Scripture – Psalm 100 NRSVUE https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20100&version=NIV
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
From Cate Dewey
Thanks be to God.
For many years, I have made a solo trip to the wilderness of Algonquin. Reaching the campsite by canoe, in a place where I may not see another person for days on end, a place with no electricity, no cell phone service, just my dog, and the beauty of the world that God created. I understand that this is not for everyone – but for me it is a time to reconnect with my inner self, to complete a bible study, pray, journal about my past and future self and experience the AWE of God’s creation.
For a week, I live in a tent. I get up to see the sun rise. I hear only the sounds of God’s creation, the lapping of the water against the rocks, the birds in the trees and the gulls and loons flying overhead, the rain, and the crash of a tree falling in the woods. I watch nature – turtles and fish, snakes and spiders, flowers, trees, mushrooms, and the natural cycle of life and death around me. My life slows, I am open to spirituality and from this experience, my faith and purpose and wholeness as a Christian grow. I begin new ways of connecting to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. A few years ago, I began starting my day with a gratitude prayer – It begins with “This is the day the Lord has made, let me rejoice and be glad in it’, followed by my gratitude list.
Contemplation and Conversation
When do you experience a sense of AWE at the natural world that God created?
Prayer
God, in your infinite creativity, you made the natural world that surrounds us. We pray that you open our hearts and minds to the feeling of awe that this gift inspires. Let us find time in our busy lives to rejoice and be glad in it. Amen.
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