Witness creation – Worship the Creator

This morning I had the opportunity to spend several hours out in the field alone witnessing (and photographing) creation while worshipping the Creator. (More on that in a moment.) The lightly falling snow and freezing temperatures had all manner of creatures scurrying about seeking food and shelter. I’ve included a few images in this post. The silence and stillness of my surrounds made me feel like I was a million miles from nowhere. Just me, creation, and the Creator. I didn’t need anything else or want anything else. It was complete solitude. And, it was an experience I’ve had many times before and will hopefully repeat many times in the future. Each one as unique as the stars in the sky. Okay, now back to my premise.

Where should my thoughts on these subjects begin? How about in the beginning. I intend no pun here. But, what better place to start than where God started it all, “In the beginning God created…” You may know how the story continues as God creates all matter and all living things with the culmination of “Let us make human beings in our image… Then God blessed them.” When he was done creating God looked over all he made and saw that it was very good!

So, yes, the beginning is where I must start. Can you fathom just for a moment that you were made in God’s image? That you bear his likeness? And that he made all of this stuff just for us? He did! He commanded us to be fruitful and multiply. And, fill the earth and govern it.

I’m not a world explorer by any means but, I have been to the top of snow capped mountains and beheld their majesty. I’ve dived to the depths of the ocean and witnessed creatures one would think unimaginable. I’ve walked through prairies and pastures, and hiked through timbered forests. I’ve heard the call of playful loons on a placid lake in the North woods while the call of wolves echoed in the distance. I’ve stood at the base of waterfalls and I’ve been refreshed by their plunging surge. I’ve sat on the beach and watched ocean tides role in and out just like God ordained. I’ve seen thousands of sunrises and sunsets  – every one unique with a pallet of colors beyond my wildest imagination. And, I’ve looked up into the night sky and seen the Milky Way with countless stars light years away.

I’ve seen majestic creatures too many to number and I’ve recorded a few along the way. Each in its place, each as God ordered. I’ve experienced the joy of seasons changing. With the blooming of spring and warm days of summer, to autumn’s array of color and winter’s wonders – the cycle of creation has been repeating itself since “the beginning.”

Yes, God made it all. Yes, God made it for us. And, yes, God made it all “very good!”

And we are not alone in beholding and declaring these wonders. Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare his handiwork and the skies display his glory… day after day and night after night they continue to speak without saying a word.”

The bible says in Isaiah 45:18 “Indeed, He who created the universe – heavens and earth – gave it form and shape. God alone set it all in motion; He didn’t make it a disorganized wasteland but made it a beautiful and comfortable home.” Everything we need he has already provided. Just as he did in the garden of Eden.

That doesn’t stop with the created world we see around us. The psalmist David wrote in chapter 139 “I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Yes! Even you!

The apostle Paul takes it even further, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10

And yes, there is a point to all of His creative work. Paul also writes, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

So, in the days ahead as a new year approaches, and you make your way through the world – whether it’s afield among the flora and fauna, or trapesing through the urban jungle – Stop! Pause! Witness Creation – AND Worship the Creator.
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This is an epilog to my post above.

As 2024 begins it gives me pause to reflect on where things might be headed with my bird photography. Ove the past three years I’ve posted thousands of portraits and snapshots of over 100 bird species – all of which were within 15 miles of our home, and most in our backyard.

Can that trend continue? I don’t know, but I doubt it. What I do know is that my heart thumps like a hummingbird’s wings when a new “lifer” crosses the path of my lens. Or like the once in a round golf shot that keeps a golfer “coming back”, a flurry of joy tinges my heart when I capture the sunlight on a prothonotary warbler’s plumage – vibrant, unexpected, and utterly breathtaking.

And, yes, it’s more than a joy, it has been a privilege to witness every sunrise spent in the field, every mosquito bite endured, every shutter click that became a frozen heartbeat of creation. It’s about the whispered conversations with chickadees, the silent dances with owls, and the breathless moments witnessing a new generation build nests, raise their young and then send them off on their own journey. But this isn’t my story. This is creation’s story. Even more it’s our Creator’s story!

It all belongs to Him. The one who created the wind that ruffles their feathers and gives lift to their wings. It is God who created the ancient forests that cradle their nests and the quiet woods that whisper their secrets. He is the one who refreshes the morning air that carries along their songs. He alone does these things! Nothing was created by chance or accident. He is the one who designed it all to fit and work perfectly together. Therefore, to Him be ALL glory, honor and dominion – forever.

So, what’s in store for 2024 and beyond? One thing I know for sure is, I have a passion, no, an insatiable hunger for a chance at witnessing the early morning sun reflecting through the feathers of yet another lifer. To those who understand the thrill of a lifer, the agony of a missed shot, the sheer joy of sharing a sighting – you are an inspiration, the fellow travelers on this feathered odyssey.

And if that doesn’t happen, what have I lost? Nothing! It’s the HOPE of a sunrise painting the horizon with the promise of new expeditions, unexplored branches, and unseen wings that keep me going. It’s a challenge to push the boundaries of light and lens, to tell stories not just with pixels, but with the silent language of feathers and flight. But in the end it’s the experience of worship that brings value to all of this.

So, I hope to keep chasing the light – to become a shadow in the trees. I vow to honor these feathered ambassadors, to capture their fleeting beauty, their fierce spirit, and their echoing calls.

Thank you once again for tagging along with me on this journey.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with a sunrise and a camera – a new adventure waits…