PENTECOST VII
July 24, 2022
“The Beauty and Bounty of the Land”
About this time every summer, I am nearly overwhelmed by the richness and sheer volume of all things growing and thriving wherever I look. Yards and gardens are bursting with color and produce; the fields surrounding us change almost daily, as crops race toward maturity. You’d think that this richness was a novelty, something I’d never seen before, but, except for a few years, I’ve lived no more than five minutes from a cornfield my whole life. And yet . . . every year, there’s a sense of newness, of a promise kept, of assurance that this land we love continues to sustain the growth that we’ve always received from it.
We know that humans have been hard on the land, the waters, and the skies, and many are finding ways to decrease the damage we do, even while we continue to make use of our environment. Seeing the ability of our “Beautiful Land” (that’s what Iowa means, you know) to produce so abundantly is a powerful lesson in what we have as well as what we stand to lose. We’ve seen the results of drought, flood, hail and wind, as the rich, green plants are shredded, flattened, and unable to continue growing. It truly feels like a crime against nature.
The book of Genesis tells of God’s creative power bringing the heavens and the earth into being. He separated light from darkness on the first day; he separated the waters from the sky on the second day, and then he said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. . . . And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. (Genesis 1:9, 12b, 13)
The value of land, being able to have land on which to make a living, identifying with a place called home, are recurring themes throughout the Bible. To be able to raise livestock or crops, to make a living from the land is an ongoing theme, and people without a homeland were rootless and lost. As we know from accounts in the Book of Exodus, the Hebrew people were enslaved by the Egyptians for a number of generations. They cried out to God, begging for release from their captivity and an opportunity to live in a free land of their own.
Their pleas were heard, and Moses was sent to lead the Israelites to a new land, “flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8). How rich and luscious does that sound? From slavery to luxury, this is a nearly overwhelming image, but it’s a vivid description of the richness of life when people are in relationship with God.
As inhabitants of the land on which we live, we are so blessed to be able to enjoy the beauty before us and the bounty it produces. This blessing comes with responsibility, of course, as we don’t possess it, but rather hold it in stewardship for generations to come. There have always been challenges as we strive to make the best choices in how we care for all that surrounds us, but we are called to continue to care for this priceless gift.
Just a farmer’s granddaughter,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers