A Tonic for Mankind – Sunday, May 17, 1981
“Verdant Meadows, stately forest, my heart longing, yearns for thee.”1 The text of the song we have just heard focuses on the need to show reverence for the miracle of nature.
It is one of the great gifts God has given us. Its beauty is all around us. And to commune with God in the out-of-doors is one of the best remedies for spiritual ills. Nature does her best to feed man. In return, we must be receptive to her charm, and allow her to stir our spirits, to show us how we might begin anew. We must prove, as an ancient prophet put it, that we are not past feeling.
Surely, the unity and complexity of nature are awesome as we observe the workings of the natural world around us. We see not only beauty, but order and harmony as well, as each blossom comes forth.
Spring seems to bring out the best in each of us. It is interesting to observe the return to the outdoors after a winter spent inside…to observe friendships renewed over backyard fences; to enjoy the fragrances of budding blossoms; to see color return to the earth again; to hear the sounds and see the sights of life being renewed in every form.
As we smell the early morning fragrance of spring, we are motivated, we set new goals, we make plans for the summer. It is a time of renewal—a ritual we experience every year.
We feel God around us and know of His goodness.
Often in our urbanized life of deadlines and overcrowded days, of space-age stresses and the ever-increasing quest for material things, we overlook God’s great gift to us and to our souls…the calming salve of the natural world.
Nature does speak to the spirit. Regular contact with nature—a few quiet moments with animals and fields, with trees and birds, with a warm sun and clear skies—can have an almost miraculous effect on our being. It can strengthen us and give us confidence to work through difficulties. And not unexpectedly, it often returns us to faith and reason.
1 “Verdant Meadows”, George Frederic Handel (from the Italian English version by Noble Cain), Hall & McCreary Company, 1933.
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May 17,1981
Broadcast Number 2,700