Praise the Lord!
You who serve the Lord – praise!
Praise the Lord’s name!
Let the Lord’s name be bless
from now until forever from now!
From sunrise to sunset,
let the Lord’s name be praised.
The Lord is high over all the nations;
God’s glory is higher than the skies!
– Psalm 113:1-4 CEB
I take them for granted. I pass by them on the way out and on the way in. They stand as two sentinels at the entrance of our driveway, sending us out and welcoming us back home. They see our comings and goings every day. Two trees (I believe they are river birch), who have dropped half their leaves in the past week, showing us the change in seasons, and creating a collage of color on the lawn of the front yard.
Instead of going through the motions when I returned home after a drive this week, I paused for a moment and snapped the photo above. Savoring a few moments of just listening to the wind rustle the leaves. Soaking in the sunlight as it penetrated between the limbs. Standing in awe of something I had taken for granted up until that moment.
God’s creation is all around us, and I am guilty for being too busy to stop and notice. For the past few weeks, a group of colleagues have held me accountable for making time to appreciate the beauty of what appears before me every day: John Check, Renee Edwards, Ashley Kennedy, Leslie Mills, and Toni Wood. These folks have been engaged in learning and reflecting about Creation Care for our district, and identifying ways to help us all embrace our roles as caretakers of creation.
They’ve listened to experts, they’ve investigated practices, and they’ve wondered aloud of how best to share their work. They continue to discern ways to assemble material they hope will become practical and useful to you in your ministry contexts, and wish to share their first project with you today.
The Advent Creation Care Calendar is a way for all of us to consider how we can make a difference as caretakers and stewards of all that is before us every day. So take a look, consider where it can be part of your Advent journey in the weeks to come, and experience how the Holy Spirit may just cause you to stop and appreciate the trees you pass by every day.
Blessings,
David
If you would like to view past editions of Driving with David, follow this link:
https://beacondistrictnc.org/category/from-the-ds/