Thought for the Week - 4/7/2021

Dear Friends, 

For Christmas last year I received the National Geographic ‘Photo of the Day Calendar 2021’ which, as the name suggests, gives a stunning picture for each day of the year. From the sand dunes in the Sahara Desert to the Okavango Delta in Botswana, a bull sea lion in Argentina to children playing on a beach at sunset in the Seychelles, fruit trees and a field of flowers    in Brittany to a valley and snow-capped mountains in New Zealand, and many, many more, each which remind me daily of the wonder and awesomeness of God’s creation. I guess for so many of us not being able to travel has meant that we have not been able to see as much of God’s creation in other places as we might do in more usual times. But that doesn’t mean that we are bereft of the wonder of God’s creation all around us. I’ve been doing a bit of gardening this week and am always amazed at the wonder of the different plants and shrubs, flowers and trees that are in the garden. Some I recognise, others I’m not too sure of but they all look stunning and glorious, especially when the sun is shining and it is a beautiful day. We read in the psalms, ‘Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy’ (Psalm 96:11-12). In his hymn, For the beauty of the earth, the hymnodist F.S. Pierpoint, writes of the beauty and wonder of God’s creation. It is thought that it was the loveliness of his surroundings in the spa town of Bath that inspired him. The hymn praises God for a host of beauties – things that we encounter in everyday living, but often fail to appreciate – the beauty of the earth and skies, the beauty of each hour, the joy of ear and eye, and the joy of human love. It also expresses thanksgiving for the church, and for Jesus Christ, with each verse ending, ‘Father, unto you we raise this our sacrifice of praise’ (BPW 121). So whether we are travelling in this country (or now possibly abroad), or just milling around our own settings, keep an eye out for God’s beauty in all creation, and lift your voice in praise to him. 

Grace and peace,

Neil

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