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Tonight Im continuing a summer sermon series called, Refresh. The AIM of this
series is to help us experience refreshment in a spiritual way AND to look at certain practices
that can help us be refreshed.
These practices are spiritualthey connect us to God, but they arent necessarily
religious. They are interesting practices. Two weeks ago we looked at the topic of retreat.
Joyce Finch spoke to us. Last week we looked at the topic of recreation/play. Tonight were
looking at being in nature, next week were going to look at hobbies
This series has a Minnesota context. All year we look forward to summer. Its a season
where we enjoy late sunsets and supposedly a more relaxed pace. Unfortunately we can pack so
much into summer that by the time Labor Day comes we are exhausted. My hope is each of
these sermons can feel like spending a long summer night on a lake.
Each Wednesday we are having an Add-on to the topic. Tonights Add-on is our focus
with the community gardens. Next week were looking at hobbies. I want to encourage each
person to bring an example of your hobby to worship. One of my hobbies is running. Im going
to wear my running shoes to worship. A long time ago I collected stamps. Im going to bring
one of my stamp collection books. Bring an example of your hobbies.
Tonights topic is being in nature. This sermon is organized around two questions.
SLIDE

What does being in nature teach us about God? What does being in nature do for

us.
The answer to this first question is pretty simple. Being in nature teaches us that God
exists.
Its a simple answer with many illustrations

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When is the last time you had an experience when you were in nature and the word,
Wow just naturally went through your mind or came from your lips. Being in nature does that
to us. It connects us to something far greater than ourselvesit connects us to God.
When I was growing up in Worthington, Minnesota, we lived on the prairie. The prairie
for the most part was flat. We lived on the west edge of town and when I looked west, I felt like
I could practically see for miles. I loved the big sky of the prairie. Its different up here because
we have trees. We had some trees in Worthington, Minnesota, but we didnt have the woods
that we have in this part of the world. I practically felt that I could stand on the ground and touch
the sky. The sky was all around us.
I looked for some pictures of the big sky this week. This is what I found.
When I was on the prairie looking at the big sky, the word that would often come to my
mouth was Wow. The next thought that would sometimes come to my mind was God has to
exist.
Remember the storm from this past Monday? I slept through it, but my daughter, Hannah
told me about it. She woke up and said that the lightning and thunder were practically going off
at the same time. The rain was coming down in sheets. Our bird bath was full. The storm was
scary and frightening and awesome and Wow.
Remember the hail storm from two weeks ago Monday. We had a Coffee House
Ministry Task Force meeting, and I had about a half hour to grab a bit to eat before the meeting.
So I drove from the office over to Culvers. The hail started hitting the windshield of my car like
it was exploding from a machine gun. Ive experienced hail, but Ive never experienced that
intensity of hail. As I was driving my car I was pretty sure that the windshield would not only
crack, but that it would shatter. Bsh, Bsh, Bsh. Wow

