A Wind from God: Meditations on Creation
“Begin and the beginning” is advice given to every story teller. The Bible also begins with a beginning. It begins by answering every child’s question “How come there are fish and birds and trees and people?”. It also answers another question, “Why do we rest one day a week when no one else does?” So the story teller begins and the beginning and relates the story of how the world came to be. It is a short story. You can read it in just a couple of minutes; however it is filled with actions. Earth and seas and sky come to be. Clouds and aardvarks and dolphins make an appearance in the story. For us it is a chance to wander around in creation, to look under rocks and see the wind shaped pictures in the clouds. Use these meditations as a time to not only muse over the words, instead find a bit of this vast creation to observe. It may be the leaf on your potted plant, or children playing, or the stars flickering to life in the night sky. See the wonderful sculpting of every face you see, and the startling chain of being that results in the sandwich that you had for lunch. May these meditations to bring you closer to world, wild and tame, and nearer to God whose spoken imagination created the wonders around us.
Day 1
“In the beginning when God created.” Gen. 1:1
It’s hard to think back to the beginning of things. We tell stories to help us remember how a chain of events began. I can tell you the story of the first time I met my husband, long ago in the seminary library. I can tell you when I met Nancy at church, or Helen in the dining commons at college, or Dave when I interviewed for a job. Yet there are a few that go back before my memory: Leslie, whom I have always known, or my cousins, or my siblings. There was a beginning to those relationships, even though they stretch back further than conscience thought. So too the writer of Genesis begins at the beginning, before memory, before thought. The writer begins with God. It’s not a bad place to start. Perhaps today we should begin with God, being in the presence of God—just that one thought.
Begin today with a moment in the presence of God.
Day 2
“God created the heavens and the earth.” Gen. 1:1
Recently there was a documentary on the National Park system. The screen was filled with image after image from the national parks: craggy western mountains, miles of mangrove swamps, schools of muti-colored fish, and river water cascading down the valleys. Above you could see clouds skittering by and fog rolling down over hills, and the night sky filled with all the stars of the Milky Way. The most amazing thing was that none of these wonders is static. They are all still being reshaped and reformed by wind and rain, by volcano and continental shift. They were created and are still being recreated. God is still reforming our world, and reforming us. God is wearing down our jagged edges and bringing to the surface the treasures buried deep within us. God is still creating.
What is God creating in you?
Day 3
“The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep.” Gen. 1:2
We are rarely in the dark these days. We have night lights and street lights and flashlights that keep the dark at bay. We have so filled our lives with light that we have islands of “light pollution.” Some scientists think that all our lights are disrupting our sleep and causing a rise in all kinds of illnesses. Darkness hides things. In the dark we cannot see the way forward. We cannot see what may come next. In the darkness our steps are uncertain. The writer of Genesis reminds us that even in the dark, even in those places where our lives seem to have no form or shape, even when we cannot sense the presence of anything or anyone, even there, God is present. God is there in the darkness and the formless void. God is there.
Where do you long for God to be? God is there.
Day 4
“A wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” Gen. 1:2
My college was built high on the coastal hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In the fall, the winds would blow—not the cool damp winds that usually came in off the ocean, but the hot dry Santa Anna winds rushing out of the desert. The Santa Annas made everyone nervous and edgy. These were the winds that often whipped up the wild fires. These were the winds that often took out the tall eucalyptus trees and power lines, leaving us in the dark. Winds are unpredictable, unmanageable, and invisible. In Hebrew, wind and breath and spirit are all one word: ru’ach. The ru’ach of God blows at the start of all things. It blows at Pentecost, transforming the frightened disciples into powerful emissaries of Christ. And that Holy Spirit of God blows in us. I don’t know where she will blow today. Perhaps she will be gentle and cool and damp, just right to sooth my feverish activity. Perhaps she will be hot and dry, pushing me to attempt a new thing. Or perhaps she will be wild and restless, scooping me up and putting me down in a new and unexpected place. Whatever the type of wind, it is still the breath of God’s Spirit surrounding
What kind of wind is surrounding you today? How do you sense the Holy Spirit in it?
Day 5
“Then God Said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.” Gen. 1:3-4
I don’t remember much from my college Hebrew class but one word that has stuck with me is in this verse. We translate it as “good”: “God saw that the light was good.” In Hebrew God says “TOV! (GOOD!).” It’s a shout of pleasure, of joy, that things are turning out the way they should. Throughout the rest of the story, we hear the same exuberant exclamation. “TOV!” God bellows after each creation. There is sky: “TOV!” There is earth and sea: “TOV!” There are plants and trees: “TOV!” There is the sun and moon and stars: “TOV!” There are seasons and years: “TOV!” There are fish in the waters and birds in the air and creeping things on the ground: “TOV!” There are wild animals and cats and dogs and chickens and cows and all the four-legged ones: “TOV!” But for you and me and all the two-leggeds there is another word: we are “TOV M’OD!” We are “VERY GOOD.”
Hear God’s shout of joy at your existence, “TOV M’OD!!” You are the one in whom God delights.
Day 6
“And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’” Gen. 1:6
The baptismal service is filled with images of water. There are references to the waters of creation, the waters of the Red Sea, and the waters of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan; and there is the physical water, poured into the baptismal font. Water is essential to life. We look for fresh water wherever we go. We look for water on other planets, we look for water under the earth, we look for ways to bring water to the desert. So rejoice in the water all around you. Splash in a puddle. Sing in the shower. Jump in a lake. Take a long cool drink of water and celebrate the wonder of water. Revel in the water all around you.
Notice today God’s gift of water. Be thankful for all the water that surrounds you.
Day 7
Each morning is a new beginning of our life. Each day is a finished whole. The present day marks the boundary of our cares and concerns. It is long enough to find God or lose him, to keep faith or fall into disgrace. God created day and night for us so we need not wander without boundaries, but may be able to see in every morning the goal of the evening ahead.
Just as the ancient sun rises anew everyday, so the eternal mercy of God is new every morning. Every morning God gives us the gift of comprehending anew His faithfulness of old; thus in the midst of our life with God, we may daily begin a new life with Him.
In the first moments of the new day are for God's liberating grace, God's sanctifying presence. Before the heart unlocks itself for the world, God wants to open it for Himself; before the ear takes in the countless voices of the day, it should hear in the early hours the voice of the Creator and Redeemer. God prepared the stillness of the first morning for Himself. It should remain His. - D. Bonhoffer
Day 8
“And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.” Gen. 1:8
Somehow it is this “second day” that seems so amazing. The first day of school, or the new job, or a new relationship is set apart and celebrated. It is on the second day that the real work begins. It is on the second day that you sit down and begin to realize what you have gotten yourself into. Second days are the hardest and the most wonderful. Second days give us a taste of what is too come. At the end of this second day of creation we have light and water. Things are beginning to take shape. There are times when I need to look past the first day, to look toward the second. I need to settle in for the work to be done. It’s time to get organized, make my list, to move on with what God is calling me to do. It’s the second day, and time to move forward.
So what is your next step? What is your task for this second day? What do you need to move forward with?
