Season of Creation #3 – REFLECTING WATER
Readings: Romans 8:14-28 and Psalm 148:1-13. Preacher: Phil Swain
We conclude our Living Waters series with Reflecting Waters—an interactive journey of worship, reflection and prayer, as we encounter the wonder of creation and join in its praise.
Instead of a sermon, there will be two short reflections based on Romans 8 and Psalm 148 … helping us to sit in the wonder of God’s creation and inviting us to respond with praise and hope.
Reflection Questions
Exploring the Passage (Romans 8 and Psalm 148)
- In Romans 8:18–27, what different kinds of “groaning” does Paul describe? Where do you see this groaning in creation and in human life today?
- Paul says that creation waits “in eager expectation” to be liberated from decay. What kind of hope does this offer, and how is it different from simply assuming that everything will eventually work itself out?
- Psalm 148 calls the sun, moon, stars, weather, landscapes, creatures and people to praise God. What does this expansive picture of worship reveal about God’s relationship with creation?
Pondering the Sermon Themes
- The ripple illustration suggested that prayer, learning, conversations and small acts of care can have effects beyond what we see. Where have you witnessed a small action creating wider ripples?
- How can we honestly acknowledge that creation is groaning while continuing to notice its beauty and respond with wonder and praise?
- The reflections suggested that Christian hope does not allow us to sit back and do nothing. How can hope motivate faithful action without making us believe that everything depends upon us?
Going Deeper
- When have you experienced a moment in creation that stopped you in awe or stirred praise from somewhere deep within you? What made that experience significant?
- What is one practice that could help you remain aware and engaged with the care of creation beyond this short series?
- What might it mean for our church to join in God’s renewing work? Identify one practical “ripple” we could create together through prayer, advocacy, generosity or changed behaviour.
Ian Ackworth has also written a bible study – you can access it here.
Sermon Text
Over the past few weeks, we have been reflecting on the theme of Season of Creation. We began with Ezekiel’s vision of a river flowing from the presence of God—a river that became deeper and wider as it flowed, bringing life wherever it went. Last week, we heard Jesus’ invitation: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink,” and his promise that rivers of living water would flow from within us.
Along the way, we have celebrated the beauty and wonder of God’s creation. But we have also acknowledged that our stewardship of creation has not always been good. Rivers have been polluted. Habitats have been destroyed. Species are disappearing. Communities are experiencing drought, fire, floods and rising seas.
In the words of Romans 8, creation is groaning.
And there is a lot of groaning.
Sometimes, when we begin to understand the scale of what is happening, it can feel overwhelming. The problems can seem so large and so complex, and we can feel so small. What difference can one person—or even one church—possibly make?
But Romans 8 does not speak only of groaning. It also speaks of hope. Paul describes creation as waiting in eager expectation. Creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay. The Spirit is present in the midst of the groaning, helping us in our weakness and interceding with sighs too deep for words. And even when we cannot see the whole picture, God continues to work for good.
Our hope is not that the damage does not matter. Nor is it the belief that someone else will somehow solve everything for us.
Our hope is in the God who has not abandoned creation.
The river is still flowing from the presence of God. The Spirit is still at work, bringing life to dry and wounded places. And we are invited to become part of that renewing work—to allow God’s living water to flow into us and then through us.
[Move towards the font.]
At the moment, this water is still. With the coloured lights shining onto it, it looks beautiful—but the light remains fairly settled. And this stone is small. On its own, it may not seem capable of making much difference.
[Drop a stone into the water and allow time to watch the effect.]
But one small stone creates ripples. Those ripples spread across the water, catching the light and sending it dancing across the walls of the room. Something small creates an effect far beyond the place where it first touched the water.
Perhaps that is one way of imagining our response.
We may feel small, and our choices may seem insignificant, but prayer can create ripples. Learning can create ripples. A conversation, a changed habit, a letter, a gift or an act of care can create ripples that reach further than we will ever see.
