Nature
does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished ~ Lau Tzu
According to the University of
California, 1 out of 10,000 acorns will grow into a tree. If, if, that acorn doesn’t get gobbled
up by a squirrel or smooshed under your foot or washed away by a rainstorm to
the sea, it will take another four to five years before it
becomes a small tree. If, if,
that small tree can weather storms, winds that whirl, and human activity, the
tree will continue to grow and eventually shed 10,000 acorns of its own. Moreover, acorns need just the right amount
of rain and sunlight (neither of which the acorn can control) to flourish.
Why do we think that everything
we do needs to be spectacular and successful?
Why would I think that every week my sermon must hit it out of the
park? I’ve done the math; I’ve preached
about 1200 sermons. I’ve posted almost
2000 times to my blog. I am nowhere
close to 10,000 acorns to produce one single tree. Or when it comes to parenting, I’ve known my
eldest son for almost 8000 days. At
least I am getting closer to the 10,000 mark, but why would I think that every
conversation with my children needs to be transformational? And what about the fact that there are other
elements of weather in the world that can impact and influence whether some
action of mine takes root? We are
addicted to progress and quick to criticize or become cynical when an effort
gets smooshed or squelched or silenced.
Yet, creation tells a different truth.
On this Earth Day, what is
creation trying to teach and tell you as you hold this truth? Pause ~ go outside to soak in the smells,
sights, sounds, and sensations of creation in this moment.
Richard Rohr on April 3 said
it this way,
We all want resurrection in
some form. Jesus’ resurrection is a potent, focused, and compelling statement
about what God is still and forever doing with the universe and with
humanity. Science strongly confirms this statement using its own terms:
metamorphosis, condensation, evaporation, seasonal changes, and the life cycles
of everything from butterflies to stars. The natural world is constantly dying
and being reborn in different forms. God appears to be resurrecting
everything all the time and everywhere. It is not something to
“believe in” as much as it is something to observe and be taught
by.
This day and this week as we
celebrate Creation as God’s first testament ~ the way God’s is seeking to
communicate and commune with us daily ~ I encourage you to be awake and aware
of what the snails, trees, blades of grass are trying to sing to you. I encourage you to live our Creation Justice
Covenant and honor the web of life that we are all inextricably woven into and
connected within, where your actions do reverberate to all beings. I encourage you to find ways to celebrate and
honor all that reflects God’s handiwork ~ turn off the computer, go outside,
let the weather and winds and world and expanding and evolving galaxies tell
you something you need to hear.
Amen.
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