See and Know

December 11, 2008

Thursday of the Second Week of Advent

I will open up rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the broad valleys; I will turn the desert into a marshland, and the dry ground into springs of water. I will plant in the desert the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive; I will set in the wasteland the cypress, together with the plane tree and the pine, That all may see and know, observe and understand, That the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it. Isaiah 41:18-20

All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. Whoever has ears ought to hear. Matthew 11:13-15

Piety

Lord, you provide such stimulating sights that we can not help but to open our eyes. You provide such wondrous words that our ears learn toward you in hope of getting your grace to enter into our very being through our senses. Help us to get in touch with you through our senses so that we can fully experience your divine presence and dwelling in us. As we prepare for your coming into the world, let us open up all of our senses so that we may be ready and willing to accept your messenger and your message. Amen.

Study

Today’s readings seem to be less about something to “study” and more about something to be sensed…and enjoyed by all the senses. Isaiah paints a pastoral landscape where there was a wasteland. He wants us to use the imagination of our eyes, our ears and all of our senses to get in touch with God’s creation-gift.

Deserts turn into marshland.

Dry ground sprout springs.

Trees decorate the earth’s surface.

Wastelands fade away replaced by forests and cypress groves.

As we gaze into the verdant valleys and mountains that the Lord provides, we know that He has provided this so we might understand his power, his creation and accept it.

Action

Ave you ever hiked up to the top of a mountain? Maybe you walked up Virginia’s Old Rag Mountain or some other location in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains. Or maybe you were driving out west and stopped somewhere in Colorado to admire a vista of the Rocky Mountains. Or perhaps on a trip to the Pacific Northwest, you took a side trip to Mount Ranier or Mount St. Helens.

Whether in these locations or someplace else, remember the awesome sense you experienced seeing the world laid out before that mountain for you to see. The gift of those creation vistas as like the gifts recalled to by Isaiah today. Such beauty was carved out of nothing by God and set before our feet, our body, our eyes.

As we enter the winter season of grey skies, dark early nights, and cold temperatures, it is hard to remember these landscapes. But you can get a memorable sense from some of the photos at this web site. http://panoscapes.com/FullImage.php?Image=P246H. That the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.

What kind of thank you note do you have for someone who will provide a gift such as this free for you to enjoy through photographs or personal visits? Write a thank you note to the Lord in your prayers today.