This is one of those times when I wish there was a recording for you to hear. After all, God created us with five bodily senses through which we
experience, appreciate, and live life. It would be much more effective if you
could hear what I am about to describe to you for the sound of it has been one
of joy, wonder, worship, and innocence.
The sound has come from the second- and third-row seats in
our family minivan as we have made our way from one place to the next in recent
days. It started with Annlyn and, since then, Eva has joined the chorus as she
too has learned the words. And to top it off, the sound seemed to come out of
nowhere. Annlyn began singing a few weeks ago a little song that was unfamiliar
to Ronna and me. We asked Annlyn where she learned the song she was singing and
she very casually told us she learned it at “school.” Even though the words and
the tune were unfamiliar to us, the message of the song was one that has been
woven into our beings since birth.
What we heard that I wish you could too was the following
set of lyrics:
What a beautiful world, what a beautiful
world
He designed so lovingly
What a beautiful world, what a
beautiful world
God made for you and me.
While you cannot hear the melody being sung by our children
in the car, you can certainly hear the message, the truth, communicated in
these lyrics. God has created a beautiful world and done so with love, care,
grace, concern, and holiness. Everything that is – both seen and unseen – was
created by God.
When Paul writes to the Colossian congregation, he pulls
from a well-known hymn of his day to share with them this very idea.
“For
everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank
after rank of angels – EVERYTHING got started in Him and finds its purpose in
Him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all
together right up to this moment. –Colossians 1:16-17, The Message
The reality of God’s creation is all around us. Truly, what
a beautiful world God has made. But there was more to the little song Annlyn
was singing and taught Eva to sing too. The verses of the song go on to explore
various kinds of creatures. Cockatoos, kangaroos, gentle manatees, fireflies,
and bumble bees are just some of the created beings cataloged in this simple
melody of grace and love. As each of these creatures are named, the song asks
them the question, “Do you know who made you?” Then, following the verse, the
chorus is repeated ascribing authorship and responsibility to the one who truly
did make all.
Sometimes we forget these things. We are so busy making our
own way, blazing our own trail, and forging our own future that we forget we
were created in the image of God for the purposes of God. We lose sight of the
God who made us, and who made us so lovingly.
Gerard Manley Hopkins was born in the mid nineteenth century
and spend his life as a Jesuit priest. He was also a poet who has helped many –
including me – appreciate the vast wonder of the presence of God. The opening
line of one of his more famous works goes like this:
The universe is charged with the grandeur of
God.
These words ring out tried and true in so many ways.
Everything in the universe tingles with the grandeur of God’s presence, light,
life, and love. Even in the simplest of acts and the smallest of beings – acts
such as the singing of a child and beings such as the tiny firefly – reflect
the vast wonder and majesty of our Creator.
I think in part, at least, what Hopkins was hoping his
readers would take away from the poem is the broader, bigger perspective of the
entire created order being charged with God’s presence. Notice, Hopkins does
not say “my universe” is charged with the grandeur of God. There are many times
in our lives when we are tempted to see only our own universe; to see things
from the street view instead of the bigger picture.
Annlyn’s little song, Hopkins’ poem, and Paul’s words all
help to shape and focus our attention on the God who made us. Maybe we need to
take time to ask ourselves if we know who made us. Maybe we need to stop long
enough to see the grandeur of God in the wider universe instead of our own.
Maybe we need the gentle reminder that EVERYTING
got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him. It is then, and only then,
that we are able to join in the chorus of all creation, loudly proclaiming what
a beautiful world He designed so lovingly, that God made for you and me.
You know, Eva has learned the song too. She now sings it with
Annlyn and sometimes Eva will start singing the song on her own. Each one of us
have to learn the song as each one of us have to ask ourselves if we know who
made us. But once we learn the song, it is one we will not soon forget. I will
be honest, the girls can sing this song every day and I will never get tired of
hearing it. In fact, there have been times in the last few weeks when I have
caught myself working in the yard or driving down the road singing this little
tune. Thanks to my children, I am learning to join with all of creation in
worshipping the God who made all and sustains all. This is a song I hope none
of us ever stop singing.
Lovingly…
-Andrew
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