Reading
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, great and wide;
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, great and wide;
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
Psalm 104: 24-25, 31-33 (NRSV)
Reflection
How do you connect with God?
For some, it’s through reading Scripture. For others, it’s through music. And for many, it’s through nature. There is something about stepping outside, away from routine and distraction, that makes space for God to be encountered in a different way.
This is part of why camp and retreats can be so powerful. When we leave behind our usual patterns, even briefly, we often find that God feels closer – not because God has moved, but because we have. We become more attentive and more aware.
I feel deeply connected to God through nature. I’ve always loved sunsets (who doesn’t?), and I always feel that they draw me into a deeper awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Over the years, while watching the sunset, I’ve wrestled with hard questions, found glimpses of answers, and even discerned my call to ministry. When I watch the sunset, I am reminded of both God’s vastness and my own smallness. And strangely, that smallness feels like grace.
Fr. Pete Nunally is an Episcopal priest and founder of Water and Wilderness Church. His ministry centers on encountering God in the wild places of creation, creating space for both seekers and the spiritually stagnant to rediscover a living faith. He writes, “The job of the church is to recalibrate our vision to see the divine in this world, not just wait for it in the next.”
When our faith becomes too inward, too structured, or too centered on ourselves, our vision narrows. Nunally writes: “A human-centric theology forsakes the heartbeat of God found in nature.” We were never meant to be the center of everything. And when we try to be, we miss so much. We miss the beauty, wonder, and evidence of God’s presence all around us.
Lately, I’ve had a great reminder of this. There’s a plant growing out of the top of a stop sign near my house. What started as a sad looking, little twig has grown and blossomed into something beautiful. It’s a little strange and unexpected that it brings me so much joy, but it has become something that I look forward to seeing every day. For me, it has become a reminder that God’s creative, wild love cannot be contained.
So this week, I invite you to step outside, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Pay attention and let yourself be still enough to notice something you might otherwise miss. You may find that God is already there, just waiting to be seen.
Prayer
Gracious God,
Open our eyes to see you in the beauty of creation and quiet our hearts to hear your voice. Teach us to walk in wonder and humility, trusting that even in our smallness, we are held in your grace. Draw us closer to you in all things. Amen.
