Morning Meditation ~ Earth Day

 

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.