Have you ever had one of those evenings when you do a bit of channel hopping on the television and you come to the firm conclusion that there truly isn’t anything worth watching on the box? And yet, there are other times when you come across some great gems. A classic movie or a side-splitting comedy. An intriguing drama or a fascinating documentary.
I love watching programmes that showcase the natural beauty of our planet, that reveal the deep mysteries about the ordinary things of life that we take for granted. And I came across one of those programmes recently. The subject was the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Not only did I learn a great deal but some of the shots were spectacular. Along with Mount Everest and the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon has been designated one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. It is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile. Formed over millions of years, simply put, the Grand Canyon is the product of tectonic uplift and the water erosion power of the Colorado River.
It was that description that came to my mind a couple of days after the devastating earthquake that has so desperately affected Southern Turkey and Northern Syria. The words used were, “the sudden movement of tectonic plates along known fault lines”. It seems that the uplift of tectonic plates in North America has produced such beauty in the Grand Canyon and the sudden movement of tectonic plates has created such horror in this Middle Eastern area. It is sometimes so difficult to comprehend these things.
There’s a passage in Luke 13:1-9 that is likewise difficult to comprehend too. It’s about some people from Galilee who Pilate had killed, and some other people in Siloam who died when a tower collapsed on them. Jesus asked the people the question had they suffered because they were worse sinners than anyone else, to which he gave a firm “No!” as his answer. He then followed that up with the enigmatic parable of the fig tree. The heart of that parable seems to say to us, “Have patience – we’re still a work in progress.” The repentance he mentions seems to align with the constant turning around we need to do from the hurt and offense we cause.
Somehow this passage brings me a certain consolation when I consider the suffering in this world. It reminds me of ‘wonder’ – the wonder I have when I gaze upon the natural beauty of those places in the world like the Grand Canyon, and the wonder I have when I see the response of compassion and care when the world reacts to devastation like the recent earthquake. I hope you sense wonder all around you too.
Welcome to ASecludedPlace 2023!
God of the Universe, we are dust and stardust, made in your image. We are part of the creation you are making new. Let our awe increase, like your ever-changing universe, until we find ourselves lost in wonder, love, and praise, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer from the Book of Common Worship
Neil Chappell
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