Nature holds greater majesty.Byline: FROM HEART TO HEART By Cindy Clague For The Register-Guard `All nature teaches God's love for man," Mary Baker
Mary Baker (????-????) was a British painter. She was born in London and produced works for the Society of Arts, as well as exhibiting miniatures and portraits at the Royal Academy over a fourteen year Eddy wrote. She loved nature in "all her moods and forms." I feel the same way. I see God's majesty in a crashing wave or the sweep of a valley from a sheer granite cliff. I see the divine tenderness in a green shoot poking out of the ground after a cold winter. I even see a deific de·if·ic adj. 1. Making or tending to make divine. 2. Of or characterized by divine or godlike nature. [Late Latin deificus : Latin deus, god; see sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour in an elephant or an aardvark. The intricacies of interrelationships in nature astound a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, me. Think of a tidepool, filled with creatures so suited to their environment. The Bible makes a distinction between the natural man, Adam, and the ideal man, Christ Jesus. So, I make a distinction between the spiritual ideal of nature and a degradable de·grad·a·ble adj. That can be chemically degraded: degradable plastic wastes. de·grad , destructive, material world. When I base my views on what the material senses tell me, I see an earthy conglomeration con·glom·er·a·tion n. 1. a. The act or process of conglomerating. b. The state of being conglomerated. 2. An accumulation of miscellaneous things. of good and bad. But the life of Christ Jesus shows a different image of man and creation that could still a storm or raise the dead or find tax money in a fish's mouth. I see this same distinction in two creation stories in the Bible. One details a fallible fal·li·ble adj. 1. Capable of making an error: Humans are only fallible. 2. Tending or likely to be erroneous: fallible hypotheses. and disobedient man cast out of a beautiful garden and cursed. The other describes a creation pronounced by God to be very good, and man made in the image and likeness of God. This man was not cursed but honored with a trusting relationship with God that gave him "dominion over all the Earth." A political party or nationality colors our attitude toward events and world views. I believe that our creation story colors our view of man and nature. Two people can look at the same event and interpret it in different ways. Many people call nature's destructive ways "acts of God," like Adam's curse. But the prophet Elijah found that God was not in the earthquake, wind or fire. The God who made creation very good was creating an environment expressing his own nature, and the prophet discerned that this does not include destructive elements such as hurricanes, earthquakes or wildfires. If I allow material sense evidence to tell me the nature of God, it would include anger, threats, punishment and destruction. If, instead, I let the God that Jesus knew determine my view of nature, I see goodness, power, immense creativity and trust and honor between man and God. Jesus often taught his followers lessons about God's care for man by using nature parables. The lilies of the field lilies of the field more splendidly attired than Solomon. [N.T.: Matthew 6:28–29; Luke 12:27–31] See : Beauty , the birds of the air, weeds and wheat, all afforded him opportunities to show how God operates in creation. Earth Day is a good time to reflect on God's genius expressed in the vast variety of creation. Take lessons from everyday things. We don't need to make the sun come up every day, nor induce spring to return. How does a bird know how to build a nest? Did God give us the ability to do our job, too? Sweet messages abound in nature for those with eyes to see. Cindy Clague is a member of the review team for this column and a member of First Church of Christ First Church of Christ is a site significant for its association with the group of Africans who were enslaved and shipped on the Amistad. Also, it is a Greek Revival church that has merit for its architecture.... It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975. , Scientist, Eugene. This column is coordinated by Two Rivers Interfaith Ministries, a network of more than 35 religious and spiritual traditions in the Eugene-Springfield area. For more information, call 344-5693 or visit www.interfaitheugene.org. |
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