Daily Worship

We sing ‘Alleluia’

Jo Penn September 13, 2021 0 1
rainbow_wharfedale_jo_penn
Image credit: Jo Penn

Psalm 19: 1-6 (NRSVA)

1 The heavens are telling the glory of God;
    and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
    and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
    their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
    and their words to the end of the world.

In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
    and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
    and its circuit to the end of them;
    and nothing is hidden from its heat.

I live in a National Park, on the side of a valley that runs North to South. The weather is hard to predict in this micro-climate, situated near the spine of England.

Standing at the top of the steep drive, the valley opens up before you — the vast sky, the vista wide and long, running up to the rising Northern hills. These views offer moments of true beauty, whatever the time of day, season or weather:

  • A morning mist sits above the river, as if providing an extra warm blanket for the woodland inhabitants.
  • On Easter mornings, we stand together on the Chapel lawn around a smoky fire waiting for the rising Sun to cast its light, announcing day is here. We sing ‘Alleluia’.
  • Along the road, rainbows form multiple arcs of colour in the drop-speckled air, lit against a darkened sky.
  • Clouds race across when the wind is high, these ever-changing sculptural forms travel swiftly on and are lost to sight.
  • Visible storms stride down the valley in their wild woolly overcoats, grumbling as they step angrily forward.
  • The crack of a military aircraft, swooping low, seemingly brushing its wings on the rooftops, following the route of the river – its metal manufactured hulk at odds with the feathered flyers that normally inhabit the sky.
  • Wharfedale sunsets in summer can be spectacular: God’s paint-brush has been loaded with hues of gold, pink and orange, promising a bright new day.
  • On a clear night, the black velvet sky is lit with a myriad stars and the unshrouded moon lights our footsteps down the drive.

What moments do you cherish when watching the sky from your window, or favourite viewpoint, over the seasons?

 

PRAYER:

Creator God,

Thank you for the beauty of the sky.

I marvel at its vastness,

See its many moods,

Notice its rhythm of night and day, the seasons.

May I see clearly how it speaks of your care

For all you have created as

Intricately interdependent.

 

Wherever we dwell,

Help us to make good choices in how we live,

Adding sympathetic harmonies to the symphony of life.