Sharing Our Thankfulness In This World

Our pastor's great discussions in recent sermons on the tension of being in but not of this world have reminded me of another dimension of this tension: All of the created universe is both good and evil.

God created all things, and he created them good. Because God sustains all matter and life, this goodness persists, and it cannot help but be seen and heard by those with open eyes and ears. We share this in common with the world. We were all designed to enjoy the goodness of God's creation, in myriad ways, and that design is apparent at the root of all sensual pleasures (meaning of the senses, not merely sexual). This the argument against the extreme of removing ourselves from the world to avoid being tempted by our senses - God designed us to enjoy this world!

On the other hand, sin entered this world and has permeated all of the created universe. In spite of the goodness that we can sense in everything, it is all tainted by evil, to varying degrees. Our fallen flesh, the fallen world, and the fallen devil have all taken advantage of God's created goodness - tempting, twisting, and perverting - anything to draw our devotion away from the one true source of all goodness. This is the basis of the argument against the extreme of taking part in all that this world has to offer - It has all been twisted to pull us away from the only one who can heal us.

So how do we Christians live in this tension? In knowledge the depth of this world's and our own brokenness, and in knowledge of the Good News, God's plan-in-progress for the redemption of our true selves and the rest of this universe. We share this in common with the world. We all feel the wrongness of this world and long for it all to be made right. The difference is that we know the reason for our hope and have surrendered ourselves to God's design. Our Creator, Savior, and Healer are one and the same, and have all the power to bring their plan for ultimate redemption to completion as we submit to and join in that work, both in us and around us.

That is Good News to be thankful for! Am I sharing it like I believe it?
Like you, I struggle with that...

Food from the Earth

Perhaps this seems a few months late - in fact I did write this piece in the Spring. However it applies today because I'm preparing my garden beds for my Autumn Cover crop...

and God's promises are valid every day.

Ps. 104: 14 "He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate - bringing forth food from the earth."

Looking at the ground, it doesn't look like much - rocks, brown dirt, worms. It lays there, so passive, so still and calm. It receives the sunshine and the rain, knows the touch of frost and wind. Constantly shifting from Brown to Brown.

But Dirt has a secret life. Seeds are covered with Earth and the miracle of Green appears, neck first (revealing how risky Life is), then unbending its head to shake off the, now unnecessary, seed shell.

A vibrant seedling erupts from what looked like a Barren spot. As if that contrasting Green wasn't miracle enough, this sprout holds the promise of sustenance - it is Edible. When it grows large, it will sustain my body, bringing nutrients from the indigestible Earth into a form my body can use and a taste my tongue can enjoy.

Planting seeds and raising crops is often used as a metaphor for Faith, a lesson to Slow Down - return to humanity's Roots - the miracle of life. But even as a budding farmer (Agronomist, perhaps), this verse reminds me to meditate on Creator God, who established these systems that I take for granted. He is All Sustaining; by His will we live; for His pleasure. He gives Good Gifts to His children (Mt. 7:11) - all of us benefit from His Goodness whether we live by Faith or not, for He desires that none should be lost (2 Peter 3:9). He is So Good.