Day 9
“Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so.” Gen. 1:11
I love avocados. Maybe it’s the California girl in me, but I love avocados, and asparagus, and artichokes, and kumquats. I grew up in a walnut orchard, and my friend grew up in an olive orchard. We passed fields of wheat and hops on the way to school. Yet when I heard of plants yielding seed, I always think of avocado, after all their seeds are HUGE. Those seeds take up so much space and I’d much rather have more of that yummy fruit. Those seeds just seem to get in the way—until I want to grow another tree, cultivate more fruit. Then they are essential. It seems that my life is like that, there are limits to my time, energy, money or skill and they keep me from the fruit I desire. Yet sometimes it is those very limits that push me to find a new way to accomplish things. It is in those limits that I can find the life that God has hidden there.
Look today at the limits in your life. Ask God to help you see the life hidden there.
Day 10
“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” Gen. 1:14
It seems there are seasons to gift-giving. At one time I would look for board books and baby blankets. Later I looked for the latest Disney movie or balls or dolls. They gave way to Legos and craft projects, quickly followed by books and clothes and all the things necessary for a dorm room. Recently the seasons have changed again and I’m making wedding samplers, which I’m sure will soon give way to baby blankets. The seasons change, but Christ’s presence does not. Be it day or night or summer or winter, or playing in the back yard or holding my baby or watching that baby accept their diploma, Jesus is present. Although the days seem to skitter past like clouds before a wind storm, Jesus is a constant companion. So whatever season you are in, Christ is with you.
How are you aware of Christ’s presence in this season of your life?
Day 11
"God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.” Gen. 1:16
In our house there are many nightlights. We have lights in the hallway and lights in the bathroom. There is one in the kitchen and one in the family room. At first they were there for those late-night wanderings when our children were small. Now I’m the one who is most likely to be up in the night, and those small lights, “lesser lights,” guide me in my nighttime meanderings. Frequently in my spiritual life it is the small bits of light that have gotten me through. It is the phone call from a friend, the book that someone shared. One time it was a cartoon, another time it was a bit of hymn that got stuck in a seemingly endless loop in my brain. They all helped in the darkness. Now I look for those little lights; I gather them up so I can give them to others. I want to scatter the nightlights around for all those who are wandering around in the night. I want to know that they are there when I’m walking in the dark. So I praise God for the lesser lights that shine brightest when the way is darkest. All praise for the nightlights that God sets out to help us in the night.
Do you remember something that has helped you in the night? How was it a reminder of God’s presence?
Day 12
“God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.” Gen. 1:17-18
Often when I am baking the directions will tell me to “separate an egg.” So I go about the task of separating the egg from the shell and the white from the yolk. The shell has its own parts, the external hard protective exterior and a thin layer on the inside that keeps it all together. As the white slips through my fingers into the bowl, I notice that it too as component parts, one clear and almost liquid, and another almost viscous and white that clings to the yolk. Lastly, there is the yolk with a membrane that holds the rest of the yolk together. Each part of the egg has its own properties. Each has something that is required in order for the recipe to turn into the delicious, from-scratch, chocolate birthday cake I’m hoping for. I have to separate the egg so that each part of it can recombine to make my cake.
Sometimes we need to be apart in order to come back together in richer ways. So give yourself and those you love the gift of solitude. The cake will be better for it.
Where do you find the time and space to be alone?
Day 13
“And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.” Gen. 1:19
There is a rhythm to all of this creating. A sense of a dance behind the words, the first day, the second, day, the third day—“and there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.” Perhaps it’s all a chant, or a song, or a rap. The creation is building and expanding and unfolding. There is a sense of “becoming” in the words of Genesis. God’s passion for creating is relentless. So, too, in our lives God is relentless. God will not let us be. God will not leave us alone. Sometimes God’s passion for me can be annoying. There are times I just want to be left to wallow in my own troubles, yet God will not let me go. God will not let any of us go. That’s why Jesus was born, because of God’s relentless love for each of us. So we remember the fourth day of creation, with many more to go. God will not stop creating and recreating until everything is as it should be, including you, including me. God’s love for us is relentless.
How is God’s love for you recreating you?
Day 14
“Let me tell you why God made the world.
One afternoon, before anything was made, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit sat around in the unity of their Godhead discussing one of the Father's fixations. From all eternity, it seems, he had had this thing about being. He would keep thinking up all kinds of unnecessary things—new ways of being and new kinds of beings to be. And as they talked, God the Son suddenly said, "Really, this is absolutely great stuff. Why don't I go out and mix us up a batch?" And God the Holy Spirit said, "Terrific! I'll help you." So they all pitched in, and after supper that night, the Son and the Holy Spirit put on this tremendous show of being for the Father. It was full of water and light and frogs; pine cones kept dropping all over the place, and crazy fish swam around in the wineglasses. There were mushrooms and mastodons, grapes and geese, tornadoes and tigers - and men and women everywhere to taste them, to juggle them, to join them, and to love them. And God the Father looked at the whole wild party and said, "Wonderful! just what I had in mind! Tov! Tov! Tov!" And all God the Son and God the Holy Spirit could think of to say was the same thing: "Tov! Tov! Tov!" So they shouted together "Tov meod!" and they laughed for ages and ages, saying things like how great it was for beings to be, and how clever of the Father to think of the idea, and how kind of the Son to go to all that trouble putting it together, and how considerate of the Spirit to spend so much time directing and choreographing. And for ever and ever they told old jokes, and the Father and the son drank their wine in unitate Spiritus Sancti, and they all threw ripe olives and pickled mushrooms at each other per omnia saecula saeculorum, Amen.
It is, I grant you, a crass analogy; but crass analogies are the safest. Everybody knows that God is not three old men throwing olives at each other. Not everyone, I'm afraid, is equally clear that God is not a cosmic force or a principle of being or any other dish of celestial blancmange we might choose to call him. Accordingly, I give you the central truth that creation is the result of a trinitarian bash, and leave the details of the analogy to sort themselves out as best they can. - Robert F. Capon
Day 15
“And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’” Gen. 1:20
For the past 10 years I have been living under the Atlantic Flyway. Thousands of bird pass over my house every year. It’s fascinating. And then there are the blackbirds. The flocks of blackbirds often cover the sky as far as you can see. They form a dark band across the sky. When they land to feed, the trees and the ground are covered with them, and the sound is loud and unmistakable. These massive flocks never cease to mesmerize me. It seems so alien to choose for any being to choose to live a life so completely defined by being part of a group. Every movement of their day is defined by what all those around them choose to do. Yet for them it’s part of who they are, and part of how they survive. We are in no way tied to others as the blackbirds are, yet we need each other. We need the friendship and community of others not only to survive but to thrive. Friendships are not always easy, they require time and energy, and they can sometimes be confusing and even painful. Still, friends are a gift, a gift that helps us become the persons God created us to be, a gift that can help us be more loving, more creative, more courageous, more kind, more faithful, and all those things we long to be. Like the blackbirds, we need each other.
Who are the friends that help you to become the person God has created you to be?
