āI take more intense delight from reading the power and goodness of God from āthe things which are madeā than from the Bible.ā
John Muir
Though we may all know him best as the single-minded nature advocate and wandering prophet that history remembers, John Muir (1838-1914) was raised in an extremely strict Christian household, and the only book he was allowed to read growing up was the Bible.
As you can imagine, this forced reading of Scripture gave Muir an intensely adverse reaction to faith for a long time. It wasnāt until his many adventures into Americaās vast wilderness that he rediscovered his love for God. It is likely that he never picked up the ālittle bookā of Scripture ever again. Instead, he devoted his life to seeking God through natureās Bible.
Despite his legendary status in American conservationism, Muir was not a perfect person. He struggled with bigoted attitudes and misanthropy, especially in his earlier adulthood. But his forays into nature softened him, opened his heart to connect with both the Divine and the other humans around him. His legacy continues to lead others to do the same.
Our theme this week, exploring the ābig bookā of Creation and the ālittle bookā of Scripture, originally came from the writings of John Scotus Eriugena, an Irish monk and intellectual who lived from 800 to 877 AD. And while Eriugena put words to the concept, it no doubt was born out of his Celtic background, in which love for the natural world was part and parcel with love for God.
In a historical period when the church had determined that āmatterā was evil and āspiritā the highest good, Eriugena disagreed. He believed that the Incarnation of Jesus Christ proved that Creation was both sacred and beloved by the Creator. That matter could be blessed. And that God could be found in the things that He had made.
Muir and Eriugena would have been friends, I have no doubt. They were at least kindred spirits separated by one thousand years of history. Their lives and writings reveal that Natureās Bible is always open to us, ready to be savored. That the Creatorās fingerprints are all over this wide and wonderful world.
Muir and Eriugena both believed that the power and goodness of God could be āreadā in natureās Bible, if only we look.
The question is: are you reading?
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