The sermon on the Mount, was surely the best sermon ever preached; after all, all other sermons are about Jesus, and this one, well, was by Jesus! And in it he said so many things which help us understand who God is and who we are in Him.

The last few days have been stunningly beautiful. I miss the summer; love the spring, but there is something incredible about the crystal clear light we are able to enjoy in the autumn. With a mild and late autumn, lack of frosts and no gales (to date!), the trees hold on tight to their amazing array of colours. It was seeing this that made something Jesus said in the sermon on the mount stand out afresh. He said, '[God the Father] makes the sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous'. That incredible blessing which I was able for a short time enjoy today, walking along the river Colne, is something that anyone can share. We all get the rain and the sun. You don't have to believe in a God, or anything for that matter to share these blessings. Perhaps God would be more obvious if the sun didn't rise unless you believed in him? But God in his wisdom and love has granted everyone these blessings. I think there is one big reason for this commonality.

Psalm 19 opens up with the words: 'The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech, night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where thy voice is not heard'. The Apostle Paul picked up on this in Romans chapter 1 where he said 'since the creation of the world, Gods invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse'.

If anyone ever poses you the oft asked question 'what happens to people who don't get to hear the bible', I think part of the answer is in the above verses. In one very real sense, even without the bible, we are able to see God's reality and nature in all he has created; so much so, that it only really makes sense to believe in a creator God, when the marvel of creation itself is so beautiful.

Suggested Prayer:

Lord God, we praise you for the wonder of your creation. We ask that you would help us be good stewards of all you have provided us with. The beauty of creation speaks of you, and in all you have made we recognize the fingerprint of God, as we might see the brush strokes of an artist. Lord help us always recognise you in creation, and help those we know, who themselves do not yet know you, to see your hand print upon all they see, and to give you glory. Amen. 

Rev. Chris Willis