#GodIsWonderful

Thankfully, the story looks like it will have a happy ending.
Even if it did have a bumpy start.
Here is what I mean.
Growing up, Shodie had visited the Presbyterian Camp in Johnsonburg, NJ several times with her father. So when it came time for her to think about a summer job she applied and was hired to be a camp counselor there. As I was graduating from college and trying to figure out that “what next” for my life and Shodie and I were trying to figure out our relationship, Shodie was looking forward to some space and to returning to Johnsonburg and time with the good friends she had made there. As for myself, thinking I would like to spend more time with her, I decided to apply for a job there as well. Are you beginning to see where this is going? No surprise, but Shodie and I tell this part of our story a bit differently.

But what I would like to share with you this morning is not about Shodie and me, but about one of the things I learned that summer at Johnsonburg about God and faith and working with children and paying attention. During our orientation to camp and to the responsibilities of being a counselor and working with children, the Director of the camp told this story about the “God is wonderful” lady. She was an older woman. At least older than I was then, but probably younger than I am now. A volunteer who, each summer, gave a week of her time to be a counselor at the camp. To sleep in cabins on creaky bunks. To cook meals over a campfire. And, to care for and about a dozen or so children. She did this year after year. Over that time, she became known as the “God is wonderful” lady because any time she and her group of campers would be walking somewhere – on a nature hike, to the lakefront, to the Arts and Crafts Center – she was constantly stopping to look more closely at what she saw. The flower. A bug. The pattern sunlight made through the leaves of the trees. And not just pausing to look at them herself, but  having her group of campers stop and gather around look as well. At the end of each of those moments, when it was time to move on to wherever they were going she would say, “God is wonderful.”

The children who were her campers probably didn’t learn how to tell the difference between a white oak and a red oak or about how bugs help in the decay process in the forest, but they did learn to notice what was around them. They did learn to pay attention to the flowers and the bugs and the sun shining through the leaves of the trees. They did learn to take a moment to stop and to appreciate what they saw. And, they did learn that God is wonderful.

So, where am I going with this?
Here we are.
In the first few official days of summer.
School is out.
The days are longer.
We are outside more.
Vacations are on our calendars.
Trips to the shore or to the lake or to the mountains.
Or somewhere in between or farther away.
Wherever you go and whatever you do, do this.
Pay attention.
Slow down a bit from the normal hectic, push and pull of your life.
Notice the flowers. Not just that the petals are yellow, but look more closely to see what other colors are hidden inside. God is wonderful. Pay attention to the the smell of the air just after a thunderstorm. Pay attention to the way the summer breeze moves across the lake or moves the leaves on the tree. God is wonderful. Pay attention to the warmth of the sun on your shoulders and the coolness of the water around your feet. Pay attention to the delight and the laughter of the children as they jump in the waves. God is wonderful. Pay attention to the moments you have when you go for an evening walk. Pay attention to the presence of your family or your friends when they are gathered for a summer meal together. Pay attention to the sound of their voices and to the way they look at and care for each other. God is wonderful.

So here is an idea and an invitation.
Wherever you are this summer or wherever you go, as you pay attention and whisper or say your own version of God is wonderful…
After you have done that, take a picture.
Take a picture of that flower which you noticed.
Take a picture of your children or grandchildren.
Take a selfie at the ocean or around the picnic table.
And, then send it to us.
info@bedfordpreschurch.org
The hashtag for our summer pictures will be #GodIsWonderful.
We will post the pictures on the church’s Facebook page.
In the midst of the craziness of the world as it is, maybe our paying attention and our pictures we will remind us and remind each other of beauty and family and wonder and awe.
God is wonderful.

And the waters were gathered together and the dry land appeared.
And God saw that it was good.
And, the earth brought forth plants and trees.
And God saw that it was good.
And God made two great lights. The greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And God saw that it was good.
And God created every living creature that moves and swims and flies.
And God saw that it was good.
And God created humankind, in God’s own image.
And God saw that it was good.
All, very good.

God is wonderful.