Day 16
“So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.” Gen. 1:21
Sea Monsters! What a great addition to the litany of creatures. I know, I know, you think there are no sea monsters, but deep under the waters of the oceans we are constantly discovering new creatures. They found the giant squid no one thought existed, and the coelacanth, that prehistoric fish believed to have become extinct long ago. We never know what we are going to find out there in the ocean depths. Our life in Christ is kind of like that. We never know what we are going to find. We never know where we are going to end up or the way we are going to get there. It’s an adventure, this life guided by the Holy Spirit. Every twist and turn reveals a new vista, and sometimes it takes more than a minute or two to just figure out what we are seeing. After all how do you describe a sea monster when you have never seen one? So off on your adventure today! You never know where the Spirit may guide you!
Keep your eyes open today for the new things you may see today. Pay attention to where God is leading you and the new things God is showing you.
Day 17
“God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’” Gen. 1:22
God blessed them. There is something so powerful in those words. Too often words tear down and diminish the ones to who they are spoken. Here, God blessed them. The words of blessing go far beyond encouragement, far beyond praise or cheering up. Blessing goes to our very souls. When we speak a blessing on another we wrap them in the wonder and Spirit of Christ. When we bless we breathe on them the breath of God’s love. When we bless someone we place them in God’s arms and place the Holy Spirit in their hearts. The act of blessing is wonderful and profound. To be blessed in God’s name is an overwhelming offering. To bless another is a powerful gift.
May you know the blessing of God this day.
Day 18
“And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ And it was so.” Gen. 1:24
Short Circuit is a rather obscure movie that my family is fond of. The story revolves around a small experimental robot, Number 5, which has been struck by lightning and is now aware of itself and acting on its own. Of course the bad guys are chasing it and the good guys are trying to help it escape. In the middle of all of this Number 5 is trying to understand this new world he is suddenly aware of. At one point he contemplates the meaning of “alive and dead” and realizes that “Number 5 is alive.” It’s the beginning of his true understanding of the world. We are alive and we are surrounded by life. Fireflys and frogs, pine trees and pineapples, dogs and cats and that stuff growing in the back of the fridge: it’s all alive. Every breath we take connects us with the wonders of God’s creation. Too often we rush past all this wonder. We are too intent on the next item on our “To Do” list. Take a moment today to set aside the list and see things with new eyes, like a toddler examining a trail of ants, or Number 5 marveling at the four-legged creatures crossing the yard. It’s time to marvel at God’s creation.
Where do you see life today? Look at it with a thankful heart.
Day 19
“God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind.” Gen. 1:25
I’m grateful for wild things, for the untamed parts of the world. They remind me that I am not in charge, that there are things that I do not control. They also remind me that there is someone beyond me, that God is the ruler of all things, and that God provides for the bobcat and the robin, the wild turkey and the moose, and for me. There are times my life seems beset by wild things: death and destruction, illness or unemployment, or just the wild twists and turns that sometimes overwhelm me. The wild creatures remind me that as crazy as things can be, Jesus is there with me. I have someone to grab onto, to hold onto, someone who knows the way along this wild ride. So whether my life is a wild creature, or tame cattle, or perhaps just a little creeping thing along the ground, God is with me.
Look at all the creatures around you, wild and tame. God cares for them and God cares for you.
Day 20
“And God saw that it was good.” Gen.1:25
Be good, goody two-shoes, good girl. We use the word “good” to mean something very different from what it means here. For us, “good” means staying on the straight and narrow and following the rules. Somewhere I have the image of the perfect little girl, all dressed up and sitting quietly in the corner until she is called upon to speak politely to her elders. The “good” in this verse, this God-proclaimed “good,” is deeper and broader and has nothing to do with keeping the rules. God’s shout of good says that what God has made is what God intended. That all these things are part of God’s delight. That air is as air should be, that water is wonderful powerful wet stuff, that fish wiggle as they should, that birds soar according to design, that cats prowl and wolves howl and elephants trumpet in just the right tone, and you—you—are good. You are who God designed you to be. God delights in the you that you are. God declares you “good.”
Notice all of creation today, and see the good and wonderful things God has made. Now look in the mirror and see the person that God has declared “good.”
Day 21
Day 22
“Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.’” Gen. 1:26
There is a drawing I’ve seen from time to time. It is of a soup kitchen and folks are serving a long line of hungry people. Along with the other hungry people Jesus is standing in line waiting to be served. Seeing Christ in those around us is not an easy task, especially when they are angry or difficult or frustrating to deal with. How then do I see the image of God in those around me? The challenge is to begin to see them with God’s eyes, to see past the wounded parts, to the child of God that is there, somewhere, underneath it all. Not an easy task, not one we can grit our teeth and do by ourselves. It’s the kind of change in ourselves that can only come through prayer, and through the intervention of the Holy Spirit. Lord God, give us eyes to see those around us as you see them, give us your love and compassion. Amen.
May we see the image of God in each person we meet today.
Day 23
“And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth,* and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” Gen. 1:26
So what in the world does having “dominion” over all these creatures mean? For centuries it was assumed that humans could do as they wished with the creatures of the world. Over the last half century we have come to realize that there was something wrong with that stance. Some scholars propose that the word more closely reflects caring for a flock. It’s certainly a more helpful image for me. How do I care for creation as I would care for a flock? I would want to feed them and water them, tend them when they are sick, and care for them to make sure they stay well. We are increasingly aware of our role in caring for creation, of tending to what God has given us. Some days I do this well, other days not so well. Striving is perhaps the best I can do. Being aware of my impact on the world, and my responsibility to tend what has been given into my care is a daily task and a daily joy. We have been giving the world to tend, and to delight in all there is. The more we cherish the world, the more we long to care for it.
Where do you delight in this world? What will you do to care for it?
Day 24
“So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Gen. 1:27
Philosophers and theologians love this verse. If you put together all the writings and debates on this passage, I’m sure it would fill a medium-sized library! That said, it leaves us with the continuing questions, just how does humanity reflect the image of God? Is it creativity? Or reason? Or free will? Just what is it in us humans that makes us, well, us. It seems we sense in others a touch of the divine. It comes out most clearly at the beginning and end of life. Holding a newborn or the hand of the dying is a place where the eternal and the mundane meet, where we can see the image of God shining through. As profound as those moments are, I’ve got to get through today. I need to see the image of God in those I’ll meet today, at the coffee shop, and the office, and in the checkout line. We each bear a facet of the image of God, some passion or delight that points us to our Creator. So today, I’ll look for those glimpses of God in those around me. I will look for a way to take a peek at the divine image by paying careful attention to all those around me.
Today is a day for paying attention. Where will you glimpse the image of God in those around you?
Day 25
“God blessed them.” Gen. 1:28
“God bless you,” he said as she sneezed. This simple phrase set in motion a whole cascade of benedictions. The stars sang in delight, and the galaxies joined in. Somewhere in the corner the angles were preparing an interpretive dance to go along with the music. The winds created a descant with the trees and the oceans rumbled their bass-note accompaniment. Starfish, cod, and narwhals chimed in. Overhead the storm-petrels and albatross zipped across the sky with their aerial ballet—all from that off-handed blessing. Scientists refer to the “butterfly effect,” that mysterious influence of random events upon another part of the world. So we have our “butterfly effect.” We have the ability to bless one another, in that simple action to invite God’s delight upon another. In words or thoughts or prayers we can bring God’s blessing into our wonderful and broken world.
