Fogo Island (adjacent to Change Islands) photographer unknown
God of the open gateway & the wide horizon, in whose grace heaven touches earth: Give us the courage to name the powers that war against life & love & to receive the ones who carry messages of peace & loose our shackled dreams.
Michaelmas Prayer (yesterday)
When we were on vacation on Change Islands earlier this month there were only a handful of nights when the sky was clear. Cloud is a constant reality in Newfoundland, so even though we were in what was essentially a dark sky preserve and staying in a location with the vast sweep of sea and sky before us we had to be vigilant in order to enjoy this view unimpeded.
Fortunately we were rewarded with some stunning panoramas, and nights at the beginning and end of our time there were the best. The Milky Way was magnificent in its clarity, as were the constellations and planets. Halfway through our stay it was the full harvest moon, which lessens the grandeur of the stars but provides its own wonder.
Full moon Cape St. George NL photographer unknown
As you are probably aware, I delight in the cosmic beauty of Creation and the ability of the night sky to make us feel part of something greater and yet very small at the same time. I also experience this combination of uplift and humility in a thunderstorm or at the edge of the sea when it is pounding the shore.
Those clear nights tended to be silent nights, although more accurately moments when there was a cessation of human-made sound and noise. We could still hear the surf on the shore and the breeze in the tall grasses around our home away from home.
Again, this was a perfect setting for Creation Time contemplation and reflection and gratitude. I read Creation theology through the three weeks we were there but we lived it through our rambles along the shore and our appreciation of the night sky. God is good, and Creation is magnificent and I celebrate the lavish generosity of the Creator.
Well, I've fulfilled my commitment to offer up a week of Creation Time blogs in the context of our Change Islands experience.
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