Meditation – Erich Balling, Canon Musician
As we leave spring and
begin a new and fresh season of summer, we have much to be thankful for and new
things to discover. One of those is the beauty of God’s creation and how it
translates into our own lives. The Reverend Nancy Roth is one of my favorite
contemporary authors. Nancy is an
Episcopal priest, educator and spiritual director. She has a unique interest in
using our hymnal as a guide to a greater understanding of God.
Nancy writes:
Some of the happiest people I know are those who
realize that the common things of earth are holy, “charged with the grandeur of
God” The earth is but one of the veils through which we glimpse the Lord of
life.
In our time, humanity is becoming more and more
disconnected from nature. For many of us, the greater part of our lives is
spent indoors, often in artificial environments where even the “climate” is
controlled. And as the pace of life becomes faster and faster, we have less and
less time to notice the common things of earth, let alone to include in our
work the task of tending them. I think that part of the discontent we feel has
to do with our longing to re-connect with our earthly home. A simple thing such
as stepping outdoors or looking out the window can become an act of worship to
our Creator.
The labor that brings us into direct contact with the
things of the earth – from preparing food to shoveling snow or planting a
garden – can become a sacrament, an outward and visible sign of our worship of
the God whose holiness is embedded in all things.
No longer taking the world around us for granted will
be like awakening from sleep. And our souls will be set ablaze, filled with new
zest to serve the God who gave us such a sacred home.
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