Pastor Nancy Becker's Blog

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1.1-2

The Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east; and here God placed the Human whom God had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, Gen 2.8-9

The biblical story of creation is designed to encourage awe in us, and it certainly does that for me each time I read it, even after years of familiarity with the words. The ancient writer moves through a first week as God creates the natural world, culminating in the birth of humankind.  The work of each day is pronounced by God to be GOOD. The configuration of the land and the seas is GOOD. The vegetation, the plants and trees and seeds and fruit, all is GOOD. 

On last Sunday Leila Buford in her lovely children’s message in worship led the children in a chat about the work of the Fourth Day, the sun and the moon and the stars and creation of the seasons, all were also pronounced GOOD. Birds and fish and whales in their creation were GOOD. Cattle and beasts and creeping things were added and pronounced GOOD. And finally the crown of God’s creation, humanity made in Gods image and likeness.

At the end of the sixth day when all was finished, “ God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.  Gen 1.31. VERY GOOD! Who can disagree!

In this early springtime here in Indiana - - as the world emerges from the winter - - the earth is full of stunning beauty. The flowering trees - - the magnolias, dogwoods, redbuds. Banks of bright yellow daffodils and colorful tulips. The bluebirds and robins are back and building nests in which to raise their young. Plants poking through the earth and dandelions in the green grass - - all create a lovely place to live and walk, and give grateful thanks to the One who created it.

Recently I was reminded of the famous earthrise photo taken by the Apollo 8 astronauts in December, 1968. Anyone who witnessed that amazing photo that was beamed back to our television screens from outer space has probably never forgotten the moment they saw it. It is a stunning and magnificent photo which has since become famous, but that first sighting was truly life-changing for so many of us. The magnificent green and blue planet that God created for the benefit and the pleasure of His human children, alone in the vastness of the universe. 

The writer of the psalms presaged our wonder at that sight of the earth in Psalm 8: “When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established; what is man that thou are mindful of him and the son of man that thou dost care for him?”

Then echoing the Genesis account of God’s intention for his children, the psalm answers the question “Yet thou hast made him little less that God, and dost crown him with glory and honor,”

In her recent book “Reading Genesis” the brilliant contemporary theologian Marilynne Robinson emphasizes God’s intention that we should enjoy the beauty of creation. She writes:

“This world is suited to human enjoyment -- out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight” [Gen 2.9] - - in anticipation of human pleasure, which the Lord presumably shares…the beauty of the trees is noted before the fact that they yield food. It is a rich goodness that God as the creator of beauty intends it for us to see and enjoy, and that He gives us the gifts of apprehension that this pleasure requires, which is nothing less than a sharing of God’s mind with us in this important particular. That God himself, in some celestial sense, has and enjoys this kind of perception gives us an insight into the meaning of our being made in His image. The world is imbued with these reminders that there is a beautiful intention and assurance expressed in every perception we have of loveliness in the natural world.” [p.39]

Our wonder that the beauty of the natural world awakens in us is embedded in our creation. It is a gift of a loving God who desires to share His joy in this Very Good world.

May each of you deeply enjoy this gift of God in this most lovely season,

Pastor Nancy Becker