By Carolyn Ancell
On a recent Sunday morning, the community of Church of Our Saviour (Episcopal/Lutheran), in Lakeside AZ celebrated the sacred liturgy (and a potluck) outdoors at a ramada, surrounded by tall trees and overlooking the water at Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area. What a celebration it was!
Fr. Kerry, the rector, grabbed his guitar and joined Everett, from Fat Chance (a local vintage music band), to lead our opening hymn, “Morning Has Broken … Praise with elation, praise every morning God’s recreation of the new day” (Farieon/Stevens).
The focus of the service in this location was God in creation, or as Barbara Mahanay sub-titled her book The Book of Nature: The Astonishing Beauty of God’s First Sacred Text. Following the Scripture readings, Fr. Kerry reminded us that long before churches or the written word, there was God’s Sacred Book of Nature. We know God first by what we experience in the created world around us. Nature is itself our primary Bible. He quoted Richard Rohr’s paraphrase of the Book of Wisdom 13:1: “How dull are all people who, from the things-that-are, have not been able to discover God-Who-Is, or by studying the good works have failed to recognize the Artist;” and the English theologian and mystic, Evelyn Underhill: “The very meaning of Creation is seen to be an act of worship, a devoted proclamation of the splendor, the wonder, and the beauty of God.”
I was surprised and delighted to hear an invitation to us to join in on the sermon. “When have you been confronted by, excited by, or caught up in awe by the presence of God in nature?” Hands went up. Voices called out. And the grandeur of God appeared before us in spoken memories and tales of wonder: The stunning beauty of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Bryce Canyon and the Arches in Utah. The open sky of Montana, the wilds of Alaska. The birth of a first child. Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and standing above the clouds. Lying under a birch tree, watching clouds sail by overhead, and feeling caught up in God. Daily sunrises and sunsets. The multiple shades of green in the trees surrounding us. Experiences of participating in mission teams in Honduras and Zimbabwe. Riding a cable car up the side of Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and hearing, upon reaching the summit, a recording of Louis Armstrong singing, “What a Wonderful World”!
The service continued through the Offertory: “Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the splendor, and the majesty; for everything in heaven and on earth is yours, and of Thine own have we given Thee.” Then the Peace, recognizing God’s presence in each person: “May the sacred in me greet the sacred in you.” The prayer over the bread and wine, consecrating the “fruit of the vine and work of human hands,” was followed by “Come and partake.” Finally the blessing (by Bishop Arthur B. Kinsolving II, edited): “May the dawn awake you with hope. May the vastness of all creation make you walk humbly with your God. May God’s Spirit brood with you in the still beauty of the sunset, and tender stars assure you of God’s acceptance, friendship and peace. Amen.”
We concluded by singing in praise of the “Lord of sea and sky,” the One “who made the stars of night,” the “Lord of snow and rain,” the “Lord of wind and flame” (Dan Schutte, 1979).
And then we ate!
The generous spread of casseroles, salads, sides and desserts – also fruit of the earth and work of human hands – spoke of the creative love of those gathered all around us. We gave thanks. For food. For community. But most of all for the joyfully shared visions of God’s presence in the natural world, in “the astonishing beauty of God’s first sacred text”!
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A writer and musician, Carolyn and her husband Ron live in Sun City Oro Valley. They are deeply grateful for summer Sundays in the open and welcoming community of Church of Our Saviour, Lakeside, AZ.
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
August 7, 2023
Used with permission