Yesterday Cissy and I worshipped at St. George Episcopal Church while we are in Florida for a few days. In anticipation of Earth Day on April 22, the theme of the worship service was stewardship and conservation of the earth’s resources.
Scripture readings, prayers, hymns, and the message all reinforced the theme. Members of the congregation shared their personal efforts to be “green” and use the earth’s resources more wisely. We left feeling that we had a fresh encounter with God among His people.
A short distance away we enjoyed a delicious brunch at a restaurant on St. John’s River. We ate on the deck in the warm sunshine as boats pulled in and out. Another delightful experience! Late in the afternoon Cissy and I took a short bike ride before sunset and snapped some photos of the beauty of the world in our immediate view.
During and after the ride I thought of how Genesis describes the creation:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them."
And the words of Psalms:
The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it. They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them.
Here is video presentation of one of my favorite hymns, “This Is My Father’s World.”
Finally, I think of words the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome:
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
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