Homemade pasta: last week’s mandatory fun!
I was recently asked to write something about what in the Nicene creed inspired me to care for creation. This is what I came up with (video version available on Facebook)
What strikes me as I read through the Nicene creed are the words ‘maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen’, and in particular, the word ‘unseen’. At first glance, this looks like a catch-all word for things that aren’t visible, maybe the supernatural, but for me it evokes a sense of awe and wonder.
What we see and perceive with the rest of our senses is just the tip of the iceberg. Walk through a forest in the autumn and you’ll find mushrooms, but these are a tiny part of the whole organism, the fruiting bodies that pop up above the surface at an opportune moment, while hidden beneath the ground is a vast fungal network connecting plants and trees through their roots, continuously exchanging resources and information.
This time of year is graced by the beautiful colours of autumn leaves as they return their strength to the tree and prepare to fall. These changing colours are due to the staged decomposition of different light-capturing molecules in the leaf: the green chlorophyll decomposing more rapidly than the yellow and orange coloured molecules, and then the sugars trapped in the leaves are changed into red pigments. This unseen process gives the glorious pallet of fiery colours, which brings us such joy.
And within the cells of our own bodies, there is incredible intricacy at the molecular level – finely-tuned mechanisms that allow us to breathe, digest and fight off infections. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.
I recently watched a film which powerfully juxtaposed stunning images of strange, alien and beautiful creatures, previously hidden unseen in the deep sea, with footage of the indiscriminate destruction of their habitat, by mining companies looking for mineral deposits. I found it devastating.
My sense of wonder at the unseen mysteries of creation motivates me to do what I can to preserve our common home. My efforts are small and unimpressive, and may not make much difference in the long run, but I chose to do what I can and to trust the bigger picture into the hands of God the father, maker of heaven and earth, of all things, seen and unseen.