Spiritual Practice

For every material and every element and every nature which is seen in the world, they were all brought together in the body in which Christ rose again - that is, in the body of every human.

  - Anonymous, In Tenga Bithnua (Old Irish, 9th century)

...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself...

  - 2 Corinthians 5.19

Normally, we think of Christ's work of reconciliation as applying to people, to those who believe the Gospel and, by grace through faith, new life in the Kingdom of God.

And that's as it should be, of course. The primary object of God's redeeming and reconciling love is people, and those who come to saving grace know the righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit that begin to grow in and flow through them as a result of Christ's reconciling work.

But the ancient author of The Ever-new Tongue also understood that the whole world was caught up in the reconciling work of Christ, at least, in a potential way. The creation groans and labors under the burden of human sin; should it not expect some relief from that as a result of the redemption we have come to know? Paul thought so (Rom. 8.18-25).

The creation longs to know again the goodness in which God created it, and part of the duty for restoring that goodness falls upon the redeemed of the Lord. We are called to care for and exercise dominion unto God's glory over the world and its creatures. Doing so fulfills a part of our calling as followers of Christ, and it opens avenues of glory for us to engage the living God in ways we otherwise might never know.

We are part of the cosmos; the cosmos is our home. Should not our redemption affect everything about our home? And should not the redemption of the cosmos, in turn, enrich and enhance our own experience of the renewing power and presence of the Kingdom of God?

Today we will walk through a creation groaning and travailing under the burden of our sin. Ignored, neglected, taken for granted, depleted, and abused, the creation knows the withering power of sin as surely as the most down-in-the-mouth or depraved person we'll ever meet.

Christ has reconciled and is reconciling us back to the Father. Is He also reconciling our part of the creation, and the creatures and culture within it, back to the Father as well?

Do we hear creation groaning?

Today at The Fellowship of Ailbe

ReVision - More on today's theme in the mid-week installment of ReVision.

Thanks to those of you who have sent in gifts to our ministry lately. What a blessing, and what a timely bit of encouragement. If you'd like to show your appreciation for our work, and help us continue reaching out to others, forward today's Crosfigell to some friends, and copy me in the address. I'll write them with you to encourage them to sign-up.

Or send us a gift by using the donate button here or at the website. You can also send your tax-deductible gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 100 Lamplighter Ct., Hamilton, VA 20158.

Thanks for your prayers and support of our work.

T. M. Moore, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.