Psalm 96:10-13
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with his truth.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy…
Dave and I belong to a spiritual community that retreats twice a year at Camp Sequanota, in the mountains outside Shanksville, PA. After decades of returning to the camp twice a year, it has come to feel like home. When we drive through the old, iron gate into the camp, all tension and racing thoughts disappear.
I love to sit on the back porch of the retreat center and watch the trees. They are very tall and straight, so the wind moves them easily. If you stay quiet and pay attention, you can hear them talking to each other. They creak and whoosh in the wind as they lean toward and away from each other in a beautiful dance of sacred communication.
Worshipping in our Sanctuaries is a beautiful privilege, but it’s only a small part of the constant worship that goes on in all creation. From the birds of the air to the ants creeping across the yard – from the trees in the woods to the rushing river – from the deer in the field to the orange cat that’s “helping” me type this, every created thing exists to give glory to its creator – even us.
Prayer: God, Our Creator, thank you for making me part of the symphony of all creation that sings your praises. AMEN