Season of Creation Prayer Walk
Al and I went for one of our walks along Boundary Bay earlier this evening. The waters were calm and tide was almost at its peak. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the scenery - a cloud cover blanketed most of the sky hiding the radiance of the setting sun. There were a few shore birds feeding in the shallows as they do every evening this time of year at this stopping point on their southern migration. It all seemed rather ordinary . . . and yet, the tranquility and peaceableness of the place soothed my soul. I remarked to Al, "it is just good to be out here, in nature, under the big sky among God's creatures that call this marshland home."
It is all to easy to overlook the ordinary moments of life -- a heron poised so still before lunging forward to grab its prey, crickets chirping, the last pink blooms of wild pea flowers growing along a trail. "But in fact, they are sheer wonders, astonishments, glories to behold."
Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote that if the stars came out only one night a century, that night would be considered an astounding spectacle, a wonder of the world, and all of us would stay up and behold them in breathless awe — and yet, there they are each cloudless night, no less miraculous for being so frequently visible. (from 8/15/22 blog at SaltProject.org)
In this Season of Creation I invite you to take a prayer walk. Go to a park, or along the shore, or a forest trail, even your own backyard - anywhere where you can connect with God's creation.
As you go on your walk, look out for things in the world that you think are amazing. It could be a flower, a beautiful tree, a leaf, or the way the sun lights up a space – anything about creation that you want to give thanks for. Look for God in the world around you – what do you see? What do you hear?
You may want to take a photo or draw a picture of what gave you Joy. Consider a way that you could put your drawing/photo somewhere to remind you of the goodness of God’s creation.