Faith and Nature are ONE
Sunlight illuminates a Costa Rican strangler fig from within.
Our essence statement says, “Faith and nature are one.” Although I haven’t received any pushback on this statement, I still feel the need to explain what is meant by it.
When our design team sat together planning Esfera Faith, we knew what we meant. There is a “oneness” to all of creation. The same Spirit. The same creative force. The same vibration. The same love. When I am in nature, I know I am with God. Often in church settings, I find that I need assistance to perceive a sense of divine presence. This is often provided by manufactured arm hair-raising moments—swelling worship anthems or pipe organ bass pedals added on the final refrain of the hymn. When the worship song modulates to a higher key, a swell works its way across the congregation and people rise to their feet much like a concert crowd. Everyone remarks afterward of how they felt God’s spirit.
In nature, no words or music are necessary. They would only ruin the moment. Creation surrounds and envelopes me. It is everywhere. My faith and my natural surroundings meld into one. It is an immersive and holy experience.
Paul echoes some of this in the book of Colossians: “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17). And again in chapter 3: “…Christ is all, and is in all” (verse 11).
My wife recently reflected on the fact that at one time God was alone, and then suddenly it occurred to God that there could be another. So, God poured Spirit into matter and made the universe—planets, the elements, soil, plants, creatures, humans, all carrying the nature of God. “Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20).
Indigenous peoples of all types seemed to recognize the existence of spirit in creation. They lived close to the land and felt deeply connected to it in a spiritual sense. How damaged our society has become by severing our spiritual ties to the environment. No wonder we struggle with depression, anxiety, addiction, and alienation. Far too many have bought into bad theology that insists we are distinct and individual entities—separate from each other and from our natural world. As a result, many view nature as something devoid of spirit—a mere resource to be depleted and discarded.
Our struggle with climate change has a deeply spiritual element to it. I believe the world wants to heal if only we can put an end to our calamitous and noxious ways and cooperate in its restoration. Certainly, our greed and fractious politics have caused us to be late to the party. A certain amount of loss and damage is already locked in at this point. But it is not too late to cooperate with the spirit that exists in creation. We must work to save as much as we can of both our planet and ourselves. It is all connected. The earth’s future as well as ours. And communities of faith (all faiths!) have a large part to play in addressing the spiritual nature of this quest. This is not just a matter of science and politics and economics. Healing our earth will also require courage, foresight, and strong will. It will require a sacred act of faith. FAITH and NATURE are indeed ONE.
