise to the Creator. I’m reminded of the Swedish song (blomstertid) that school children sing on the last day of school. It’s a hymn in our hymnal! And translated by my uncle Zenos:
Now comes the time for flowers, for joy, for beauty great. Come near you summer hours, earth’s grasses recreate. Sun’s kind and lovely charming of dead things winter slew, comes intimately warming and all is born anew.
Our lovely flowered meadows, the till field’s noble seed, rich herbs laid out in windrows, green groves sedately treed: these wonderful reminders of God’s good kingdom strong; that we his grace remember, it spans the whole year long. (Hymnal 646)
I have a new appreciation for the movie Field of Dreams, when the ghost father of Ray Kinsella, who suddenly appears, looks around at the fields in the setting sun, and asks, “Is this heaven?” Driving through those meadows I understand the question. It is Iowa, that’s for sure. And alive with God’s glory, that’s also for sure.
We don’t worship creation, but we revel in it, we join with all creation in awe of God’s beauty and the wonderful of life. I hope you can find Holy spaces and moments to breathe deeply and take in the beauty all around.
Peter Hawkinson
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