May the blessing of God’s light be on you, light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine on you and warm your heart,
Till it glows like a great fire, and you are filled with the light of Christ.
Day 26
“And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’” Gen. 1:28
I like to make things. I make bread and cookies and baked goods of all kinds. I knit hats and scarves and shawls. I crochet blankets and Christmas ornaments. I sew pillows and quilts. I make things until the space overflows. Near where I live there is a new structure, a huge space dedicated to storing our stuff. It is a testament to what I certainly find to be true. It’s easy to acquire stuff, physical stuff and emotional stuff; it is much harder to get rid of it. There are always the twin thoughts nagging at me, “What if I need it in the future?” and the smaller sneaky one that points the finger at me declaring, “Look how wasteful you are, you bought this and now you are just getting rid of it!” There was always a good reason for getting what I have, but now it’s clogging things up, making it hard to move. It’s time to move these things along, to find a better home for them, time to pack up the boxes and make some space. I’ve filled my patch of earth, now it’s time to subdue it and make some space for the living things.
What fills your world? Does it leave room for you to live?
Day 27
“God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so.” Gen. 1:29-30
Given . . . given. The word echo’s and the first thing that springs to mind is this quote from the Gospel of Luke: “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). Much is given to us and we struggle with what that responsibility means in the light of climate change, in the light of our need for clean air and water, in the light of the clear-cutting of forests and the disappearance of fisheries. Yet I hold out for the hopeful changes. The bald eagles and peregrine falcons have come back. The wolves reintroduced into Yellowstone have created a chain of events that have allowed trees to reclaim hillsides and prevent mudslides. There is hope. Beast of the earth, and fish of the seas, fruits and vegetables and grains, and all the wonderful winged, walking, slithering, growing things that surround us. We depend of them, and they depend on us. “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required.”
How do you care for the life all around you? Is there something you are being called to do, something nagging at you that you need to pay attention to?
Day 28
“We were given appetites, not to consume the world and forget it, but to taste its goodness and hunger to make it great. That is the unconsolable heartburn, the lifelong disquietude of having been made in the image of God.”
― Robert Farrar Capon
“We are not to reflect on the wickedness of humanity but to look to the image of God in them, an image which, covering and obliterating their faults, an image which, by its beauty and dignity, should allure us to love and embrace them.”
― John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
Day 29
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude.” Gen. 2:1
Finishing has such a wonderful feeling to it. That sense of completion, of dotting the last “I” and crossing the last “t”. Unfortunately, I rarely enjoy it. Instead, I fall to my temptations. Often I spend those times fussing with what I have done. I immerse myself in the “maybes” and “should haves” and all the paths not taken and choices not made. My other temptation is to immediately take on the next project. I never give myself even a moment to enjoy the work I have done, to sense the completeness of it and to take just a moment to appreciate a task well done. There is holiness in that moment, in that time of completion. If we can pause and look with satisfaction at the task completed, the job done, we can discern that spark of God’s delight. Our pleasure in a task well done echoes God’s enchantment with us who are God’s task well done.
Look at the last day, what have you accomplished? What task can you check off the list? Take a moment to relish your accomplishment before you move on to the next.
Day 30
“And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done.” Gen. 2:2
There is a blessing in work. Work gives us more than just the money we need to live. Having work to do gives a structure to our days. Work provides us with “place” in the world. Work often gives us a community and connections with those with whom we share the work. If you have ever been out of work, you know that along with the worries about money there comes a dislocation of self. Who am I, without a title to define me? What should I do with myself today without an office to go to? So work is a blessing. But like all blessings, we can abuse it. We can let work consume us or define us. Work is a blessing, but you are not your work. Paid or unpaid, acknowledged or invisible, your work is a gift to be used and enjoyed with wisdom.
“On the seventh day God finished the work” – Find some time to reflect on the blessing of your work.
Day 31
“And he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.” Gen. 2:2
Most scholars say that this is the whole point of the Genesis chapter 1. Unlike any other traditions, the Abrahamic faiths divide time into a weekly cycle of work and rest. In other words, we have a Sabbath, a day on which we are commanded to rest. Think about it for a moment. There is a time we are told NOT to work, NOT to fuss and fume about what will happen next, we are commanded to rest. Try to imagine it just for a moment: you are commanded to be a go out and sit in the porch swing, to daydream, to put down the to-do list and just be. What’s that you say? You don’t want to be lazy? You don’t want to be a slacker? It’s hard, I know—believe me I know! We live in a world where rest is equated with being worthless and, of course, no one wants to be worthless. And yet . . . God bids us rest. Work is a blessing, and rest is a gift.
Open the gift of rest this week. Put your feet up. Look at the clouds. Go out and play.
Day 32
“So God blessed the seventh day.” Gen. 2:3
I have a friend who writes Amish romances. Really, it’s a “thing,” an actual category in publishing, and because of Suzanne I’ve gotten hooked. Like any genre, some of it is well-written and some not so well-written or researched. Despite all of this, these stories have pushed me to think more carefully about some of the ways I live my life. One of these has to do with Sabbath. The word Sabbath derives from the Hebrew for “seventh day” and refers back to the creation of the world when God rested on the seventh day (Saturday). But what does it mean to “rest”? How do I, in my crazy busy twenty-first century American life, rest? I will tell you, I can’t sit still. I’ve never been known to sit for any length of time without something to do. So how do I rest? How do I honor the Sabbath time? I’m not really sure, but I’m working on it, or at least pondering it. What gives me rest and refreshment? What feeds my soul?
So what about you? What gives you rest and refreshment? What feeds your soul? How do you honor your Sabbath rest?
Day 33
“God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it.” Gen. 2:3
There are things in my life that are precious. Most of them have no monetary value, yet they are precious. Letters written by my grandmother, a baby shoe, a photo of friends who died far too young, all of these are precious, they are hallowed. Things, places, even a certain time of day or year can become special and set apart. They become hallowed. They become set apart and holy. There is something special about those holy things. It is not just that they evoke memories, although they certainly do that. These items are doorways to relationships, both past and present. Sharing them can open up new understanding, and new avenues for growth and meaning. So the seventh day is hallowed, holy; it is set apart as a day of relationship, a day to reconnect with God, a day to reconnect with each other. Definitely a holy day, a holiday, a day of celebration!
Set a time to reconnect with God and with those you care about. Stretch the list to those you haven’t connected with in a while.
Day 34
“Because on it (the seventh day) God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.” Gen. 2:3
When they were very young my kids loved to proclaim “ALL DONE!” All done with dinner, all done with picking up, all done with their bath, they were “ALL DONE!” There is great joy in being done. There is great satisfaction is finishing a task. We celebrate graduations, retirements, even funerals can be celebrations of a life well lived. In some ways we long for endings, we long to know that the task has been well done. We long to hear the voice of Christ declare over us, “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21). At that end there is no fear, no regret, no remorse, just a look of delight on God’s face as God welcomes us unto eternal life.
Set aside everything for a moment and become aware of God’s delight in you.
