This morning and in the weeks ahead, we are invited to consider how our sense of awe and wonder are gifts in our lives. Awe-filled moments in our lives can speak to our souls in a way that few other things may be able to do. Phil Cousineau, author of The Sacred Pilgrimage, once wrote. “What is sacred…what evokes awe and wonder in the human heart, and what, when contemplated, transforms us utterly, is worthy of our reverence.” These often-fleeting moments help us to experience the presence of God and remind us of how big God’s design is for creation. Summer is a lovely time when we may pause from the hectic pace of our lives and slow down to enjoy beauty, whether right outside our doors or in travels to other places. We are often more attuned to nature and that can quiet our minds and our souls in ways that are much needed at this time. Who among is not overwhelmed by the constant bad news that continues throughout our days. We learn about things in real time and there is too much to worry about, too much to think about, too much suffering altogether, and too many of us are feeling drained. We need an antidote to what this has done to our spirits; I believe we need to cultivate our sense of awe and wonder, to remind ourselves that there is so much beauty to behold all around us if we can simply slow our minds and hearts and be present.
The human mind is an amazing thing, but it also has the capacity to undermine our sense of peace and calm when it gets overworked. I would suggest that while God certainly wants us to care deeply about the concerns and suffering of our brothers and sisters, God does not want us to live in a constant state of anxiety and worry, sorrow or despair. Our creator wants us to be sustained in mind, body and spirit and yes, to rejoice in the wonder of our days. Let us pray, O Holy One, help to slow us down and be attentive to the gifts you have shared. May we know our peace and find healing and hope in the quiet moments of these summer days. Amen.
I remember many years ago, I took a cross-country trip with some of my family, and we visited several of the beautiful national parks in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. We camped outdoors and I remember waking at dawn one morning in the Grand Tetons, stepping out of the tent to behold a double rainbow over the mountains. The majesty of that moment brought me such joy and peace. I was reminded of how grand this vista was and I but a small piece of this incredible creation. At Glacier National Park, we drove along the main drive, Going to the Sun highway, and the views were stunning there as well, especially when we were able to hike and take a horseback ride in the mountains, getting off the beaten path to witness beauty beyond description. I recall that I was able to be present to the moment; I didn’t have to think, I could just enjoy the sights and sounds and be immersed within it. As much as our minds seek to put words to such moments, our souls are moved in deeper ways. Gazing at the stars on a summer night may remind us of the awesomeness of the cosmos and how we are just a small part of something beyond our imaginings.
Our readings this morning also speak to the response we feel in moments of awe and wonder. Perhaps we experience awe not only because we may feel “small” in such times, but also because we understand that we are also a “small part” of something vast. Consider the awe of the Psalmist entering the truly massive edifice of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Psalmist is asking God for protection from evildoers. The Psalmist has not only decided to pray this prayer, but to go to a place of power to do it. The temple would have inspired awe in those who entered its courts. There is a reason that many places of worship tend to be large with high ceilings—they are meant to inspire a sense of awe in all who are there. But the Psalmist in Psalm 5 isn’t just in awe of the splendor of the temple, they are also in awe of the Lord.
And often the only response to an experience of God is to bow down, to respond with a humility not rooted in fear, but in gratitude. When we allow ourselves time to reflect after witnessing the magnificence of the mountains or the endless mystery of the ocean, we feel deep gratitude yes, but often, it allows us a broader perspective through which to consider the universe and our lives in it.
In our passage of Luke, we are reminded of the incredible decency and compassion we know exists in our world. Often, the angels among us, the Good Samaritans who pass through our lives, leave us in awe as well. The kindness or extraordinary care of another is a thing to behold in a time when people have lost their connection to one another. Like the amazing moments in nature, these times are special because they do not happen every day. I wonder what experiences have given you a deep sense of awe? Was it a time in the majesty of a beautiful moment in nature or even an overwhelming sense of love that you felt at a sacred moment in your life?
These experiences of awe are also experiences of God. Wherever awe is, there also is God. I guess that’s why we find ourselves saying “Oh my God” so much when it happens. And, when we nurture our relationship with God, and with the person of Jesus, God in human form, we may understand our faith journey as part of the story of awe that is this human life. We can only imagine that Jesus was one who paid attention to all of creation with awe. The Psalms were his prayer book, and he would have heard the Psalmist yearn to be in the holy temple of God’s house, God’s creation, and experience the awe of the human experience.
Writer Susan Mahan writes, in The Seventh Gift Awe and Wonder, ” When I stare at the night sky, especially if I am out in the country, I get almost overwhelmed at the immensity of the universe. I am in awe of the beauty of the stars and then amazed at a God who can create and manage such an enormous and complex reality and yet be with me personally. One billion galaxies! Possibly two billion..the beauty of the night sky, the roar of water down a canyon, the amazing chatter of birds and animals can take the breath away — almost bring one to tears.
The gift of AWE AND WONDER helps us to know and to feel that God is the fulfillment of everything we desire. That there exists perfect love — perfect knowledge, goodness, power, action, discretion, justice, healing. With this gift we perceive the mystery that God is. We realize that there is an aspect of the Sacred, the transcendent, that we cannot know on this side of death, but that we get glimpses of such majesty and glory. We see that God can know, interact with, and sustain billions of people. It’s amazing. If you believe in such a possibility then it is mind blowing. My particularities matter. I am fully known. Nothing is impossible.”
Perhaps we might consider the star that shone that first Christmas and heralded the birth of the baby who would be the One whose life and ministry would advocate for the poor and marginalized. It was in the stardust that God became one of us and it was the star that showed the shepherds and wise ones the way to the child. As we look up at the stars at night, we might remember that we are all a part of each other, a part of Christ, a part of Christ’s mission to lift up and shine love upon everyone… especially the downtrodden, the brokenhearted, the hurting, and those in need of love.
It is not always easy to be present to the beauty around us. Like so many disciplines, we have to practice it. We have to cultivate attention and try to take a break from everything that is seeking our attention, seeking to disrupt our inner peace and harmony. WE have to cultivate balance. As Rabbi Abraham Heschel’s advised: “Get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.”