And as those ripples catch the light, perhaps they can also remind us that we are not acting alone. It is God’s light, God’s hope and God’s renewing Spirit that move through what we offer.
This does not mean that one small action will solve everything. But it does mean that we do not need to be paralysed by the size of the challenge. We can become more aware. We can remain engaged. We can continue learning and reflecting beyond these three weeks. We can seek the opportunities God gives us to participate in the renewal of creation.
And we can pray.
Romans 8 tells us that even when we do not know how to pray, the Spirit intercedes for us. So, in a moment, we are going to make some space to become aware of creation’s groaning, to notice where hope is stirring, and to allow the Spirit to help us pray.
You might like to come to the font, offer a prayer, and drop a stone into the water—making your own ripples.
You might walk through the foyer and hallway, where you will find images and stories of places in which creation is groaning, alongside signs that hope and renewal are stirring.
Along the side wall, there are prayer cards where you can pause and pray more specifically for creation.
Or you may prefer to remain where you are and watch the images on the screen—images contributed by people within our own congregation that remind us of the beauty and wonder of God’s world. As the Psalmist says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.”
You do not need to visit every station. There is nothing you need to complete. Simply move slowly, pause wherever something captures your attention, and be open to what God might stir within you.
We will spend about ten minutes in prayer and reflection. After that, we will come back together to hear the words of Psalm 148 and to join our voices with the praise of all creation.
For now, let us be still.
Let us notice where creation is groaning.
Let us look for where hope is stirring.
And let us pray.
Wrap Up
Over these past few weeks, we have been invited to reflect on creation honestly.
We have celebrated the living water that flows from God—the river that brings life to dry and wounded places. But we have also listened to creation’s groaning. We have acknowledged the damage that has been done and the ways in which our stewardship of God’s world has fallen short.
And we have been reminded that we are not simply observers.
We are called to respond. To care. To learn. To change. To pray. To do whatever we can to participate in God’s renewing work within creation.
But as we come to the end of this series, Psalm 148 reminds us of something else that is equally important.
Creation is groaning — but creation is still glorious.
The world might show signs of brokenness — but it is still filled with beauty and wonder.
There will still be moments when we step in God’s creation and something stops us in our tracks. The colour of the sky. The sound of water. Sunlight falling through the trees. The vastness of the ocean. A flower growing in an unexpected place. A the sound of birds.
Moments when we look at what God has made and something deep within us cannot help but respond: Wow.
“How wonderful!”
“How beautiful!”
“How great is our God!”
That is the invitation of Psalm 148.
Psalm 148 is a call to praise … for everything to praise God.
The sun, the stars, the moon … praise God.
Mountains, hills, trees, rivers … praise God.
Lighting and storms, rain and hail. Praise God.
All living creatures … praise God.
The Psalmist looks across the whole of creation and imagines a great chorus of praise already rising to God. Creation is not waiting for us to begin.
The oceans are resounding.
The trees are reaching upwards.
The birds are singing.
The heavens are declaring the glory of God.
And we are invited to join in.
Praise does not mean ignoring creation’s groaning. It does not allow us to turn away from the challenges before us or avoid our responsibility to respond.
Rather, praise reminds us why creation is worth caring for.
Praise lifts our eyes from the size of the problems to the greatness of the God in whom we place our hope. It reminds us that the world belongs to God, that God has not abandoned it, and that God’s living water is still flowing.
So, as we conclude our Living Waters series, we do so with hope.
We will continue to notice where creation is groaning.
We will continue to seek ways of participating in its renewal.
But we will also continue to look with wonder.
To allow ourselves to be stopped by beauty.
To recognise the glory of God shining through what God has made.
And to allow something deep within us to respond with praise.
Creation is already singing
[Bring the photograph onto the screen.]
So, for a few moments, let us be still.
And look upon this picture from Iceland from Jenny Heasman
Or this picture of the blue mountains from Carolyn
Or these flowers from Lara.
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the works thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!