Day 35
“Every time we turn to Christ in faith it is like a moment of Sabbath, a little foretaste of eternal rest and glory. The gift of that moment lies not in what we do but what we receive. It is the holy time set aside to receive the greatest gift God ever has to give, which is himself, in his own beloved Son.” ― Phillip Cary, Good News for Anxious Christians: Ten Practical Things You Don't Have to Do
“In the beginning when God created.” Gen. 1:1
It’s hard to think back to the beginning of things. We tell stories to help us remember how a chain of events began. I can tell you the story of the first time I met my husband, long ago in the seminary library. I can tell you when I met Nancy at church, or Helen in the dining commons at college, or Dave when I interviewed for a job. Yet there are a few that go back before my memory: Leslie, whom I have always known, or my cousins, or my siblings. There was a beginning to those relationships, even though they stretch back further than conscience thought. So too the writer of Genesis begins at the beginning, before memory, before thought. The writer begins with God. It’s not a bad place to start. Perhaps today we should begin with God, being in the presence of God—just that one thought.
Begin today with a moment in the presence of God.
Day 2
“God created the heavens and the earth.” Gen. 1:1
Recently there was a documentary on the National Park system. The screen was filled with image after image from the national parks: craggy western mountains, miles of mangrove swamps, schools of muti-colored fish, and river water cascading down the valleys. Above you could see clouds skittering by and fog rolling down over hills, and the night sky filled with all the stars of the Milky Way. The most amazing thing was that none of these wonders is static. They are all still being reshaped and reformed by wind and rain, by volcano and continental shift. They were created and are still being recreated. God is still reforming our world, and reforming us. God is wearing down our jagged edges and bringing to the surface the treasures buried deep within us. God is still creating.
What is God creating in you?
Day 3
“The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep.” Gen. 1:2
We are rarely in the dark these days. We have night lights and street lights and flashlights that keep the dark at bay. We have so filled our lives with light that we have islands of “light pollution.” Some scientists think that all our lights are disrupting our sleep and causing a rise in all kinds of illnesses. Darkness hides things. In the dark we cannot see the way forward. We cannot see what may come next. In the darkness our steps are uncertain. The writer of Genesis reminds us that even in the dark, even in those places where our lives seem to have no form or shape, even when we cannot sense the presence of anything or anyone, even there, God is present. God is there in the darkness and the formless void. God is there.
Where do you long for God to be? God is there.
Day 4
“A wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” Gen. 1:2
My college was built high on the coastal hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In the fall, the winds would blow—not the cool damp winds that usually came in off the ocean, but the hot dry Santa Anna winds rushing out of the desert. The Santa Annas made everyone nervous and edgy. These were the winds that often whipped up the wild fires. These were the winds that often took out the tall eucalyptus trees and power lines, leaving us in the dark. Winds are unpredictable, unmanageable, and invisible. In Hebrew, wind and breath and spirit are all one word: ru’ach. The ru’ach of God blows at the start of all things. It blows at Pentecost, transforming the frightened disciples into powerful emissaries of Christ. And that Holy Spirit of God blows in us. I don’t know where she will blow today. Perhaps she will be gentle and cool and damp, just right to sooth my feverish activity. Perhaps she will be hot and dry, pushing me to attempt a new thing. Or perhaps she will be wild and restless, scooping me up and putting me down in a new and unexpected place. Whatever the type of wind, it is still the breath of God’s Spirit surrounding
What kind of wind is surrounding you today? How do you sense the Holy Spirit in it?
Day 5
“Then God Said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.” Gen. 1:3-4
I don’t remember much from my college Hebrew class but one word that has stuck with me is in this verse. We translate it as “good”: “God saw that the light was good.” In Hebrew God says “TOV! (GOOD!).” It’s a shout of pleasure, of joy, that things are turning out the way they should. Throughout the rest of the story, we hear the same exuberant exclamation. “TOV!” God bellows after each creation. There is sky: “TOV!” There is earth and sea: “TOV!” There are plants and trees: “TOV!” There is the sun and moon and stars: “TOV!” There are seasons and years: “TOV!” There are fish in the waters and birds in the air and creeping things on the ground: “TOV!” There are wild animals and cats and dogs and chickens and cows and all the four-legged ones: “TOV!” But for you and me and all the two-leggeds there is another word: we are “TOV M’OD!” We are “VERY GOOD.”
Hear God’s shout of joy at your existence, “TOV M’OD!!” You are the one in whom God delights.
Day 6
“And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’” Gen. 1:6
The baptismal service is filled with images of water. There are references to the waters of creation, the waters of the Red Sea, and the waters of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan; and there is the physical water, poured into the baptismal font. Water is essential to life. We look for fresh water wherever we go. We look for water on other planets, we look for water under the earth, we look for ways to bring water to the desert. So rejoice in the water all around you. Splash in a puddle. Sing in the shower. Jump in a lake. Take a long cool drink of water and celebrate the wonder of water. Revel in the water all around you.
Notice today God’s gift of water. Be thankful for all the water that surrounds you.
Day 7
Each morning is a new beginning of our life. Each day is a finished whole. The present day marks the boundary of our cares and concerns. It is long enough to find God or lose him, to keep faith or fall into disgrace. God created day and night for us so we need not wander without boundaries, but may be able to see in every morning the goal of the evening ahead.
Just as the ancient sun rises anew everyday, so the eternal mercy of God is new every morning. Every morning God gives us the gift of comprehending anew His faithfulness of old; thus in the midst of our life with God, we may daily begin a new life with Him.
In the first moments of the new day are for God's liberating grace, God's sanctifying presence. Before the heart unlocks itself for the world, God wants to open it for Himself; before the ear takes in the countless voices of the day, it should hear in the early hours the voice of the Creator and Redeemer. God prepared the stillness of the first morning for Himself. It should remain His. - D. Bonhoffer
Day 8
“And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.” Gen. 1:8
Somehow it is this “second day” that seems so amazing. The first day of school, or the new job, or a new relationship is set apart and celebrated. It is on the second day that the real work begins. It is on the second day that you sit down and begin to realize what you have gotten yourself into. Second days are the hardest and the most wonderful. Second days give us a taste of what is too come. At the end of this second day of creation we have light and water. Things are beginning to take shape. There are times when I need to look past the first day, to look toward the second. I need to settle in for the work to be done. It’s time to get organized, make my list, to move on with what God is calling me to do. It’s the second day, and time to move forward.
So what is your next step? What is your task for this second day? What do you need to move forward with?
Day 9
“Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so.” Gen. 1:11
I love avocados. Maybe it’s the California girl in me, but I love avocados, and asparagus, and artichokes, and kumquats. I grew up in a walnut orchard, and my friend grew up in an olive orchard. We passed fields of wheat and hops on the way to school. Yet when I heard of plants yielding seed, I always think of avocado, after all their seeds are HUGE. Those seeds take up so much space and I’d much rather have more of that yummy fruit. Those seeds just seem to get in the way—until I want to grow another tree, cultivate more fruit. Then they are essential. It seems that my life is like that, there are limits to my time, energy, money or skill and they keep me from the fruit I desire. Yet sometimes it is those very limits that push me to find a new way to accomplish things. It is in those limits that I can find the life that God has hidden there.
Look today at the limits in your life. Ask God to help you see the life hidden there.
