Monday reflects on creation;

Christianity first reached the Celtic people of Ireland and Britain as early as the second century and began to blossom by the fifth century.

This encounter between the Christian religion and Celtic tradition engendered a deep and distinctive spirituality rooted in the goodness of creation. Two essential strands that emerged was a love of God's creation and care for the environment and closeness between the natural and supernatural and became the bedrock of this emerging spirituality.

In turn this led to a range of creative activity as the Celts saw in the creation the deep love of the Creator, and they felt moved to create also. Their art was deeply symbolic. The Celtic knots that have become so popular in jewellery and art is symbolic of the love of God, which has no beginning or end.

Part of the appeal of Celtic Christianity in our time is this connection between the creation, artistic expression and our faith in God. As we experience God’s handiwork in nature, we may identify with the Celts who lived among the trees and hills and woodland animals, and who saw all of nature as an expression of God’s creativity and as a true gift from God.

As we engage in any artistic expression, whether it’s quilting or drawing or baking or making music or woodworking or writing poetry, we receive deep encouragement from the Celts who seamlessly integrated their faith and their art. They created art for the love of Christ and they held in faith to the words found in Isaiah - 40: 28-31 

Have you not known?
    Have you not heard,
that the everlasting God, the Lord,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth,
does not faint, nor is He weary?
    His understanding is inscrutable.

He gives power to the faint,
    and to those who have no might He increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
    and the young men shall utterly fall,

but those who wait upon the Lord
    shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles,
    they shall run and not be weary,

Prayer

You are above me O God; You are beneath; You are in air; You are in earth; You are beside me; You are within.  O God of heaven, you have made your home on earth in the broken body of Creation.  Kindle within me a love for you in all things. Amen