Seashells on the Seashore

(And God said to the human beings):
“…have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
-Genesis 1:28b
“I have the world’s largest collection of seashells. I keep it on all the beaches of the world. Perhaps you have seen it.”
-Stephen Wright (author)

If we were given an original Rembrandt painting and told we were in charge of it, we were to have dominion over it, we were to look after it…the gift-giver wouldn’t be telling us to finger paint over Rembrandt’s work, or to use the painting as kindling in our firepit, or to wedge it into the garage rafters so we can store paint cans on top of it.

We would be expected to appreciate the gift, to allow it to awaken within us a new sense of beauty, wonder, thankfulness, mystery, awe.  We would be expected to share the gift so that others could also be moved by this amazing creation. We would be expected to be care-givers of the gift.

So, let’s practice that type of dominion – appreciating our collection of seashells on beaches throughout the world, appreciating our collection of cloud shapes, raindrops, bird songs, moon phases, tree barks, the creases in the faces of people passing by, the silence that greets us as we settle for sleep.

Let’s awaken to the gift of God’s creation right where we are! Let’s remember that even in a world of COVID-19, we still live in a world of wondrous gifts!

During this time of COVID, one of the gifts we continue to appreciate is the gift of the TMUC community, and one of the ways we experience that gift is through our weekly ‘check-in and chat ZOOM gatherings’. If you would like to participate (no previous participation required), the link follows. Everyone is welcome.

Here’s the link for Thursday, June 25 at 9 am.

Topic: TMUC ZOOM Check-in
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7538449219

Blessings,
Jeff (Carol is on vacation)