From the Chaplains
SEASONS OF CREATION: SPRING HAS SPRUNG Week 7
The world is waking up. The air, once sharp with the bite of winter, softens with a new warmth. The days stretch longer, inviting the sun to linger and paint the sky in hues of gold and rose. It’s the beginning of spring, a season of gentle rebirth.
You can feel it in the soil, rich and ready. You can see it in the tiny green shoots pushing their way through the earth, a testament to life’s persistence. Buds swell on bare branches, promising a canopy of leaves to come. The first blossoms, delicate and bold, unfold in a quiet declaration of color.
Spring is a reminder that after every period of rest, new life awaits. It’s the sound of birds returning with songs of renewal and the sight of dormant landscapes transforming into vibrant tapestries. This season invites us to step outside, breathe deeply, and witness the world’s beautiful, hopeful turn.
Uncle Pastor Ray Minniecon, a senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian leader, recounted the story of an anthropologist who visited an indigenous tribe in the Kalahari Desert. After spending time with the tribe, the anthropologist was surprised that they were shocked he couldn’t hear the stars singing. While the idea of singing stars might sound poetic to many, for a people who have lived on their land since ancient times, it speaks to a deeper truth: everything is connected.
This story resonated with me, prompting me to reflect on the living nature of God’s creation. Could the trees, rivers, and oceans also be speaking in their own unique ways? I believe God has created an interconnected universe, held together by threads of grace, with everything and everyone part of a greater whole.
Ringing in my ears I hear the Scripture:
Psalm 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
The question then becomes: What happens when you can’t hear the stars singing?
According to Uncle Ray, this silence says more about us than it does about creation. He explained, “If we can’t hear, we’re the ones at fault, not creation.”
Perhaps it’s not entirely accurate to say we have an environmental crisis. The environment isn’t to blame. Instead, we have a listening crisis. A connection crisis. We have become disconnected from the creation that God made us a part of, and in that disconnection, we are missing urgent messages.
I wonder how we might better tune in to what creation—and the Creator—might be saying to us today. Below are some images from our recent chaplains retreat in the Blue Mountains… you might hear creations song in some of these images.
A Blessing for Spring
Divine Creator, we give thanks for the gentle arrival of spring. We praise you for this season of new beginnings and renewal.
Bless the earth as it awakens from its winter rest. Bless the seeds buried in the soil, that they may burst forth with life. Bless the trees and the flowers, that they may bloom in their fullness and beauty.
May we, like the world around us, feel a sense of renewal within us. Help us to shed what no longer serves us and to embrace new growth. Open our eyes to the beauty of your creation and our hearts to the hope that this season brings.
We ask for your blessing upon all living things, and we pray that we may be good stewards of the gifts you have given us. Amen.
Blessings,
Rev Cass
