Talk to earth, and it will teach you – Job 12:8
Dear Gatherers,
Daniel Cooperrider is a United Church of Christ pastor who grew up in the North Woods of Wisconsin and now lives near Madison. Although I’ve never met him, it feels like he’s become a good friend through his wonderful book Speak to the Earth and It Will Teach You: A Field Guide to the Bible. It appears he’s always been fascinated with nature. As the young pastor of a church in Vermont’, he began connecting the dots between natural scenes in scripture and what those texts may be saying about God and us.
Especially at this time of year, with nature waking up from winter rest, his book is a gift of joy. Rev. Cooperrider reminds us many rivers flow through biblical narratives. Mountains loom large in the story. Winds and clouds, weather and wonder alert our senses to God’s voice, God’s face, God’s breath.
I can think of no finer conversation for this springtime than talking about how God may be seen, imagined, and understood apart from us trifling humans. The earth will teach us if we turn off our phones, leave our cars, move out of our boxed-in spaces to listen. The great American writer Norman Maclean famously said, “Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.” I share Rev. Cooperrider’s conviction that God is the “one” that results when everything flows together. And the river’s run is God’s life, the river’s music is God’s voice.
Join us on Thursdays at 7:30CDT for conversations about the earth and how we can see God’s image in places we may have overlooked.
Peace, with much love,
Pastor Tim