The earth is yours, O Giver of Life,
in all its fullness and glory,
the world and all those who dwell therein;
For You have founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the rivers.
Psalm 24:1-2
This psalm starts out as a psalm of praise for all that God has made.
Read these few verses a few times slowly.
Take a minute to look outside, or go outside, and experience the ‘fullness and glory’ of it all.
Come back and read the psalm again, giving thanks to our Creator.
Earth day is a good day to remember our Creator and to celebrate Their most beautiful creation. At the bridge our tagline is 'Loving God by Loving What God Loves.' This is a deliberate choice to expand it beyond the more expected, Loving God, Loving People, because of course, loving people, but it's more than that. Humans are not the only ones deserving of love, the more-than-human are here too. And loving all of them is how we love God. But there is more, it isn't just that we love, but that we are loved. I have been learning this reciprocity from Robin Wall Kimmerer in her book, The Serviceberry.
Knowing that you love the earth changes you,
activates you to defend and protect and celebrate.
But when you feel that the earth loves you in return,
that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street
into a sacred bond.
ROBIN WALL KIMMERER
Earth Day
by Sarah Pickering
You love us
In the brand new green of spring
The rabbit on the grass, the chickadee
The ice cold of the glacier fed river
Fish, shimmering in patches of sunlight
The bark of the white birch glistening
Gathered together on the forest edge
The sound of crows, cawing in the morning
Calling to one another, deep in conversation
You love us
With provisions of medicine and sustenance
Water, shelter, fresh air
Teach humans how we love you in return
To only use as much
As you are able to give
And not cause you harm
With one strip of bark
From the mighty cedar
You love us, thank you
We have so much to learn
As well as thinking about how you love the earth today, consider how the earth loves you.
Does that change how you look at it?
Does that change how you act?
Does that change how you feel?