As far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12

The Psalm for this Sunday is about the greatness of the steadfast love of God. It reminds us that we are like grass or the flowers of the field that flourish only for a brief season before returning to the dust. But surrounding us is God's greatness, his immense kingdom and, best of all, his everlasting love and forgiveness.

My family spent almost a month this summer journeying West visiting National Parks. As we beheld strange formations of awesome beauty and vast expanses of sky and distance, and experienced the kindness of so many strangers, we felt uplifted. At once insignificant in the shadow of the Rockies, childlike passing by layers of rock in the Big Horn Mountains that were 2.5 billion years old, flabbergasted at the variety of weather systems observable simultaneously in the Utah Valley, quite weak (in our car) in the presence of two Grizzlies feeding (at a great distance) on a dead Bison, and wonderfully connected as we shared binoculars watching an Osprey dive into the base of the falls on the Yellowstone River.

The recent celebrations of the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition have reminded us of the symbolism of traveling West, of journeying into an unknown region filled with boundless potential. Our vacation showed us the immensity of God's creation and instilled in us a sense of peace at being lucky enough to be part of this world.

>Thank you for the beauty of this world. Help us to remain steady on our journey West. Help us to help those dealing with the cataclysmic floods so that life will right itself again quickly. Thank you for your forgiveness when we go astray. Amen

Contributed by Susan L.
Published Sunday September 11, 2005
Week 42 of Liturgical Year A