Tonight at Community Group we talked about Luke 18:15-17 which is about Jesus calling all the little children to himself. It is a beautiful depiction of Jesus reaching out and loving on the smallest image bearers of God and instructing others to be like them. What struck me was Jesus' words to receive the kingdom like a little child. So often I think of pursuing the kingdom of God, to run the race seeking God's redemption in all things. And, this is something that I believe God very much calls us to do as agents of reconciliation. But, as we see in this passage, action should also be accompanied by an attitude of humility as we learn to listen and receive from others and the world around us what the kingdom of God is really like. Like a little child who has his eyes wide open to all that he can glean from others, I was reminded of the importance of receiving from all sorts of people in ways that I might not expect. When we learn to listen, we can see the diversity in God's kingdom more clearly and learn more about God himself. This can also help us make sure our pursuits are consistently marked by a love for God and a love for others.
Interestingly I have been noticing a similar theme of listening and receiving through my work with tribal governments. Caleb Pungowiyi, a Siberian Yup'ik elder, said in reference to learning and teaching about the interactions between people and their environment: "Try to see the whole world, let them see the whole world, and not just things that are scientifically measurable." Pungowiyi has a wealth of traditional ecological knowledge which transcends the scientific data about climate change collected by government and university specialists. For generations his people have subsisted in the far reaches of the Alaskan tundra and they know the land so well that they can detect even subtle changes in the weather patterns. I love the idea of seeing the whole world as interconnected and full of relationships between people and creation the way God intended it to be when he instructed man to "keep and serve" the earth. Often we isolate issues as either completely scientific or completely cultural and we forget that people and their livelihoods are so very connected to the land. I think the native people have been good at listening to way the world works around them and that we could do a better job at listening to their observations and perspectives.
As mentioned before, I had the chance to explore the greater Seattle area with some family friends this weekend. It is amazing how much more you can see when you can have access to a car!
On Saturday, the Verwys' and I had lunch at the top of the Space Needle which was very cool and the restaurant was on a turntable so that you got a full 360 degree view of downtown every 45 minutes. The food was also very tasty.
We also had a chance to visit a Japanese Garden in the Washington Park Arboretum and I wish pictures could depict how beautiful and vibrant the flowers were against the dew-kissed leaves. But, at the same time, it is just better in person no matter how great the picture is. 
On Sunday, we traveled west to Olympic National Park! As many of you know, I will never pass up the opportunity to visit any part of the National Park System and I was not disappointed by the intricate and unique ecology of Olympic. I only wish I could have stayed longer. It is known for its' temperate rainforest and that was one of the things that we were not able to make it to (mostly because it would have taken an extra 5 hours to get there and back).
The flowers here were again all in bloom and came in all sorts of hues and shades. We made two hikes to waterfalls which were also a treat because we "had to" go through some of the oldest old growth forests in the nation to see them.
As you can see from the picture on the right, I was pretty tiny in comparison to the Sol Duc falls. The whole forest seemed to be alive with spring well on its' way. It was rather cloudy and so we were not able to get many good shots of the mountain peaks but, the cool weather did make for good hiking weather. It was so great to be able to go and I had a splendid time.
This holiday weekend I am going to Portland, OR to visit my roommate Stephanie which I am very excited about! I plan to take the train - so that should be another adventure :)
No comments:
Post a Comment