“If you wish to make
an apple pie
from scratch,
You must first
invent the universe.”
Carl Sagan
Anthem
All creation has a language,
Words to say what must be said
All day long the heavens whisper,
Signing words in scarlet red.
Amber rays and crimson rainbows
Twinkling stars and flashing light
Punctuate the heavens’ statement
“God is glorious, perfect, right.”
All day long the sun proclaims it
Like a Bridegroom dressed in white
Coming from His tent to greet them
All His guests feel his delight.
Words of love and warmth He whispers
Warming all who hear His voice
“Oh, be glad and share My table,
Dance and celebrate . . . rejoice!”
All creation sings His praises
Earth and heaven praise His name
All who live come join the chorus
Find the words His love proclaim.
Gloria Gaither, Michael W. Smith
It took a bit of digging, but I finally found my old tape on which Steve Green sings this beautiful anthem of praise, part of his collection The Mission. Though our digital age has progressed light years beyond music on tape, to me it still feels like it’s not yet time to let my collection go. Amazing, then, that while technology has continued to evolve, the content of this song still rings so true.
Just this week, a friend was talking about how astronomers continue to find worlds beyond worlds in the heavens. This is just one area of our creation. In a myriad of fields, people spend lifetimes, their curiosity leading them to more and more awesome discoveries, more and more questions. Surely this wonder and awe at creation is something beyond all differences and divisions of religion, something we all can share, God talking in pictures to each one of us. The Anthem echoes Psalm 19:
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech, night after night, they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the end of the world . . . “
And so, in this common grace, all tribes and peoples are given the opportunity to truly worship the Creator. Conversely, as the apostle Paul notes, none of has an excuse for unbelief: when we are unwilling to acknowledge this amazing Designer, we are forever illiterate, unable to decipher the awesome messages His world conveys of God’s grandeur and glory.
