“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 8-4
Dear Redeemer Family:
We are in the midst of Summer. That usually means that we are also in the season of beholding the wonders of creation. It may be while we are off on vacation. Or, it could be that we are strolling in a park. Or, it can just be when we are looking out from our yards. Or, even when we are mowing our yards. Yes, I had to throw that in. Creation is beautiful. We appreciate watching the plants grow, except when mowing, and the flowers blooming, the songbirds singing. But there is a lot about creation which we don’t understand, or even misunderstand. Yet, it is still beautiful, glorious. And God continues still to create.
Creating can be messy. It can be all in the way that you see things. It can also be destructive to what is already there. Here’s an example: volcanos. When you think of a volcano, you often thing of tremendous destruction, especially if you live near one. But they are also creative. Hawaii is the only state in the union which is actively growing. Every time Kilauea erupts, Hawaii picks up some more real estate. True, it also loses some in the wake of the lava flow temporarily. And the new ground can’t be used for some time. But it is an act of creation. Presently, there are several volcanos in the world that are quite active besides Kilauea: in Iceland, off of the island of Tongo in the Pacific, both Mt. Etna and Stromboli in Sicily have erupted, and just the other day there was a minor eruption in Yellowstone National Park (by the way, if you didn’t know it, Yellowstone is actually a “Super Volcano,” remember that if you are planning on visiting). Volcanos are destructive, yes, creative also. A misunderstanding that many have yet to come to terms with. We don’t quite understand it.
Then there is even the air which we breathe. Recently, scientists have been investigating a large section of chunks of metals (they called them “nodes”) on the ocean floor between Hawaii and Mexico. It turns out that these are a large source of oxygen for the air which we breathe. These metal deposits chemically are separating the oxygen and hydrogen from the sea water, releasing the gases into the atmosphere. The scientists were shocked because they had all been taught that the oxygen had to come from plants. In fact, they had known about these deposits for years, and hadn’t made the connection!
Ah, God’s wonders to behold! And yet, He is also mindful of us! Stand in awe of the beauty and wonder of God’s creation. We may well not understand it. But God put everything in place for a purpose. Enjoy this creation. And most especially, stand in awe of its Creator! He created us as well.
In Christ,
Pastor Rose