Yesterday’s reading from Ezekiel came from the second chapter of the book of that prophet; today’s reading comes from the 9th and 10th chapter in two different parts. We hear of story of retribution in Ezekiel today. Those inhabitants of Israel who are guilty of idol worship are to be punished, while those who are innocent are to be spared. The messengers God sends to carry out this retribution are to have no mercy or pity on the guilty, whether they be old or young, men or women. The Temple was seen as the place where the Lord resided in a special way. Yet, the book of Ezekiel states that God will leave his sanctuary in the Temple, riding on the cherubim. We still have our holy places in our faith. We feel God’s presence in a special way in our churches, in our shrines, in our grottoes, in our prayer gardens, in our special places set aside for worship and prayer. Yet, we also see God in all of creation. We are called in our faith to take care of our planet earth, to see ourselves as stewards of God’s creation. Last Friday, I will able to the day off and to hike on the Longleaf Trace, an old railroad route that has been turned into a hiking trail, connection the town of Prentiss with the city of Hattiesburg. I so love connecting with God in nature on hikes. In our fast paced world where we are most often traveling down the road in our car, I feel a special connection with God when I am able to hike through nature. May we feel the presence of God with us, wherever we may be. May we honor God in our stewardship of the earth, in the way we honor him, in the humble, respectful, faith-filled way we live our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment