How Do You Explain All of this Beauty?

One of my favorite personal pictures is this one I took sometime last year. I was standing at the kitchen sink one morning looking at our back yard when I couldn't help but notice three beautiful flowers that we had planted together at full bloom.

I remember standing there filled with awe of how God's good creation is all around me. There are some who find it difficult to believe in God because of so much suffering and pain in the world. Their questions are legitimate and should be taken seriously. After all, Christians also ask these same questions. And yet, on the other side of the coin, there are times that we are also faced with the question, "How can there be so much beauty and goodness in the world?" The Christian responds to this question by pointing to the scriptures and the story of how God created the world and called it, "good."

Just like the day when I was surprised by these beatiful flowers in my own back yard, God's good creation is all around us. This prayer, "For Joy in God's Creation" from "The Book of Common Prayer," which is often used each Saturday reminding us of the 7th day when God rested after the six days of creation, is designed to point us to God when we see a breath-taking sunrise, an older pet dog playing with some packing tape and acting like a puppy again, or the vivid colors of flowers from a kitchen sink window.

For Joy in God's Creation

O heavenly Father, who has filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that, rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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