Day 10
“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” Gen. 1:14
It seems there are seasons to gift-giving. At one time I would look for board books and baby blankets. Later I looked for the latest Disney movie or balls or dolls. They gave way to Legos and craft projects, quickly followed by books and clothes and all the things necessary for a dorm room. Recently the seasons have changed again and I’m making wedding samplers, which I’m sure will soon give way to baby blankets. The seasons change, but Christ’s presence does not. Be it day or night or summer or winter, or playing in the back yard or holding my baby or watching that baby accept their diploma, Jesus is present. Although the days seem to skitter past like clouds before a wind storm, Jesus is a constant companion. So whatever season you are in, Christ is with you.
How are you aware of Christ’s presence in this season of your life?
Day 11
"God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.” Gen. 1:16
In our house there are many nightlights. We have lights in the hallway and lights in the bathroom. There is one in the kitchen and one in the family room. At first they were there for those late-night wanderings when our children were small. Now I’m the one who is most likely to be up in the night, and those small lights, “lesser lights,” guide me in my nighttime meanderings. Frequently in my spiritual life it is the small bits of light that have gotten me through. It is the phone call from a friend, the book that someone shared. One time it was a cartoon, another time it was a bit of hymn that got stuck in a seemingly endless loop in my brain. They all helped in the darkness. Now I look for those little lights; I gather them up so I can give them to others. I want to scatter the nightlights around for all those who are wandering around in the night. I want to know that they are there when I’m walking in the dark. So I praise God for the lesser lights that shine brightest when the way is darkest. All praise for the nightlights that God sets out to help us in the night.
Do you remember something that has helped you in the night? How was it a reminder of God’s presence?
Day 12
“God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.” Gen. 1:17-18
Often when I am baking the directions will tell me to “separate an egg.” So I go about the task of separating the egg from the shell and the white from the yolk. The shell has its own parts, the external hard protective exterior and a thin layer on the inside that keeps it all together. As the white slips through my fingers into the bowl, I notice that it too as component parts, one clear and almost liquid, and another almost viscous and white that clings to the yolk. Lastly, there is the yolk with a membrane that holds the rest of the yolk together. Each part of the egg has its own properties. Each has something that is required in order for the recipe to turn into the delicious, from-scratch, chocolate birthday cake I’m hoping for. I have to separate the egg so that each part of it can recombine to make my cake.
Sometimes we need to be apart in order to come back together in richer ways. So give yourself and those you love the gift of solitude. The cake will be better for it.
Where do you find the time and space to be alone?
Day 13
“And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.” Gen. 1:19
There is a rhythm to all of this creating. A sense of a dance behind the words, the first day, the second, day, the third day—“and there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.” Perhaps it’s all a chant, or a song, or a rap. The creation is building and expanding and unfolding. There is a sense of “becoming” in the words of Genesis. God’s passion for creating is relentless. So, too, in our lives God is relentless. God will not let us be. God will not leave us alone. Sometimes God’s passion for me can be annoying. There are times I just want to be left to wallow in my own troubles, yet God will not let me go. God will not let any of us go. That’s why Jesus was born, because of God’s relentless love for each of us. So we remember the fourth day of creation, with many more to go. God will not stop creating and recreating until everything is as it should be, including you, including me. God’s love for us is relentless.
How is God’s love for you recreating you?
Day 14
“Let me tell you why God made the world.
One afternoon, before anything was made, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit sat around in the unity of their Godhead discussing one of the Father's fixations. From all eternity, it seems, he had had this thing about being. He would keep thinking up all kinds of unnecessary things—new ways of being and new kinds of beings to be. And as they talked, God the Son suddenly said, "Really, this is absolutely great stuff. Why don't I go out and mix us up a batch?" And God the Holy Spirit said, "Terrific! I'll help you." So they all pitched in, and after supper that night, the Son and the Holy Spirit put on this tremendous show of being for the Father. It was full of water and light and frogs; pine cones kept dropping all over the place, and crazy fish swam around in the wineglasses. There were mushrooms and mastodons, grapes and geese, tornadoes and tigers - and men and women everywhere to taste them, to juggle them, to join them, and to love them. And God the Father looked at the whole wild party and said, "Wonderful! just what I had in mind! Tov! Tov! Tov!" And all God the Son and God the Holy Spirit could think of to say was the same thing: "Tov! Tov! Tov!" So they shouted together "Tov meod!" and they laughed for ages and ages, saying things like how great it was for beings to be, and how clever of the Father to think of the idea, and how kind of the Son to go to all that trouble putting it together, and how considerate of the Spirit to spend so much time directing and choreographing. And for ever and ever they told old jokes, and the Father and the son drank their wine in unitate Spiritus Sancti, and they all threw ripe olives and pickled mushrooms at each other per omnia saecula saeculorum, Amen.
It is, I grant you, a crass analogy; but crass analogies are the safest. Everybody knows that God is not three old men throwing olives at each other. Not everyone, I'm afraid, is equally clear that God is not a cosmic force or a principle of being or any other dish of celestial blancmange we might choose to call him. Accordingly, I give you the central truth that creation is the result of a trinitarian bash, and leave the details of the analogy to sort themselves out as best they can. - Robert F. Capon
Day 15
“And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’” Gen. 1:20
For the past 10 years I have been living under the Atlantic Flyway. Thousands of bird pass over my house every year. It’s fascinating. And then there are the blackbirds. The flocks of blackbirds often cover the sky as far as you can see. They form a dark band across the sky. When they land to feed, the trees and the ground are covered with them, and the sound is loud and unmistakable. These massive flocks never cease to mesmerize me. It seems so alien to choose for any being to choose to live a life so completely defined by being part of a group. Every movement of their day is defined by what all those around them choose to do. Yet for them it’s part of who they are, and part of how they survive. We are in no way tied to others as the blackbirds are, yet we need each other. We need the friendship and community of others not only to survive but to thrive. Friendships are not always easy, they require time and energy, and they can sometimes be confusing and even painful. Still, friends are a gift, a gift that helps us become the persons God created us to be, a gift that can help us be more loving, more creative, more courageous, more kind, more faithful, and all those things we long to be. Like the blackbirds, we need each other.
Who are the friends that help you to become the person God has created you to be?
Day 16
“So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.” Gen. 1:21
Sea Monsters! What a great addition to the litany of creatures. I know, I know, you think there are no sea monsters, but deep under the waters of the oceans we are constantly discovering new creatures. They found the giant squid no one thought existed, and the coelacanth, that prehistoric fish believed to have become extinct long ago. We never know what we are going to find out there in the ocean depths. Our life in Christ is kind of like that. We never know what we are going to find. We never know where we are going to end up or the way we are going to get there. It’s an adventure, this life guided by the Holy Spirit. Every twist and turn reveals a new vista, and sometimes it takes more than a minute or two to just figure out what we are seeing. After all how do you describe a sea monster when you have never seen one? So off on your adventure today! You never know where the Spirit may guide you!
Keep your eyes open today for the new things you may see today. Pay attention to where God is leading you and the new things God is showing you.
