Please remember this is a really beautiful world...
One of my favourite songs of all time is Wonderful World. I love the idyllic notion that our world is filled with trees of green and skies of blue.
As I was out walking in the countryside earlier today, the sun was indeed shining, the trees were in bloom, and as I often find, Hinckley is a rather pleasing place to live!
These words paint a picture of a peaceful time, communing with nature and enjoying God’s creation. However, had I been writing this a few days ago, I’m not sure my words would’ve had the same effect. As I endured my walk, the wind was howling and the rain lashed down, running into my eyes, and I wasn’t feeling such peace – in fact, the world felt far from wonderful, and so do I.
To me, it felt like a fairly accurate reflection of how our world feels at the moment. As we watch the news, it’s often report after report of how stormy the world is: more widely with the war on Ukraine, and closer to home, as the rate of inflation rises to a staggering 9% (with potentially more to come), and we wonder, what next?
Then in stark contrast, we hear stories of generosity and sacrifice; often in the face of personal difficulty – such as the recently made Dame, Deborah James, who, in the midst of her own devastating personal situation, has selflessly raised over £6 million for Cancer Research UK charity.
These are stories that give us hope, hope that while things are often difficult, there are people and places that shine a beacon of promise out into the world.
For me, as a Minister, it’s in these stories of hope that I see the story of Jesus reflected out as that beacon for the world. Jesus often used the everyday things of the world when he spoke to people, and he often used nature in particular. At the feeding of the 5,000, he reminded his listeners not to worry about the little things, that if God cares for the tiny sparrows, then how much more does he care for us, his people. He encouraged people to look for and value the beacons of hope in life, and to trust that, even in hard times, God is with us, and the world can still be wonderful.
So, when I’m stuck in that traffic jam, or inside and unable to enjoy the beauty of creation, I’m going to try and remember that God cares for me in each and every moment. In a world where sometimes many things feel difficult, it’s a comfort to know that that God cares for me and cares for you, and we are part of his wonderful world.
I love the idea that our world is filled with trees of green and skies of blue Rev Dawn Matthew