God’s Wide World

Scripture Passage

Psalm 104:5–24 (NLT)

5 You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved. 6 You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains. 7 At your command, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away. 8 Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. 9 Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth. 10 You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains. 11 They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees. 13 You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. 14 You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth— 15 wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength. 16 The trees of the Lord are well cared for— the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17 There the birds make their nests, and the storks make their homes in the cypresses. 18 High in the mountains live the wild goats, and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes. 19 You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. 20 You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about. 21 Then the young lions roar for their prey, stalking the food provided by God. 22 At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest. 23 Then people go off to their work, where they labor until evening. 24 O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.

Job 12:7–10 (NLT)

7 “Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. 8 Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you. 9 For they all know that my disaster has come from the hand of the Lord. 10 For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being.

Focus Statement

As human beings, we tend to think the world revolves around us!

As scripture opens our eyes to the fullness of God’s creation,

let us consider a shift in perspective.

We are but one part of God’s magnificent creation.

What does creation tell us if we listen?

Point of Relation

As I stood at the overlook atop Sunrise Mountain,

the world unfolded before me in a breathtaking panorama of natural beauty.

The morning sun, a radiant orb of golden light, rose slowly above the horizon,

casting its warm glow across the landscape.

Below me, the valley stretched out in all directions,

a patchwork of lush green forests, winding rivers, and rolling hills.

Wisps of mist clung to the distant slopes,

lending an air of mystery to the scene.

In the distance, the rugged peaks of the Kittatinny Ridge rose majestically against the sky,

their rocky crests catching the first light of day.

Beyond them, the Delaware Water Gap cut a deep gorge through the mountains,

a testament to the power of nature's hand.

As I took in the beauty spread out before me,

a sense of peace washed over me,

filling me with a profound sense of awe and gratitude.

In that moment, surrounded by the quiet majesty of the mountains,

I felt truly connected to the beauty of the world around me.

As a person who loves hiking and the great outdoors,

I never feel more one with God’s creation than when I am out in it.

Things to Consider

Friends, reflect on the ways you experience yourselves as part of the environment

or how you learn from plants and animals.

For instance, some of you may be naturalists in who think of themselves as gardeners and animal lovers.

Some of you may have hunted in the past…

Hunters are often allies in wanting to defend animal habitats

and have spent a lot of time in the natural world learning about the very animals they track.

Our church has had a blessing of the animals in the past,

acknowledging that God blesses all of creation and so should we!

I, myself, members may have chosen to be vegan…when I am being good…and vegetarian otherwise…

partly because of my health…

but I’d be lying to say there isn’t an ethical component…

as I do not like supporting the factory farm industry.

Even if you do eat meat, you can get your meat from local farms…

which are more ethical in their practices than the giant factory farms.

What Scripture Says

Psalm 104 and many passages in the book of Job

offer us a perspective of humanity as a part of God’s creation,

not merely the rulers over the rest of creation.

God as Creator and Sustainer is stressed throughout the psalm.

God created humankind, but as the psalm poetically declares,

God also created the earth,

the waters of the earth, the wild animals,

birds (including storks, wild asses or donkeys,

wild goats,

coneys or rabbits,

young lions

and all the animals of the forest),

cattle, the trees of the field, the cedars of Lebanon and fir trees.

Not only is God the Creator,

God cares for and provides for the needs of all of God’s creatures.

God provides drink for every wild animal,

trees in which the birds have their nests,

grass for cattle and plants for people to cultivate,

the trees of the field are watered abundantly,

and even predators such as lions cry out to the Lord for sustenance.

In God’s wisdom (hokma, in Hebrew),

God has created all.

Today’s passage from Job also reminds us of our place in creation.

We need to learn to turn to the animals who will teach us,

the birds of the air will tell us,

the plants of the earth will teach us,

and the fish of the sea will remind us that

“the hand of the Lord” has created us all

and that the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being are in God’s hand.

Although today’s passages do not include a Gospel reading,

reminders of God’s care for all created beings can be found in passages such as Matthew 6:28-30 and Matthew 10:29.

Jesus is present with us in all Creation.

Consider, too, the words of “In the Garden” (UMH #314):

“I come to the garden alone,

while the dew is still on the roses,”

and

“he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own.”

This beloved hymn expresses what so much of us experience when we are truly present in nature.

We experience the resurrected Christ!

In this season of resurrection,

there are signs of new life all around us:

trees beginning to flower and baby birds in new nests!

J. Clinton McCann, Jr. makes several valuable observations in his reflections on Psalm 104

in the New Interpreter’s Bible Volume IV, Abingdon Press: Nashville (1996).

He notes that “the origin and destiny of humankind is inextricably tied to the origin and destiny of the earth (p. 1099)” \

and reminds us of the etymology of the word human from the Latin humus or “soil.”

He notes that “everything we do has an effect on God’s world and thus on God (p. 1099).”

He also makes several valuable observations (p. 1100)

about the importance of “praising God” as the beginning of environmental consciousness.

Psalm 104 is a psalm of praise.

The words, “Bless the Lord, O my soul” are found in verses 1 and 35 with the last words,

“Praise the Lord.”

Although these verses are not included in today’s reading,

they are an important part of this psalm.

McCann contrasts this praise-centered approach

with an environmental consciousness born of fear in which our primary concern is ourselves.

Although many humans in our time think that nature is there to serve us,

we are meant to serve God’s creation.

We live in a time in which our human arrogance in thinking ourselves able to “save the world,”

independent of our Creator,

has resulted in devastating imbalances in the world

that are most deeply and tragically experienced by creatures with no advocates

and humans in our society who do not have the resources to deal with the effects of climate change,

limited and impure water sources,

food deserts,

and polluted air.

Many of these changes are the result of human greed

and a lack of understanding of the consequences of our actions.

What This Means for You

I want you to eflect on your reactions to the news we hear every day about the effects of climate change,

loss of habitat and species extinction,

and other frightening stories.

Often, we feel overwhelmed and lose hope

and along with that the will to make changes in our lives

that might lessen the bad effects of humans on our environment.

As a first step, what are some ways that you can find time to appreciate God’s creation?

This might include walks in natural settings,

time in a garden,

or time with a park naturalist.

Birdfeeders and native plantings that attract native species of insects, moths and butterflies

make us more aware of the diversity of our local area.

This is a great time to remind you, new and seasoned alike,

that the life of faith is about more than going to church,

and that worship can happen anywhere, especially in natural settings.

Loving creation is a way of loving the author of creation

and appreciating the good gifts God has given.

Loving creation can also motivate us to make changes to better care for our environment.

What This Means for Us

As a Christian community,

we have the opportunity to come together and praise God.

This praise is an important part of remembering that God asks us to be caretakers of this incredible world.

Friends, our church has taken steps to be better stewards of our natural resources and of God’s planets.

For instance, in the past we’ve installed Solar Panels which cut down the amount of fuel-based electricity we use.

This not only saves us money by generating energy from the sun…

But it also makes us partners in using renewable, clean energy.

There are plenty of other ways in which we can praise God for God’s creation…including us who are a part of it!

Let us, as we move forward together, begin to see all of God’s creation as that which we serve! Amen? Amen!