Day 17
“God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’” Gen. 1:22
God blessed them. There is something so powerful in those words. Too often words tear down and diminish the ones to who they are spoken. Here, God blessed them. The words of blessing go far beyond encouragement, far beyond praise or cheering up. Blessing goes to our very souls. When we speak a blessing on another we wrap them in the wonder and Spirit of Christ. When we bless we breathe on them the breath of God’s love. When we bless someone we place them in God’s arms and place the Holy Spirit in their hearts. The act of blessing is wonderful and profound. To be blessed in God’s name is an overwhelming offering. To bless another is a powerful gift.
May you know the blessing of God this day.
Day 18
“And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ And it was so.” Gen. 1:24
Short Circuit is a rather obscure movie that my family is fond of. The story revolves around a small experimental robot, Number 5, which has been struck by lightning and is now aware of itself and acting on its own. Of course the bad guys are chasing it and the good guys are trying to help it escape. In the middle of all of this Number 5 is trying to understand this new world he is suddenly aware of. At one point he contemplates the meaning of “alive and dead” and realizes that “Number 5 is alive.” It’s the beginning of his true understanding of the world. We are alive and we are surrounded by life. Fireflys and frogs, pine trees and pineapples, dogs and cats and that stuff growing in the back of the fridge: it’s all alive. Every breath we take connects us with the wonders of God’s creation. Too often we rush past all this wonder. We are too intent on the next item on our “To Do” list. Take a moment today to set aside the list and see things with new eyes, like a toddler examining a trail of ants, or Number 5 marveling at the four-legged creatures crossing the yard. It’s time to marvel at God’s creation.
Where do you see life today? Look at it with a thankful heart.
Day 19
“God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind.” Gen. 1:25
I’m grateful for wild things, for the untamed parts of the world. They remind me that I am not in charge, that there are things that I do not control. They also remind me that there is someone beyond me, that God is the ruler of all things, and that God provides for the bobcat and the robin, the wild turkey and the moose, and for me. There are times my life seems beset by wild things: death and destruction, illness or unemployment, or just the wild twists and turns that sometimes overwhelm me. The wild creatures remind me that as crazy as things can be, Jesus is there with me. I have someone to grab onto, to hold onto, someone who knows the way along this wild ride. So whether my life is a wild creature, or tame cattle, or perhaps just a little creeping thing along the ground, God is with me.
Look at all the creatures around you, wild and tame. God cares for them and God cares for you.
Day 20
“And God saw that it was good.” Gen.1:25
Be good, goody two-shoes, good girl. We use the word “good” to mean something very different from what it means here. For us, “good” means staying on the straight and narrow and following the rules. Somewhere I have the image of the perfect little girl, all dressed up and sitting quietly in the corner until she is called upon to speak politely to her elders. The “good” in this verse, this God-proclaimed “good,” is deeper and broader and has nothing to do with keeping the rules. God’s shout of good says that what God has made is what God intended. That all these things are part of God’s delight. That air is as air should be, that water is wonderful powerful wet stuff, that fish wiggle as they should, that birds soar according to design, that cats prowl and wolves howl and elephants trumpet in just the right tone, and you—you—are good. You are who God designed you to be. God delights in the you that you are. God declares you “good.”
Notice all of creation today, and see the good and wonderful things God has made. Now look in the mirror and see the person that God has declared “good.”
Day 21
- all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye heavens, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye Angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- all ye waters that be above the heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- all ye powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye Sun and Moon, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- all ye winds, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye fire and heat, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye Winter and Summer, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye dews and storms of snow, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye nights and days, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye light and darkness, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye ice and cold, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye frost and snow, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye lightnings and clouds, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- let the earth bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye mountains and little hills, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- all ye things that grow on the earth, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye fountains, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye seas and rivers, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- ye whales and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- all ye fowls of the air, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
- all ye beasts and cattle, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
Day 22
“Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.’” Gen. 1:26
There is a drawing I’ve seen from time to time. It is of a soup kitchen and folks are serving a long line of hungry people. Along with the other hungry people Jesus is standing in line waiting to be served. Seeing Christ in those around us is not an easy task, especially when they are angry or difficult or frustrating to deal with. How then do I see the image of God in those around me? The challenge is to begin to see them with God’s eyes, to see past the wounded parts, to the child of God that is there, somewhere, underneath it all. Not an easy task, not one we can grit our teeth and do by ourselves. It’s the kind of change in ourselves that can only come through prayer, and through the intervention of the Holy Spirit. Lord God, give us eyes to see those around us as you see them, give us your love and compassion. Amen.
May we see the image of God in each person we meet today.
Day 23
“And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth,* and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” Gen. 1:26
So what in the world does having “dominion” over all these creatures mean? For centuries it was assumed that humans could do as they wished with the creatures of the world. Over the last half century we have come to realize that there was something wrong with that stance. Some scholars propose that the word more closely reflects caring for a flock. It’s certainly a more helpful image for me. How do I care for creation as I would care for a flock? I would want to feed them and water them, tend them when they are sick, and care for them to make sure they stay well. We are increasingly aware of our role in caring for creation, of tending to what God has given us. Some days I do this well, other days not so well. Striving is perhaps the best I can do. Being aware of my impact on the world, and my responsibility to tend what has been given into my care is a daily task and a daily joy. We have been giving the world to tend, and to delight in all there is. The more we cherish the world, the more we long to care for it.
Where do you delight in this world? What will you do to care for it?
Day 24
“So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Gen. 1:27
Philosophers and theologians love this verse. If you put together all the writings and debates on this passage, I’m sure it would fill a medium-sized library! That said, it leaves us with the continuing questions, just how does humanity reflect the image of God? Is it creativity? Or reason? Or free will? Just what is it in us humans that makes us, well, us. It seems we sense in others a touch of the divine. It comes out most clearly at the beginning and end of life. Holding a newborn or the hand of the dying is a place where the eternal and the mundane meet, where we can see the image of God shining through. As profound as those moments are, I’ve got to get through today. I need to see the image of God in those I’ll meet today, at the coffee shop, and the office, and in the checkout line. We each bear a facet of the image of God, some passion or delight that points us to our Creator. So today, I’ll look for those glimpses of God in those around me. I will look for a way to take a peek at the divine image by paying careful attention to all those around me.
Today is a day for paying attention. Where will you glimpse the image of God in those around you?
Day 25
“God blessed them.” Gen. 1:28
“God bless you,” he said as she sneezed. This simple phrase set in motion a whole cascade of benedictions. The stars sang in delight, and the galaxies joined in. Somewhere in the corner the angles were preparing an interpretive dance to go along with the music. The winds created a descant with the trees and the oceans rumbled their bass-note accompaniment. Starfish, cod, and narwhals chimed in. Overhead the storm-petrels and albatross zipped across the sky with their aerial ballet—all from that off-handed blessing. Scientists refer to the “butterfly effect,” that mysterious influence of random events upon another part of the world. So we have our “butterfly effect.” We have the ability to bless one another, in that simple action to invite God’s delight upon another. In words or thoughts or prayers we can bring God’s blessing into our wonderful and broken world.
May the blessing of God’s light be on you, light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine on you and warm your heart,
Till it glows like a great fire, and you are filled with the light of Christ.
