God in Nature (for June 13 and 17)

"While the idea of setting aside lands as park preserves was just getting started in the 19th century, religion was going outdoors as well. Responding tot he 18th century impersonal 'Clockmaker' concept of God, 19th century America saw a religious reawakening. Prominent preachers traveled around the country leading large, passion-filled outdoor revivals. Thousands of families would travel long distances and then camp out in order to attend these gatherings....

"Many of us have found equally rich spiritual experiences while camping or hiking in the national parks or simply by taking in a sunset or sitting by a stream. What is it about the natural world that allows us to experience the Divine so directly? What is it about the towering mountains that evoke the transcendent God while the smallest wildflower pulls us into an intimate relationship with God?

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

"The Scriptures might offer some clues to answering these questions. [See Psalm 18:2, Deuteronomy 32:11-12, and John 7:37-38, for starters.] This is not to say that the Scripture writers thought God was the rock or the water, but rather God makes God's self known, God reveals God's self, through God's creation. God came to Moses in a burning bush. When Elijah did battle with the prophets of Baal, God appeared through fire. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove.

"The Scripture writers used natural images to describe God because that is how they experienced God. Their first understanding of a God who cared for and nurtured them came from God's provision through the earth of the most basic elements--food and water--without which there would be no life.

"The Medieval mystics had a deep connection with the earth as well, and they too, found God in nature.

Apprehend God in all things,
for God is in all things.
Every single creature is full of God
and is a book about God.
Every creature is a word of God.
If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature--
even a caterpillar--
I would never have to prepare a sermon.
So full of God is every creature. --Meister Eckhart

"Deep within each of us too is a memory of our own creation, when God reached into the soil and created us from the earth itself. We also carry the collective experiences of our forebears who lived in intimate relationship with the earth and the earth creatures. And so the natural world is a coming home, a returning to a place that is familiar and known, deep within us.

"What [John Muir] means is that wildness is an essential part of ourselves that our ordinary lives tempt us to forget. And by losing touch with that essential part of ourselves, we risk losing our souls. And so for him, going out into nature, to these parks, is how we recover ourselves, remember who we truly are, and reconnect with the core roots of our own identity, our own spirituality, that which is sacred in our experience. --William Cronon

• What are some of the ways natural images have been used to describe God in the Bible? Why do you think there are so many?
• What are some ways Jesus used natural or agricultural images? Why do you think he used so many?

More verses of Scripture that offer thoughts:
     Psalm 18:12-14       Psalm 36:8-9     Psalm 42:7     Isaiah 44:3
     Luke 4:14     Acts 2:4  

Consider why there are so many natural ways of talking about God and Jesus in the Bible, particularly using water.

"Discuss the concept of a "thin place" where the veil between God and us is so thin that we can feel God's presence. Describe how the early mystics and the Celts lived closely engaged with the natural world. Explain how they found glimpses of God in the natural world. 

• Have you ever had a sense of this thin place in the natural world?
• What is it about the natural world that gives you the space and quiet to experience God?
• When you are in the natural world, do you feel a sense of union with creation? Do you feel yourself as a part of something bigger than yourself? Do you have a sense of coming home?
• Are there more ways that we can more intentionally put ourselves in this thin place more regularly? 

(The above materials are taken from a study compiled by Earth Ministry for use with the "National Parks: America's Best Idea" series produced by Ken Burns on PBS.)