Creation speaks

One of my Dad’s first jobs after leaving school was as a gardener.  Although he subsequently changed career, he never lost his love for gardening, and he was extremely gifted in that area.  In our early married life, whenever Sue and I moved house, Dad would come and sort out the garden for us.  It never ceased to amaze me how quickly the transformation was accomplished.

Sadly, I didn’t inherit his gardening talent, although I do enjoy spending time in the garden.  I can also appreciate the wonders of God’s creation.  A Flower Festival has been taking place this weekend at Markfield, one of my churches, and I have thoroughly enjoyed taking time to examine the wonderfully creative floral presentations (not to mention sampling some of the equally wonderful cake creations!)

This morning we had our Flower Festival Service.  The congregation was surrounded by the floral displays, and our senses were given a rare treat, both visually and through the lovely aroma emanating from some of the flowers.

 

It wasn’t difficult to find Bible verses suitable for the occasion.  For example, we read from Psalm 103, which includes these words: ‘As for us, our life is like grass.  We grow and flourish like a wild flower; then the wind blows on it, and it is gone - no one sees it again.’ (v15-16).  These words remind us of the reality of human mortality; our earthly lives are but a speck in the annals of time.  The psalmist continues: ‘But for those who honour the Lord, his love lasts forever, and his goodness endures for all generations…’  (v17).  God is not restricted to the confines of time and space, nor is his eternal love for us.  Life as we know it is a cycle of new birth, flourishing, fading and dying; but through it all, God’s faithfulness remains: ‘The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.’  (Isaiah 40:8)

Our earthly lives are finite; we know that they will come to an end.  But if our faith is in Jesus Christ, then our eternal destiny is secure.  For death is not the end of life, it is a doorway into a new life in the very presence of God.  In the beauty of creation, we can see the hand of the Creator.  The One who created all the beauty around us also created you and me, and he loves us with a love which will never end.  How amazing is that?