Pay Attention to Beauty

From Rev Sue Ann Yarbrough

May each of you know God's grace and peace, both in times of challenge and in times of rest. That well is always there for us. Let us remember to pause and quench our thirst.
 
Scripture: Luke 12:25-27
"Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life? If you can’t do such a small thing, why worry about the rest? Notice how the lilies grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. But I say to you that even Solomon in all his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these."

Meditation
I often take photographs of flowers. Most of these photographs I have taken while walking my dog in the neighborhood. The practice reminds me to not walk by something beautiful without noticing.

​I find it difficult to worry when I am gazing at a flower, admiring its form, and marveling at its color. Worrying keeps me from paying attention to all that beauty. Worrying keeps me from being present to God in the moment.

​Of course, there are many concerns, and part of responding to the call of faith is to pay attention. It is a paradox. How do we pay attention and not worry? After all, there are serious things going on. The answer lies in prayer. When we find ourselves worrying, we can surrender our hearts and minds to prayer. 

Flowers, San Leandro January 2020. Photo by Sue Ann Yarbrough

When we find ourselves worrying, we learn to pay attention to our thoughts and not let them run amuck and lead us where we may not want to go. When I read this scripture, I envision Jesus looking at the flowers, admiring their beauty, and taking a deep breath. Jesus certainly had concerns. However, he also knew when to pause and pray. May we also learn to pause and simply be in the presence of God and the wonder of it all. When we pause and give thanks, we get a glimpse of eternity, and we know it to be beautiful.
 
Prayer
Yesterday I was reminded of the beautiful "How Great Thou Art." Let us close with the first verse of this timeless hymn. 

"Oh Lord my God! 
When I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made, 
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, 
thy power throughout the universe displayed. 
 
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee; 
how great thou art, how great thou art! 
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee; 
how great thou art, how great thou art!
 
Words and Music: Stuart K. Hine, 1953, based on a Swedish folk melody and a poem by Carl Gustav Boberg, 1885.

Rev. Sue Ann Yarbrough, Associate Pastor
San Lorenzo Community Church, United Church of Christ

www.slzchurch.org 
www.hearthpsalms.blogspot.com