The Evidence

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, Romans 1:20


These are the words of St. Paul to the early church in Rome. Surely spring in this part of the world bears witness to their truth.

A walk in the Butchart Gardens last week revealed a symphony of pink and blue and white in tulips, forget-me-nots and hyacinth. 

 Surprises lurked around every corner.  Who knew daffodils came in apricot, with ruffles? Certainly not the visitors from Edmonton who wondered why they saw people in shorts when they got off the plane.

This tiny trout lily, blooming under a rhododendron flaunted its subtle beauty amid the show-offs of the spring flower bed.

On a drive up-Island, dogwood and May trees gleamed white against the conifers.  

Bees buzz in the heather.

The apple blossoms in delicate pink and white shower the earth with petals and the air with sweet fragrance.

As a gardener I wage war on the dandelion, but who can truly hate a flower that looks like the sun and spreads its glory so freely in roadside and meadow, proclaiming to the world that spring has come.

 It invites children to "look for butter under your chin" when you hold the yellow face close to yours.  So generous is the dandelion that a whole schoolroom of children can weave bracelets and coronets without limiting the wild display.

On Good Friday a man from Beijing visited our church.  Coming from a smog-choked  city, he was awestruck by clear air and a blue sky.

Paul goes on to warn that those who "know the truth," as manifest in creation, yet disregard God "have no excuse,"  and will suffer the consequences of their actions.  Do not be among the deniers.  Look about, see the evidence of God's care and abundance.  Rejoice in His gifts.
  "All things bright and beautiful . . . the Lord God made them all."

No Silver Lining

   While gazing out the window at the storm swept landscape following last Sunday's "weather event" I saw the lawn littered with leaves and branches, the last of the fall flowers beaten into the mud, an overturned deck chair and a snowball bush snapped off at the fork.  Mostly what I expected after our wild night.  
    But then I saw the unexpected.  A patch of brilliant blue in the midst of a lowering sky. 

  This was no mere lightening of the clouds.  It was clear blue sky in the midst of the storm.  There, I thought, there is God.

    Our world is beset with evil tidings, Christians are persecuted for being Christians, women are assaulted because they are women, and children are coerced because they are children.  Where is God in that world?  Yet, He is there.  That patch of brilliant blue shines forth in the gift of a cow to a farmer in the developing world, in a micro-loan to a woman that lets her start a business that will feed her family and provide employment for a village.

                                       

   Closer to home we suffer loss, illness, grief, pain, disappointment.  Where, we might ask, is God?  But He is there in a hospital visitor, in a phone call from your neighbour, in a get well card from someone who cares.

   In our congregational life we must contend with declining membership, tight budgets, and an aching concern for the world that runs past our doors and does not know Christ.  Why, we ask. Why doesn't God renew our fellowship, bring in the lost, show forth His power?  And yet, on Sunday morning, when we gather to worship, there is the bright blue sky of God's presence.  When we meet for Bible Study, God's encouragement shimmers around us.

 

On Tuesday, Oct. 1st, when 17 members of the congregation met for training to better equip themselves to use the new A.E.D, Automated External Defibrillator purchased by the church, God was there.  Encouraging us in our care for one another, while Kendall Houg of Alert First-Aid Inc. showed us how the A.E.D. works and updated us on the latest C.P.R. techniques.  Through fellowship and shared learning, members of the congregation are more ready to care for the body and the soul.

    When we make even a stumbling attempt to share the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus life and death and resurrection, that patch of blue glows so bright, the blackness cannot stand against it.

    Praise God for His wonderful works.

With thanks to Janet Smith for her photos and report on the AED session.