Xanadu means a place of great beauty. From frost covered trees to dancing northern lights; from rugged mountain peaks to tiny flowering plants, there is beauty and grandeur all around us. We inhale the various fragrances, see the majesty of God’s creation, and hear the bird song on a quiet evening. God, our Creator, created Xanadu when He created the world.
I thought of the words to the hymn, For the Beauty of the Earth, written in 1863 by Folliet Pierpoint. The first verse says:
For the beauty of the earthThe chorus says:
For the glory of the skies
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.
Christ, the Lord, to you we raise,Every season has a loveliness of its own. In the heat of summer the flowers bloom and fields grow and mature. In the frigid months of winter, hoarfrost paints the trees in sparkling covers. In the dark of night stars twinkle and aurora dance. We just need to look to find the beauty and then raise to God our grateful praise.
This our hymn of grateful praise.
When I write, I find it difficult to capture the immense beauty and variety in words that my eye sees. Yet this is a challenge for all of us as writers. We need to use our words wisely to describe these scenes of great beauty. It is like my words are inadequate to describe the Xanadu of God’s creation around me.
Yet I take note of how the psalmist praises God in every situation. In Psalm 19:1 we read, “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” In Psalm 24:1-2 we read, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”
I love to see the mountains rugged grandeur or sit beside a tree surrounded lake listening to the call of the loon. What is your favourite time of year and place to enjoy creation?
Carol Harrison writes a variety of things from her home in Saskatoon but often misses being able to sit by a lake and soak in the natural beauty away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
How lovely a meditation extolling the beauty and wonder of God's creation right here where we live. Thank you, Carol.
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ReplyDeleteOh Carol, this post speaks to the desire for beauty every person longs for. Beauty has long been one of my core values. I find each season beautiful, even this morning as rain pours down from heavy dark sky. God has created such an amazing world. Thank you!
Also, I did not know the meaning of Xanadu - a new word to add to my vocabulary!
Amen and amen, Carol! It is difficult sometimes to truly capture the beauty of God's creation, but it resounds within our souls! Merry Christmas to you and yours, my friend. Tracy
ReplyDeleteFavourite season? That's a hard one. As you say, there's beauty in all of them, but today as I look out my window at the trees laced in frost I would have to say NOW. Thanks for a lovely post. I didn't know the meaning of Xanadu either, I only remember the word from an Olivia Newton John song, haha
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post, Carol. So hard to describe in just a few words the wonders of creation. Even if we combined everyone’s thoughtful descriptions, it would fall short of the glory of God’s creation, wouldn’t it? Thank you.
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