Creation: Enjoying God's Handiwork
This is the fourth in a series of posts from early 2025.
Recently at our weekly small group, the leader asked us to recall something that took our breath away. Many mentioned mountains, and that is certainly a strong theme in Bible spirituality. Others recalled a quiet beach or river; flowing water also seems to bring about fascination among human beings. One person mentioned a newborn baby in their family.
For myself, the question immediately sent my thoughts to a visit to the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona. There the light streaming through Gaudi’s amazing windows and other glass features produces colours and patterns that visitors find awe-inspiring. That holiday was some years ago – and being from the Antipodes means we might never be there again – but I can still carry in my heart the breathtaking light that filled the huge space.
O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
Psalm 8:1–4
We each have our own unique criteria for what makes the perfect holiday destination, but most of us would choose a place that we find beautiful in some way. In our everyday lives, we often dwell in environments that are more functional than beautiful. Taking a holiday can be a refreshing escape from this routine.
Still, beauty is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder. Many assume that as a minister, I like to spend my holidays visiting churches and cathedrals, but they are wrong. The appeal of travel and time away from work for me, and my doctor husband, is just of doing something different. Historic buildings are part of that, and they are usually interesting, but until recently I wouldn’t have viewed local churches as ‘must-see’ objects of beauty. That is, until I started watching The Salisbury Organist on YouTube. Ben Maton, an accomplished young organist, started filming himself visiting out of the way southern English churches that had pipe organs he could play. His channel has become so popular that he now does this full time, and he even takes along a small portable pedal organ where the church’s own organ is in disrepair. I love watching Ben’s fingering on the keyboards, and his feet dancing round the pedals. I am starting to recognise the stops with their ancient names like Open Diapason, Flute and Vox Celeste. For me and 25,000 other subscribers, these videos inspire awe not just inside the church, but in the cathedral of nature, as Ben makes his solitary way down overgrown country paths or across muddy fields to reach these hidden gems, dating back centuries. However when I recommend this channel to others they are either animated (and already watch out for the weekly episodes themselves) or completely bemused that someone would enjoy seeing and hearing the outdoor/indoor environment from this point of view. The eye of the beholder.
Psalm 8 is familiar to many of us, a joyous outpouring of praise to God, in response to experiencing the glory and beauty of the natural world. It reminds us that it all emanates from God and helps us recognise something of the diverse ways in which humankind relates to the rest of creation. I especially enjoy the YouTube videos that play instrumental hymns in the background with moving images of nature on the screen; Tim Janis is great example of a composer whose videos can help us to connect with God. Pete Greig, writer of the Prayer Course, says prayer at its simplest can just be a thumbs-up to creation – “Good job on that tree, God!”
Today, our growing understanding of the interconnectedness of the whole of creation calls us to engage with the glory and majesty of God in more and more wonder and delight. Whether we prefer to vacation in a engineered environment which reminds us of human creativity, or in a more natural landscape (or a combination of those), it seems most of us enjoy relaxing in a place where we can see something of the hand of God at work. Wherever you go on your holidays, look out for occasions to say ‘Good job on the tree, Lord!’
‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.’
Where could you go today to reflect on God’s creation? Favourite holidays will remind you of many possibilities. You might even travel vicariously, using the amazing videos and music of organist Ben Maton or videographer Tim Janis. Or why not try your hand at writing a psalm of praise yourself?
