The Heavens, Squirrels, St. Francis and You: Exploring the Sacred Pathway of the Naturalist ~ Psalm 19:1-6

  

Psalm 19:1-6

The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice^[b] goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.

 Look at these images from the Hubble telescope. What do you see? What do you hear?

 

 

Creation’s worship preaches an ecosystem of love.

Listen to the verbs of creation from our passage: “declare,” “proclaim,” “pour forth,” an “goes forth.” Notice the element of time: “day after day,” “night after night.” Be aware of the geography: “all the earth,” “to the ends of the world.” Creation, we’re told, never shuts up and there is no place where God is not. Pay attention to the metaphor: “a bridegroom coming out of his chamber” (I won’t explain that but think about what that is saying), “a champion rejoicing to run.” Creation has spiritual intent and purpose. It points, sings, shouts, and celebrates – what? What does it say? As Christians, this is where Jesus steps in and says something quite wonderful. He will say in Matt. 6, “Consider the lilies of the field . . . consider the birds of the air . . .” If you’re Father dresses them with beauty and splendor . . . how much more will he clothe you? If he watches over – every sparrow – how much more does he love you?”

Jesus will point to the preaching of creation’s worship as God preaching to us a whole ecosystem of love.

You’ve probably heard the old children’s sermon joke about a pastor who sits down during the service with children holding a shoebox with holes in it and something scurrying inside. He says, “Children, I’ve got something in this box. It’s brown with fur, eats acorns, and loves to climb and live in trees.” One of the children quickly raises his hand and proudly declares, “Pastor, I know the answer is Jesus but it sounds like a squirrel to me.”

Even the squirrels preach Jesus. 

 

It’s interesting that one of the ways that the New Testament will announce the actual divinity of Jesus is through his connection to creation. In fact, one of the earliest worship songs of the church had this to say about Jesus and creation: “¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Echoing the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 19, Paul sings that all things have been created through and for him. That means that you can confidently walk through this world as God’s cathedral and that God’s house is way bigger than any building on the corner of Liberty and Boone. And even squirrels are made by Him, for Him, and He holds them together even now.

Who is your pathway companion?

Each week I want to highlight scripture that helps illustrate each pathway’s experience of God. But I also want to introduce you to others in this church who share your passion and pathway as well as people from the history of Christianity who can serve as guides and companions for your pathway.

If the Naturalist pathway is in your top 3 would you be willing to stand for just a moment and wave. Perhaps you want to go on a hike together or connect over gardening. You can offer each other tips on your favorite walks or share about places where you see and hear God clearly and best.

I also want to introduce you two wonderful Naturalist companions: Francis of Assisi and Mary Oliver. Francis of Assis was born in the late 12^th century and believed that all created things reveal the goodness and loveliness of God. He wrote the hymn, “All Creatures of Our God and King,” regularly blessed animals and trees, and even preached to birds and wolves. Listen to his first biographer, Thomas of Celano:

“Toward little worms even he glowed with a very great love . . . he picked them up from the road and placed them in a safe place, lest they be crushed  by the feet of passersby. . . . He rejoiced in all the works of the hands of the Lord and saw behind things pleasant to behold their life-giving reason and cause. In beautiful things he saw Beauty itself; all things were to him good.”

If you would like,a very accessible and fun introduction to Francis, I would highly recommend the historical novel by Ian Morgan Cron, Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim’s Tale.

Another companion is the amazing, the wonderful, modern day Psalmist and Christian naturalist, Mary Oliver, whose poetry is filled with rocks and trees, and water, and frogs, bees, dogs, and geese praising God and revealing knowledge. Listen to her poem, Whistling Swans., pg. 6 in Devotions.

Do you bow your head when you pray or do you look
up into that blue space?
Take your choice, prayers fly from all directions.
And don’t worry about what language you use,
God no doubt understands them all.
Even when the swans are flying north and making
such a ruckus of noise, God is surely listening
and understanding.
Rumi said,  There is no proof of the soul.
But isn’t the return of spring and how it
springs up in our hearts a pretty good hint?
Yes, I know, God’s silence never breaks, but is
that really a problem?
There are thousands of voices, after all.
And furthermore, don’t you imagine (I just suggest it)
that the swans know about as much as we do about
the whole business?
So listen to them and watch them, singing as they fly.
Take from it what you can.

Two Gentle Challenges for this Pathway:

1.     The metaphor matters. In our reverence for creation we need to speak Biblically and avoid two common mistaken metaphors. The first mistaken metaphor unfortunately comes from well-meaninged Christians. It’s the metaphor of Creation as a clock which God has created and reveals such intricacies that there must be a maker. And yet, such a metaphor is not the Biblical perspective. God didn’t created the world and something that runs without Him but actively is creating and sustaining at every moment all of creation. The other poor metaphor is the earth is our mother, which can become a tendency to make of the earth an idol, as something divine. In response, two better metaphors are that Creation is more akin to a baby and sister. The German theologian Jurgen Moltmann argues that as a mother makes room for and nourishes new life within her own body, God sustains and nourishes all of creation which is totally dependent upon God and yet has an independent life of its own (this is called Panentheism). Likewise the Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton, a biographer of St. Francis, argues that a Christian view of creation is not that the earth is our mother but our sister that we must care for, laugh with and love.

2.    For the Non-naturalists among us.Nature is still a place of grace.

For those whom this is not your pathway, I have a challenge (BTW I scored lowest on this pathway). All of us were built for the outdoors. A leading Psychologist will recommend that people suffering from depression or grief take walks in nature. He writes: “Being outside give us both a sense of connection with something bigger than us and the relief of escape from the challenges of life indoors. In nature, it’s easy to be yourself; you don’t have to put on a brave face for the grass, the trees, and the sky. You don’t have to do anything at all. You can walk, breathe, and notice the world around you, and let yourself feel whatever you’re feeling.” What I love is that this psychologist isn't simply suggesting that nature points to something bigger. He also argues that nature points to non-judgmental grace and love. Yes, you don't have to be brave for the grass. You also don't have to be brave for the One who made it.

When I was young boy, I remember my mother exasperatedly telling my sister and I: “Would you two go out and play!” Friends, I don’t think God is exasperated but I do want to hear him announce to us joyfully, as an act of worship, “Go out and play!”