Creation       5 November 2008

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

“God saw all that he had made and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31

God is the author of creation, his handiwork is everywhere around us; in fact his handiwork includes us!

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

We stop and marvel at beautiful sunsets, panoramic vistas, waves crashing against a rocky shore, rainbows; seeing the presence of God in these (and other) majestic sights. In the busyness of our day to day lives we often don’t notice the presence of God in the bit of creation that we inhabit – yes, God’s presence can even be seen in Rugby!

We take our day to day world for granted, not seeing God in the intricacy of life, or how He is involved and active in the lives of those around us. We can be too busy rushing to the next thing, trying to fit too many commitments into too little time; the pressure of modern day life sometimes seems relentless.

These are the closing lines of one of my favourite poems (Leisure, William Henry Davies):

“A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.”

We can connect with God when we take the time to notice his handiwork around us; we have to take time out, even for a few seconds, and focus on it; the pattern on a leaf, the song of a bird, the variety of the human face, the dew on a spider’s web – the list is endless.

Today, make the effort to take time out and connect with God through his creation and the people living in it; then thank God for this world.

“In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” Psalm 102:25

Amen