Picture yourself outdoors, in a place that takes your breath away. What are you picturing? Impressive mountain peaks glistening with snow? A misty rainforest with ancient trees so tall you can’t see the sky? Perhaps it’s an expanse of ocean or sparkling stars which draws you into wonder. Different scenes from what John Calvin called “the theatre” of God’s glory1 can stop any one of us in our tracks, caught up in awe as we witness grandeur so much greater than our own small lives.
Such wonder at the world around us and the worlds beyond us finds its voice in the Psalms. As someone who fancies the night sky, I resonate with the words from Psalm 8: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them?” Marvelling at both the fragile and forceful details of nature, we feel the pulse to cry out to the source of life in all its forms, for we recognize that only some power greater than our own could bring the astounding world around us to birth. The ancient poetry in Hebrew scripture teaches us to address the Source of all that is as our Creator, God, the “Lord” of all that is. For when we witness the beauty and expanse in our cherished places, often we express our praise. “Wow!” is its own small prayer of appreciation when we are struck by God’s glory.
As you picture yourself in your favourite scene in God’s “theatre”, ask yourself, “Where do I sense God to be at this moment?” Is God “up there”, somewhere “beyond” what you see? Or is God so close you might “breathe in” God’s presence?2 Theologians and philosophers have debated the questions of God’s “transcendence” and God’s “immanence” to creation for centuries. For some, God is utterly transcendent, poised at great distance from God’s creation. God may be deemed so holy and distinct from the mere ‘stuff’ of life that God must occupy a ‘place’ of purity which can barely be described on the lips of mortals. Or else God is pictured as rather detached, like a watch maker, who sets the gears of the world in motion and then leaves things to run on their own3. Yet for others, God is perceived as immanent, intimately involved with creation, virtually “imbedded in” the processes of nature, of life itself4. Over the centuries, the tension and possibility in these divergent frameworks have found expression in the hymns of the church. Just take a look at the hymns in the Book of Praise in the section ‘God Creator and Ruler’. Pay attention to how near and how far God is pictured in relation to creation.
It would take much more than a short article to offer a critique of the different perspectives people of faith hold as lenses on God’s relationship to the world around us. The wisdom in centuries of Christian tradition is to hold God’s transcendence and immanence in creative paradox – two truths held in faithful tension rather than competing views between which we must choose. Respect for God’s transcendence acknowledges God is not captive within creation and somehow subject to our manipulation. Appreciating God’s immanence to each and every aspect of creation reminds us to live in right relationship with the whole of creation – not just humankind. In this generation, we are suddenly aware of the impact human beings have on the inter-dependence between so many species and habitats. If we recognize God’s love present in and for the world in all its complexity, then surely our discipleship must include a deepening commitment to live in creative rather than destructive relationship with all that God loves.
The impact of human lifestyles on the “fabric” of creation was not a topic that concerned the storytellers of Scripture. However, in our generation, we may infer from their wonder at the marvels of God’s “handiwork” and their humility before the immensity of the world a stance of appreciation and respect not just for human beings as God’s creatures but also the other dimensions of creation which also live and thrive in relationship to God. These days attention sometimes turns to Celtic Christian tradition to find expressions of this appreciation5. In the texts of Celtic prayer, we hear the blessing of God offered through the powers in nature: “Deep peace of the running wave to you; deep peace of the shining stars to you.” What I find nourishing in this Celtic benediction is its instinct to find the completion of creation in Christ: “Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.” A verse within the familiar Celtic prayer known as St Patrick’s Breastplate offers a wonderful expression of God’s transcendence and immanence in Christ. (Book of Praise #576) Set after stanzas that wonder at God’s power expressed in nature’s fierce beauty, we find this confession:
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
Celtic Christian prayer knows Christ immanent and transcendent at the heart of God’s creative love. It is an expression of what the letter to the Colossians suggests when it speaks of Christ as “the firstborn of all creation”. “He himself is before all things and in him all things hold together.” (Col 1.15,17) The world, the ‘cosmos’ God loves, is held together in Christ’s creative and redeeming power. So the next time you are enjoying your favourite place, breathing in the wonder of God’s creation, why not repeat the verse from St Patrick’s Breastplate? Let God’s love in Christ embrace you – and the world around you – and call you to a life that honours God’s creation in all its diversity which is beloved to God, its Source.
—–
1 To explore more of what John Calvin had to say, have a look in The Institutes of the Christian Religion Book I.v & vi. Calvin describes both what knowledge of God is revealed in the universe and the limits to that knowledge.
2 I have put certain words and phrases in quotations marks to remind us that these are not literal descriptions of God and God’s relationship to us for God cannot be fully described in human language. These words and phrases draw on analogies and metaphors taken from our way of describing the world – and are merely the best we can do when we struggle for language to name our faith and wonder before God. For an exploration of this understanding of theological language, see Sallie McFague Metaphorical Theology: Models of God in Religious Language. (Fortress Press 1982)
3 This stance is not a Biblical stance but began to find expression in the philosophy of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It is sometimes associated with the position known as ‘Deism’, which posits the existence of God but does not address God as engaged directly in the ins and outs of daily life.
4 Theologian Sallie McFague provides a helpful examination of these philosophical viewpoints in her book Life Abundant: Rethinking Theology & Economy for a Planet in Peril (Fortress Press 2001). See chapter 6. Her earlier book, Super, Natural Christians: How We Should Love Nature (Fortress Press 1997) provides a longer but very readable account of different ways of viewing what we call “nature”.
5 To read more about Celtic Christian thought, try Thomas O’Loughlin’s book Celtic Theology: Humanity World & God (Continuum Press 2000) or the very popular work of Philip Newell. For Celtic prayer, see the many books of David Adam who publishes both ancient Celtic prayers and also contemporary prayers using the traditional images and rhythms
—–
Study Guide
- Think about the places in nature which inspire a sense of wonder in you. What is it about those places which attracts you? How does your sense of natural wonder connect with your appreciation of God as Creator? How does it have an impact on your sense of yourself and your place in the world?
- Read Psalm 148 and Psalm 114 and think about the relationship between nature and God. How important is nature to God? How important is God to nature? Are the non-human aspects of creation simply for human enjoyment and survival – or does their relationship to God give them an integrity human beings should respect?
- Read Romans 8.18-23 and Colossians 1.1-15. What do these texts from St Paul suggest to you about God’s saving intentions in Christ? Do those intentions include the whole of creation or is God’s saving grace a gift for human beings alone?
- Check out the KAIROS website and the ecumenical work on environmental concerns in which the Presbyterian Church in Canada is involved. What responsibility do Christians have in this generation to include care for the environment as part of our discipleship and mission? How do you express this discipleship in your personal choices? In the commitments of your congregation?
- Look up your favorite hymns about creation in the Book of Praise. How do the words portray the relationship between God, Christ, humankind and the rest of creation? Check out the section headed “Justice” to see some of the newer hymns which reflect the concern to care for God’s earth. (eg. 716, 717, 719) Does your congregation include this justice theme in its worship?
