Year B, Easter Monday

Inspired by Genesis 1:1-19

“Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’  And it was so.  The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it.  And God saw that it was good.”  Genesis 1:11-12

Where can one look today to see a miracle?  Everywhere!  When God created the heavens and the earth, he created them in such a way that the world would renew itself and bring forth life.  Therefore the natural processes of the world are not done independently of God, but are in fact ongoing miracles of God’s good creation.

The soil of the earth grows trees that produce fruit for people to eat, shelter for birds and animals, shade for humans, cleansing benefits for the air, and seeds to reproduce themselves.  Each and every one of these activities is a miracle; each and every tree is a miracle!  Every blade of grass, every animal on the land, every bird in the sky, every fish in the sea, every human being that is born is part of God’s ongoing creation, a miracle of life created by the Holy One.

God still can (and does) perform other, more spectacular and unusual miracles, but the simple fact of our existence, the world bursting with life around us, and the heavens surrounding our planet are all miracles we can behold every day.

Let us pray.  Creator God, you are the source of all life.  Help us to recognize your ongoing creation, that we may be good stewards of this earth and all that is in it.  Through Christ our Lord, Amen.