Psalm 104:24

Bumblebee, Shark Valley Visitor's Area, Everglades National Park, July 2013

O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 104:24

Monday I took a little time for a quick walk and photo shoot along the roadside canal at Shark Valley Visitor's Area of Everglades National Park off US 41. It has become my go to place. Bees and butterflies and flowers were in abundance. I watched a water snake attack a baby alligator (which swam away unharmed). A red-shouldered hawk hung around long enough for a number of photos and its presence at such a close distance left me amazed. A Blue heron hung out for awhile. For an hour not a single human being passed me. The only sounds were the songs of birds, the flow of the canal, the buzz of insects, and the deep throaty call of the ever-present pig frogs. The 7 foot alligator that swam by didn't make a sound, which was somewhat unnerving. Not since I was a child has God's creation so enraptured me, (when I would walk fields of goldenrod covered in Monarchs and by stream beds teeming with frogs, turtles, and more). 

I am learning that as we slow down, take sabbath time, open our eyes and ears and allow God's creation to sing to our hearts, gifts begin to unfold, one after another: peace, a renewed spirit, a sense of wonder. Yes, it is darn well muggy awful hot and humid, but I don't notice. And this surprises and delights me. Those walks have enabled me to be a better pastor and person. And I trust that many more might benefit from more time in God's creation. To slow down, to look, to listen, and to see!

Isaiah 26:7

White Peacock Butterfly, Shark River Visitor's Area, Everglades National Park, July 2013

The way of the righteous is level;
O Just One, you make smooth the path of the righteous.
Isaiah 26:7

Obviously, Isaiah doesn't live our lives, now does he:
the mountain tops, the valleys, the hills and sprawling landscape, the ruts, puddles, and stones that fill the paths of our lives. 

But perhaps the truth is that we encounter life differently as people of faith. Not that God rewards us with an easier journey, but rather the journey, itself, is transformed, we now fellow sojourners, a resurrection people, a people who live in the assurance of a living hope that will not fade or fail us. A journey in which nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 37:8

Blue Heron, Shark Valley Visitor's Area, Everglades National Park, July 2013

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.

Do not fret — it leads only to evil.

Psalm 37:8

Here's a question: Tell me the one time when Jesus was angry.

Hint: There is no indication that when Jesus "cleansed" the temple he was angry. In fact one gospel says that he used this action to teach.

Jesus is no fan of anger:

"But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment" (Matthew 5:22)

So that whole "righteous anger" thing we like to break out and use for a free pass. Tuck that card away. That currency is no good here.

While anger is not sin, in and of itself, it rarely has a heart of love to give it true life.

Deuteronomy 4:9

Hawk, Shark Valley Visitor's Area, Everglades National Park, July 2013

But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children-- 
Deuteronomy 4:9

Passing on the faith is at the heart of the promises that we make before God for the future generations entrusted to us. It is never someone else's responsibility, though others may equip us, encourage us, and support us in our journey. Such are the roles of church, Sunday school, and the like. It is, as one might imagine, an awesome responsibility and one I suggest is more about learning to share our stories of faith than anything else. Let us ask ourselves what we need to become more comfortable sharers of all that God has done for us, what God means for us and what it means that we are people of God, and then find those places, activities and friends who can assist us; places where others offer to accompany us on the journey.

Psalm 118:5-6

Lubber Grasshopper, Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park, July 2013

Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
With the LORD on my side I do not fear.
What can mortals do to me?
Psalm 118:5-6

Fear, paralyzing fear, disorients us so that we can no longer find our way. We stumble, seeking only to take one more step, but we cannot; we place a tentative toe, then withdraw it. Fear robs our life of joy, of fullness, of freedom, and far worser still, of our ability to honor our relationships. 

To confront that fear, let the Lord's strength be our strength; let the love with which God claims us, forgives us, and saves us bear the burden of our fear, freeing us to live, to love, to claim the hope which sustains us. The fullness of life is the gift that God has given us - let us honor God by giving to God all that diminishes that gift.

Hebrews 4:9-11b

Butterfly at Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park, July 2013

So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; for those who enter God's rest also cease from their labors as God did from his. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest
Hebrews 4:9-11b

For us, the Sabbath is not about rules, but a relationship. 
It is not a specific day as it is for our Jewish brothers and sisters (and I honor that), but a way of being, of living in relationship with God.
Do we trust God to cease from labor and enter into God's rest?
Someone much wiser than I once said that a sabbath is when we do that which brings us the most joy. 
I believe that we honor God by honoring God's gift of the Sabbath to us. The rhythm of work and ceasing from work flows from God's very act of creation. 
I also believe that because it is not about rules, but a relationship that it is transformative if we allow ourselves to participate in its gift for us.

Matthew 16:24

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."
Matthew 16:24

Crosses are not the burdens we bear, but walking in the way of Jesus. So we need not, should not brag about our sufferings, nor lament them, but rather practice humility; for it is a humble heart and a humble life that marks disciples of Jesus. That quality will bear a greater witness to Jesus and his love for all than nearly anything else we will ever be capable of doing in Jesus' name.  

(Anhinga, Shark River Visitor's Center, Everglades National Park, Florida, July 2013)