Fourth Sunday in Lent
Embracing God’s Creations
Over the course of the year members of the Earth Advocates will support activities and provide information associated with God’s Creation. Today, during Fellowship time, Linda Bradley and Jo Anne and Dave Stevens will be doing a planting activity and story time.
Each quarter the Earth Advocates will sponsor a service. The themes of each of the services are:
· 1st quarter is Observing God’s Beauty
· 2nd quarter – Appreciation for God’s Creation
· 3rd quarter – Harvesting God’s Creation
· 4th quarter – Resting in God’s Creation
As I prepared the message for today, I was entranced with how God, through prophets and Jesus used nature as a foundation of the written word. The readings reflect some of my favorite passages that reminded me of this time of the year when Nature is getting ready to awake. I then reviewed information that Lois provided which helped me articulate what observing and participating with blue (water) and green (land) spaces does for us. Let’s get started
· The bible begins with the foundation, Genesis 1:1-30, describing that in 6 days God created, heavens & earth, night and day, sky, earth and seas, vegetation, plants and animals and finally on the sixth day, humans. After each creation, the Bible notes that God was pleased. His work in these six days is the groundwork for life to be self-sustaining on the Earth.
· Now let’s jump to the birth of Jesus. God didn’t choose to have his son born in a palace, or fancy bed and breakfast where he would have been surrounded by opulence, and what we would consider the necessities of life, like a clean bed, towels, a comfortable crib, etc. No, he chose the birthplace of his Son to be a simple stable where the family was likely surrounded by animals such as the donkey Mary rode in on, and possibly other camels, cattle or sheep whose owners were staying in Bethlehem. Jesus wasn’t put to sleep in a crib or fancy swing, he was laid in a manger that had, in addition to what he was swaddled in, the remnants of the last animal’s feeding. So, God chose to have Jesus surrounded by the animals and plants that he had created. And I bet God was pleased.
· Now let’s look at Jesus’s teachings
o As we know, during this time, teaching was different as most people could not read or write so information was passed down through word of mouth and repetition. Jesus often used parables to communicate his message, and used samples which were easily remembered by those who were listening. In preparing for this message, and reading through the various parables, it was not surprising to me to find that many of Jesus’ parables were based on nature. Let me just highlight two that I think are appropriate for this time of the year when people have started seeds for their gardens.
§ In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus uses the example of how planting one of the smallest of seeds, the mustard seed, produces a great tree where birds can nest and uses this to describe heaven
§ In the Gospel lesson for today, he used the parable of the Sower to describe how the Word of God is received. And as he explains the parable to his disciples, he describes how various people will or will not receive his Word.
· Time and time again it was my observation that, not quite unexpectedly, references to nature are found throughout the verses of the Bible, but while this is the basis of our faith, what does enjoying God’s Creation do for use?
o Remember today’s reading from Luke chapter 12? This passage talks about how God will take care of us, as he does the birds of the sky and the lilies in the field. That we should not be worried because if he cares for the animals and flowers, he will also provide for us. But perhaps in today’s age of technology, facts and figures are easier to absorb.
o Many of us have high anxiety or fears due to all the changes and uncertainty in our lives. Let me encourage you to spend time observing God’s creation by sharing findings from multiple studies on how spending time in green and blue spacescan help us.
o In an article in Fitness, written by Emily Swaim and medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, it sites 8 benefits of spending time in these spaces, specifically:
§ Better breathing
§ Improved sleep
§ Reduced depression
§ Motivation to exercise
§ Mental energy
§ Immune health
§ Protection from short-sightedness and
§ Emotional welfare
o Some of these benefits seem obvious to me, like better breathing through exercise or even how being outside improves motivation to exercise, which for many people helps their emotional welfare. However, some of the other’s items don’t quite jump out at me, for example, how does experiencing nature protect short-sightedness. The article states that
§ “Natural light offers a brighter and richer collection of light wavelengths to see with.
§ The outdoors lets your eye practice looking at objects at various distances
§ Light stimulates the retina to produce dopamine which prevents your eyeball from stretching out and warping your vision. This theory has only been tested in animals though.”,
o Another article shares similar benefits. In an article from the American Psychological Association by Kristen Weir, she sites that participating in these spaces can produce benefits such as: improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders and even upticks of empathy and cooperation.”
o The articles do vary about the amount of time that one should spend in the green or blue space. Most indicate that even short duration in nature provides some of the benefits mentioned above.
o The Fitness article I sited earlier, actually indicates that even virtual exposure will provide us with benefits. But it does indicate that “Evidence suggest it may not simply be the color green, or the sound of ocean waves, that boosts your mood. Being present in nature, with all of its sights, sounds, smells and texture mixing together appears to affect emotions more strongly than a virtual replica”.
· Now, in a very unscientific study that I performed, I observed how those in our congregation, who share their experiences with nature impact us.
o Included in the slide show you have been watching are pictures taken by members of the congregation. These show the breadth of experiences members of our Congregation enjoy.
§ Brian Smith focuses on taking pictures of birds. If you follow him on Facebook he posts, and explains his pictures of birds he sees as he is out on walks. If you talk with Brian about these pictures he lights up with enthusiasm and easily shares his experiences and answers any questions. Marlise told me that she and Brian go on walks to enjoy the outdoors, but she makes Brian leave his camera home on these walks!
§ After Christmas, Maggie Duerr’s shared some pictures of different hikes she had done and often includes comments. Here is a quote from one of her posts “Almost three miles today. Brisk air and beautiful still woods other than the wind screaming in the trees overhead!” The post also captures a selfie of her broadly smiling.
· So maybe you don’t want to trek the same paths as Brian or Maggie, rather you enjoy water sports, gardening, biking, horse riding, or similar activities.
· The Earth Advocates wanted to remind you of some opportunities to observe God’s Creation in places around our Church. There is the memorial garden where you can sit and enjoy various plants, or walking the prayer labyrinth, or sitting in the outdoor chapel. Mount Airy also offers numerous parks with outstanding trails to venture on. Time in any of these are places, can bring you closer to God’s creation.
· Finally, as I end this message, let us take you for a virtual journey to observe God’s creation, close your eyes for a second and when you open them, you’ll hear and see some beautiful images.