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Being in nature can be calming. Who remembers the first time you hear a loon. The
August before my senior year in high school some buddies of mine and I drove from
Worthington to a park about thirty miles from Grand Marais into a forest. We camped near a
lake, and I heard a loon for the first time. I would try to do the sound, but I wouldnt do justice
to the sound. But Ill never forget hearing the sound of a loon on a late summer night.
Everything is peaceful and relaxed and good. Wow.
These experiences of mine are similar to experiences that youve had. And they are
experiences that connect us to humans. These experiences that we have in nature connect us to
the people who wrote the Bible. Even though the people who wrote the Bible wrote these stories
at least two centuries (and sometimes more) ago and in a much different setting, they had these
experiences of being in nature.
Psalm 8
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that
you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them. Mortals that you
care for them.
Psalm 139
If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even
there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast
Or the Psalm that we hard Nancy read:
Psalm 148
Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow
and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth! Young mean and women alike, old and young together! Let
them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and
heaven.
I dont know if youve been following the adventure of the New Horizons aircraft. This
is the spacecraft that is taking pictures of Pluto, which is now classified as a dwarf planet.
This tiny spacecraft (it is the size of a grand piano) blasted off nine and a half years ago
and has traveled three billion miles. The diameter of Pluto is 1474 mileshalf the size of the
width of the United States. When a picture is taken from the New Horizons aircraft it travels at
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the speed of light186,000 miles a second. At that speed it takes (four and a half hours) for the
picture to reach earth.
Here are some pictures
SLIDE
Did you know the distance from Pluto to earth is anywhere from 2.6 to 4.6 billion miles.
Its hard to get our head around these numbers and the size of these numbers. Its a
technological marvel to send a spacecraft the size of a grand piano that can give us a picture of
Pluto. Bravo the scientists.
This distance from earth to Pluto miniscule compared to the size of the entire solar
system. Scientists estimate that it would take light 91 billion years to travel the distance of the
solar system.
Earth to Plutofour and a half hours for light to travel
Entire solar system91 billion years for light to travel
I cant get my own head around this. But when I see information like this, the thought
that goes through my mind is God certainly does exist.
We humans have had many arguments about how we came to be. Did we come to exist
in seven days or did we evolve or was there an intelligent design around our creation or maybe
something else. I think these arguments are worth exploring. Unfortunately what can happen is
creation can be all about these arguments instead of being around the amazing creation that we
enjoy. We dont need a scientist or a theologian to know that you and I exist, and we exist in this
incredible solar system.
I am less concerned about how we got here as humans and much more interested in
proclaiming that it couldnt have been an accident that this vast and complex space that we call a
universe exists. We are not an accident.
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The writer of Psalm 148 didnt know that Pluto existed. He saw the night sky as you and
I did. But he didnt have the information that todays scientists have. But he didnt need science
to know that God exists. But the vastness of the night sky led him to see the universe as a
symbol of praise.
Praise him, sun and moon;
Praise him, all you shining starts?
Praise him, you highest heavens,
And you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created.
He established them forever and ever: he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
Psalm 148:3-6
I see these words as poetry and not explanation of science. When I try to put my head
around these images of Pluto and the distance that the pictures have traveled and the tiny size we
are in comparison to the size of the universe, I can understand the instinct to break out in poetry.
Wow!
Being in nature leads us to a deeper appreciation of God.
Let me wrap up by talking about what nature does to us.
One one level I dont need to tell you that we are not as complete people when we are not
connected to nature. We are not who God intends for us to be if we dont have moments when
we are touched by nature. Ive rarely had someone talk to me after coming from the Rocky
Mountains, or the north shore of Minnesota, or Superior National Forest and say they wished
they hadnt gone there. Most people wish they could spend more time in nature in these amazing
scenes of creation. These experiences do something to us.
Recently a phrase has been developed called Nature deficit disorder. This phrase was
developed by Richard Louv. He wrote a book called, Last Child in the Woods. He said that
children are spending less time outdoors. This has led to a wide range of behavorial problems.

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As parents were not encouraging our kids enough to get outdoors. Children can spend time with
computers and video games and television and we parents are giving in to these mediums instead
of insisting that our kids spend time in nature. The cost in our kids is more attention deficit
disorder and more depression and more mood disorders.
At the last church I served I knew a woman who became so captivated by Richard Louvs
book that she started an organization called GO or Get Outdoors. She would take large group of
kids to the local state park and do other events to get kids out in nature.
Here at Chain of Lakes we had a nature camp last month. Sally Narr and the Youth and
Family Ministry team are organizing a nature camp next month. They are going to learn how to
fish. Its a marvelous ministry that can have an impact on childrens lives. If you can help out,
let Sally know.
When were in nature we come into contact with something special that we cant when
were in a car or on our phone or indoors. Its necessary for our spiritual well-being.
One of our ministries at Chain of Lakes is our community garden ministry. Im not going
to talk about the community gardens as that is coming. But one piece I want to lift up about the
gardens is how they are. When I want to get away from the stresses of life I like to go over to the
community gardens. I just like to stand near the gardens. I enjoy feeling the vastness of the
space. I love listening to the insects around me and feeling the wind on my skin. I feel
connected to something greater than myself. I feel connected to God!
My word of encouragement for us is to get out in nature this week. In the next week go
for a canoe ride, or take a walk in a local park, or go to the Community gardens on our property
and just enjoy the beauty of creation. We will be refreshed. Our refreshment will come because
weve gotten in touch with something that is much bigger than us. Were in touch with God.

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