I have just finished reading a book a friend lent me about the American singer, Rich Mullins, who died tragically young in a car crash. An incredibly spiritual person, in many ways it seemed he did not belong to this world. A whole chapter of An Arrow Pointing to Heaven is devoted to Rich's love of Creation. "For Rich, the universe was alive and breathing out a blessing to all," writes James Bryan Smith. "From dawn to dusk, God condescends to us by singing a gentle hymn through the created world. The Bible says that no human may look upon God and live, so God translates His glory into many different forms: trees and stars and rivers, animals and humans, water and sky. It is up to us to get out of our urban cocoons and take a look - which is exactly what Rich did.
"Rich believed that God really enjoys the universe, and even more, he was certain that God desires that we enjoy it as well .... The universe is consistent, but it is not lifeless. Though the sun comes up each day, it is not a dull routine. Rich learned from G.K.Chesterton that God shouts 'Yes!' to every living thing every day. God invented green. God inspires the sun. If we have the eyes to see, Rich believed, God will inspire us as well.
"Rich saw heaven in the flowers and the grasses and the trees, and he longed for every one of us to see it too .... Everywhere he went he saw God, and he was filled with the wonder of it all."
Thanks to Ecocongregation ireland for this lovely extract from their newsletter
