I stood at the top of Virginia Peak in the Sierra Mountains having hiked the 15,000-foot peak.  Breathless with the view beneath me, I imagined this might be God’s perspective.  I trembled at the power, awe, and magnificent beauty of God, evident in the panorama God had created.  God is author, painter, sculptor, set dresser, scenic designer, choreographer of this remarkable planet and all that lives upon it.

Never before in history has humanity lived so separately from nature, the creation of God.  Our dependence on gadgets and light switches, video virtual reality and indoor plumbing… Our shopping for groceries wrapped in plastic purchased far from the farm on which it grew… Our heated winter homes and air conditioned summer places… all this divides us from creation.

Summer in New England is a rich time to give thanks to God for our earth.  Wherever you travel, take time for prayer.  Perhaps you will walk on a beach, climb a mountain, or wander through a meadow.  Maybe you will swim in a lake, walk through the woods, sit on the deck and listen to birds.  Turn off the electronics, the cell phone, and the computer when you are outdoors.  Breathe the sweet air.  Feel the ground under your feet.  Hear the sounds around you.  Admire the color of a flower.

Beauty heals the soul.  Time outdoors in creation renews our strength.  The presence of God in the beauty of nature comforts the grieving heart.  Time in God’s creation slows down to the pace of a gentle heartbeat.  Stop.  Be in awe.  Give thanks.  That is the shape of summer prayer.  This Sunday’s scripture is Psalm 8.  Come to worship ready to fall in love with God who created this beautiful world and then placed it into our hands to care and protect.

Rev. Cindy Maybeck