Psalm 19:1-4
The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims God's handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard,
yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
It is officially Autumn now, the time of harvest. And I’m sure it’s no random coincidence that several of the lectionary readings from this week and last week have to do with viticulture — the growing of wine grapes. It’s harvest season for more than grapes, of course, but where I live it’s all about the crush — the wine harvest — as it would have been in David’s day — and Jesus’ day, as well. Because when the crops are ready, the growers have to take them now.
While the harvest is in progress, it’s all rush, rush, rush, but once the harvest is in, the vine-grower can stop and look around and take time to appreciate the beauty of the world around him. Time slows down a bit. The days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, and the autumn sky is often ablaze with more stars than we have seen in the rest of the year. And if we pay attention, we are reminded that this is the world God created — all this beauty — and that we were placed here in the middle of it, to love and to tend it.
This is what this psalm is telling us. I’ve only quoted the first four verses here, but there are ten more verses, and all together they tell us that God’s Law is as beautiful as the heavens. The Psalmist uses words to tell us that the heavens do not speak in words — instead, they show us and tell us everything we need to know about God. The Easy-to-Read translation puts it this way: “The heavens tell about the glory of God. The skies announce what God’s hands have made."
It has been harder these past years of growing climate instability to enjoy this beauty as Autumn has, for several years now, become synonymous with the destruction and the fear of “fire season.” With the world around us on fire, we lose our connection and our place as one piece of God’s creation. Perhaps the fact that the fires come in the midst of this season of such riches, should cause us to stop and reflect on our care for this world.
We humans all too often tend to see ourselves as something “above” nature whereas the Creator, I believe, sees us as one part of creation. The Hebrew word used in Genesis 1 that is most often translated as “dominion over” in fact means something closer to “tend to in a manner that brings the object to its own fullest potential.” How can we play our proper role in bringing creation to its fullest potential if we never stop and take the time to look around us, to listen to creation as it tells us all about God and God’s handiwork?
Perhaps if we spend more time with what creation is telling us — without words — about God and God’s desire for this beautiful creation, we could grow closer to becoming the selves we are created to be — maybe we could finally be one piece of God’s great puzzle that has finally found its proper place.
While the harvest is in progress, it’s all rush, rush, rush, but once the harvest is in, the vine-grower can stop and look around and take time to appreciate the beauty of the world around him. Time slows down a bit. The days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, and the autumn sky is often ablaze with more stars than we have seen in the rest of the year. And if we pay attention, we are reminded that this is the world God created — all this beauty — and that we were placed here in the middle of it, to love and to tend it.
This is what this psalm is telling us. I’ve only quoted the first four verses here, but there are ten more verses, and all together they tell us that God’s Law is as beautiful as the heavens. The Psalmist uses words to tell us that the heavens do not speak in words — instead, they show us and tell us everything we need to know about God. The Easy-to-Read translation puts it this way: “The heavens tell about the glory of God. The skies announce what God’s hands have made."
It has been harder these past years of growing climate instability to enjoy this beauty as Autumn has, for several years now, become synonymous with the destruction and the fear of “fire season.” With the world around us on fire, we lose our connection and our place as one piece of God’s creation. Perhaps the fact that the fires come in the midst of this season of such riches, should cause us to stop and reflect on our care for this world.
We humans all too often tend to see ourselves as something “above” nature whereas the Creator, I believe, sees us as one part of creation. The Hebrew word used in Genesis 1 that is most often translated as “dominion over” in fact means something closer to “tend to in a manner that brings the object to its own fullest potential.” How can we play our proper role in bringing creation to its fullest potential if we never stop and take the time to look around us, to listen to creation as it tells us all about God and God’s handiwork?
Perhaps if we spend more time with what creation is telling us — without words — about God and God’s desire for this beautiful creation, we could grow closer to becoming the selves we are created to be — maybe we could finally be one piece of God’s great puzzle that has finally found its proper place.
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