Day 26
“And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’” Gen. 1:28
I like to make things. I make bread and cookies and baked goods of all kinds. I knit hats and scarves and shawls. I crochet blankets and Christmas ornaments. I sew pillows and quilts. I make things until the space overflows. Near where I live there is a new structure, a huge space dedicated to storing our stuff. It is a testament to what I certainly find to be true. It’s easy to acquire stuff, physical stuff and emotional stuff; it is much harder to get rid of it. There are always the twin thoughts nagging at me, “What if I need it in the future?” and the smaller sneaky one that points the finger at me declaring, “Look how wasteful you are, you bought this and now you are just getting rid of it!” There was always a good reason for getting what I have, but now it’s clogging things up, making it hard to move. It’s time to move these things along, to find a better home for them, time to pack up the boxes and make some space. I’ve filled my patch of earth, now it’s time to subdue it and make some space for the living things.
What fills your world? Does it leave room for you to live?
Day 27
“God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so.” Gen. 1:29-30
Given . . . given. The word echo’s and the first thing that springs to mind is this quote from the Gospel of Luke: “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). Much is given to us and we struggle with what that responsibility means in the light of climate change, in the light of our need for clean air and water, in the light of the clear-cutting of forests and the disappearance of fisheries. Yet I hold out for the hopeful changes. The bald eagles and peregrine falcons have come back. The wolves reintroduced into Yellowstone have created a chain of events that have allowed trees to reclaim hillsides and prevent mudslides. There is hope. Beast of the earth, and fish of the seas, fruits and vegetables and grains, and all the wonderful winged, walking, slithering, growing things that surround us. We depend of them, and they depend on us. “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required.”
How do you care for the life all around you? Is there something you are being called to do, something nagging at you that you need to pay attention to?
Day 28
“We were given appetites, not to consume the world and forget it, but to taste its goodness and hunger to make it great. That is the unconsolable heartburn, the lifelong disquietude of having been made in the image of God.”
― Robert Farrar Capon
“We are not to reflect on the wickedness of humanity but to look to the image of God in them, an image which, covering and obliterating their faults, an image which, by its beauty and dignity, should allure us to love and embrace them.”
― John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
Day 29
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude.” Gen. 2:1
Finishing has such a wonderful feeling to it. That sense of completion, of dotting the last “I” and crossing the last “t”. Unfortunately, I rarely enjoy it. Instead, I fall to my temptations. Often I spend those times fussing with what I have done. I immerse myself in the “maybes” and “should haves” and all the paths not taken and choices not made. My other temptation is to immediately take on the next project. I never give myself even a moment to enjoy the work I have done, to sense the completeness of it and to take just a moment to appreciate a task well done. There is holiness in that moment, in that time of completion. If we can pause and look with satisfaction at the task completed, the job done, we can discern that spark of God’s delight. Our pleasure in a task well done echoes God’s enchantment with us who are God’s task well done.
Look at the last day, what have you accomplished? What task can you check off the list? Take a moment to relish your accomplishment before you move on to the next.
Day 30
“And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done.” Gen. 2:2
There is a blessing in work. Work gives us more than just the money we need to live. Having work to do gives a structure to our days. Work provides us with “place” in the world. Work often gives us a community and connections with those with whom we share the work. If you have ever been out of work, you know that along with the worries about money there comes a dislocation of self. Who am I, without a title to define me? What should I do with myself today without an office to go to? So work is a blessing. But like all blessings, we can abuse it. We can let work consume us or define us. Work is a blessing, but you are not your work. Paid or unpaid, acknowledged or invisible, your work is a gift to be used and enjoyed with wisdom.
“On the seventh day God finished the work” – Find some time to reflect on the blessing of your work.
Day 31
“And he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.” Gen. 2:2
Most scholars say that this is the whole point of the Genesis chapter 1. Unlike any other traditions, the Abrahamic faiths divide time into a weekly cycle of work and rest. In other words, we have a Sabbath, a day on which we are commanded to rest. Think about it for a moment. There is a time we are told NOT to work, NOT to fuss and fume about what will happen next, we are commanded to rest. Try to imagine it just for a moment: you are commanded to be a go out and sit in the porch swing, to daydream, to put down the to-do list and just be. What’s that you say? You don’t want to be lazy? You don’t want to be a slacker? It’s hard, I know—believe me I know! We live in a world where rest is equated with being worthless and, of course, no one wants to be worthless. And yet . . . God bids us rest. Work is a blessing, and rest is a gift.
Open the gift of rest this week. Put your feet up. Look at the clouds. Go out and play.
Day 32
“So God blessed the seventh day.” Gen. 2:3
I have a friend who writes Amish romances. Really, it’s a “thing,” an actual category in publishing, and because of Suzanne I’ve gotten hooked. Like any genre, some of it is well-written and some not so well-written or researched. Despite all of this, these stories have pushed me to think more carefully about some of the ways I live my life. One of these has to do with Sabbath. The word Sabbath derives from the Hebrew for “seventh day” and refers back to the creation of the world when God rested on the seventh day (Saturday). But what does it mean to “rest”? How do I, in my crazy busy twenty-first century American life, rest? I will tell you, I can’t sit still. I’ve never been known to sit for any length of time without something to do. So how do I rest? How do I honor the Sabbath time? I’m not really sure, but I’m working on it, or at least pondering it. What gives me rest and refreshment? What feeds my soul?
So what about you? What gives you rest and refreshment? What feeds your soul? How do you honor your Sabbath rest?
Day 33
“God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it.” Gen. 2:3
There are things in my life that are precious. Most of them have no monetary value, yet they are precious. Letters written by my grandmother, a baby shoe, a photo of friends who died far too young, all of these are precious, they are hallowed. Things, places, even a certain time of day or year can become special and set apart. They become hallowed. They become set apart and holy. There is something special about those holy things. It is not just that they evoke memories, although they certainly do that. These items are doorways to relationships, both past and present. Sharing them can open up new understanding, and new avenues for growth and meaning. So the seventh day is hallowed, holy; it is set apart as a day of relationship, a day to reconnect with God, a day to reconnect with each other. Definitely a holy day, a holiday, a day of celebration!
Set a time to reconnect with God and with those you care about. Stretch the list to those you haven’t connected with in a while.
Day 34
“Because on it (the seventh day) God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.” Gen. 2:3
When they were very young my kids loved to proclaim “ALL DONE!” All done with dinner, all done with picking up, all done with their bath, they were “ALL DONE!” There is great joy in being done. There is great satisfaction is finishing a task. We celebrate graduations, retirements, even funerals can be celebrations of a life well lived. In some ways we long for endings, we long to know that the task has been well done. We long to hear the voice of Christ declare over us, “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21). At that end there is no fear, no regret, no remorse, just a look of delight on God’s face as God welcomes us unto eternal life.
Set aside everything for a moment and become aware of God’s delight in you.
Day 35
“Every time we turn to Christ in faith it is like a moment of Sabbath, a little foretaste of eternal rest and glory. The gift of that moment lies not in what we do but what we receive. It is the holy time set aside to receive the greatest gift God ever has to give, which is himself, in his own beloved Son.” ― Phillip Cary, Good News for Anxious Christians: Ten Practical Things You Don't Have to Do