“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;” Today is Earth Day, not only that, this is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. 50 years of celebrating, recognizing, valuing, treasuring our Earth.
It has been said our perspective of the earth changed the first time we were able to see a photograph of it from space. That photograph shifted our understanding of what Earth looked like – a shimmering, blue marble suspended in space, with clouds drifting around it. It is hard to fathom, when looking at that photo, that I am standing here, a mere speck on the surface of that beautiful orb floating in the cosmos. The concept is, pardon the pun, otherworldly! And yet here I am and here you are and it is Earth Day.
I believe every faith, civilization and culture has a creation story as part of its library of origin. For those of us in the Judeo-Christian heritage, our sacred text begins with an accounting of creation. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth …” Well known words, often intoned at services and sometimes even heard in movies and recordings. It speaks of God being in everything that is of the Earth. God as creator and all of creation infused with the blessing of God.
We don’t always treat the earth as if it is a godly place. But just for today – this Earth Day I challenge you to look outside, to look up to the sky, looking at the sky always expands our perspective. Look at a tree, study its opening in this season of Spring. Look at the dirt and remember that every square inch of dirt is filled with thousands of microbes. Scoop some water into your hand and remember that we cannot live more than a few days without water. If you can see a garden, check out what is sprouting there – a daffodil? a hyacinth? a crocus? Stop and listen to the sounds of nature – the wind moving, the birds chirping, the squirrels rustling in the leaves – all sounds of creation active and alive.
In “normal times” at this time of year I would make a sojourn to the farm where I grew up. My beloved and I would go often through the year, but we would definitely make a point of going in the spring when the water was high, to see if we could spot the salmon in the creek. They swim up a strenuous route to return to the place of their birth to lay their eggs. It is always amazing to see their fins flash in the sun as they navigate the shallow waters. As I can’t go to visit this year, I sent a message to my great-niece that I wanted her to walk to the creek and video the scene so I could enjoy virtually. There is something so restorative about nature which is why I think creation stories are at the beginning of every story. It connects us to the mystery of origin.
Happy Earth Day!
