To Everything, There is a Season
One of a series of dispatches and meditations about the world and Caring for Creation
In the Northern and Southern hemispheres, we are constantly reminded of God’s planning as the seasons change. Even near the equator where the swing of the seasons is not so wide, there still are times that are called “the rainy season”.
From where I write this note in Madison, Wisconsin USA, as they do every Autumn, the trees are starting to change color. It’s sort of their last cheer and hurrah and praise before God gives them the winter off to rest and recuperate. It makes me think that perhaps winter is a type of ‘Creation Sabbath’ that He created.
In the past year, I have come to realize that although God’s creation can be harsh, a lot of the harshness is caused by the way that we treat creation. When we build right on the ocean or strip the land to build houses or burn our forests, there is a good chance that through the processes that are part of creation, our houses will be damaged by storms, rain will bring mudslides or our climate will change.
What if we didn’t do these things? What if we stopped imposing our rules, our expectations and our needs on His creation, lived closer to the way that God intended and stopped fighting His natural way?
And, there is truly a ‘natural way’ that God intended. When we try to push against that way and shape God’s way to our way, his creation not only ‘groans’ but it fights back.
That’s where the ‘harshness’ comes in.
On the other hand, instead of harshness, with a small bit of adjustment there is plenty of God’s gentleness and wisdom to go around
Fall Tomato Harvest
This year, Stacey and I finally started a garden. We planned, we hauled, and dug, we planted and we did a lot of waiting.
In spite of being true and complete amateur gardeners, by God’s grace and love and his wisdom about how His creation works, we still got a decent amount of tomatoes, radishes, zucchini and even a few carrots. And besides the food, we got blessings and some amazing insight into the mystery of how God cares for his people through the perfect system we call creation.
The whole experience was especially amusing when juxtaposed against the current worries plaguing the worlds financial system (one that was created by Man by the way).
On one side of this system, we have people desperately seeking a successful “Return on Investment”. On the other side, we see God’s plan of “Return on Investment” where a single tomato seed produces so many other tomato seeds that we end up throwing them away.
As we were enjoying some of our tomato bounty from our simple garden, it was clear to me that if I planted every one of the seeds that I got from that one tomato seed I started with, I would soon be completely and thoroughly overrun with tomatoes. In its best day, I know that none of my so called “retirement” plans will ever show an ROI like that single tomato plant did!
That’s God’s way… and, as Christians, living and understanding God’s way should be our overwhelming life goal .
God’s way does not have to be mystery unless we choose to make it that way. We are blessed to have plenty of examples and instruction about the life that God intended us to live. Christ is an example, the Word is His instruction book to us and creation is evidence of how things should be. (Romans 1:20)
The lesson here? That God put this world together to work in a very specific way that is intended to show His overwhelming love for us. If we resist creation or try to impose on it what we think is right, things go downhill pretty quickly. On the other hand, if we recognize His wisdom in creation and live as He intended us to live, we have at our fingertips “incomparable richness”. (Romans 11:33).
Now that’s a ROI that I can live with!
In other news…
2009 Day of Prayer for God’s Creation:
Set aside the 21st day of October to join with Renewal and all of us at Care of Creation for the 2009 day of prayer for God’s Creation. The focus this year is on Energy Stewardship and Climate Change.
The Renewal website says:
On October 21st, join Christian students around North America as we gather to fast and pray for God’s creation.
The students of Renewal are inviting all Christians to join us in fasting from one source of energy use for the day. Examples include: not driving for the day, shutting off lights, fasting from cell phones, television, computers, or other sources of electricity, eating vegetarian for the day, etc.
In the evening, Christian students on campuses across North America will demonstrate their unity and solidarity by turning off the lights for one hour, and hosting prayer vigils for a time of prayer for the people, places, and wildlife that are harmed through poor stewardship of energy resources.
These prayer vigils should reflect your community and could include: a candle-lit service, a prayer meeting under the stars, a chapel or church service, a prayer walk, etc. Use your God-given creativity!
Renewal is inviting all Christians to participate in this day of prayer and fasting. We encourage you to join in the personal fast and organize a prayer event in your community!
More information is at the Renewal site here.
Continuing Needs for Care of Creation:
Thanks to those of you who commit every month to support the work that we are doing here at Care of Creation. We do value that support because it helps to get God’s work done both here in the USA and Africa.
As we mentioned last month, we are still looking to move forward on our participation in Urbana09 and to raise support for the Farming God’s Way workshops in Kenya.
More details about these projects are in on this page.
And Pray For….
The recent victims of the natural disasters in American Samoa, the Philippines and other parts of the world.
Ed Brown as he travels to speak and present the Our Father’s Way seminars to churches around the USA and the world
Funding for the special projects (Urbana09 and Our Father’s World workshops) that we are trying to get off the ground. [more information is here]
The ongoing drought in Kenya as well as the millions of people there who are suffering from lack of food and water.
God Bless!
In His Name, for the entire Care of Creation Family …
Fredric Gluck
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Image credit: Stacey Gluck.
If you are interested in using or acquiring any of the images you see on our website or in our newsletters, please drop us a line at info [at] careofcreation.org.
