My dear friends,

At the beginning of April my wife and I were able to take a few days break on the edge of the New Forest. During our time there we spent a morning walking round the beautiful Gardens at Exbury looking at the spring blossoms. They attract our attention in continuation of the theme of our morning ministry recently to the Beautiful Creator Himself. He must be beautiful if He brought into being such beautiful things as we saw then, and still see, in the natural world all around us. Solomon was right when he wrote He has made everything beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Only a beautiful God could create:

THE BEAUTIFUL HEAVENS

Look up into the sky on a bright sunny morning such as I look out on even as I write this. How beautiful is the clear blue sky yet beyond its farthest boundary dwells the gloriously beautiful Creator Himself. Look up again on a dark and lowering morning when the clouds scud across the sky. What a rugged beauty there is as they jostle with each other and perhaps the rain falls. Still far beyond is the holy and beautiful Creator who tells us that one day He will come in His beautiful glory riding upon those clouds to judgement. Look up at night and see the moon and the stars without number. What a beautiful Creator He is who has determined to save a people more numerous that those heavenly planets. Look up again and see the sun shining in all his strength. How beautiful the light it give, the warmth it imparts, the power it displays yet what is that in comparison to the beautiful light, warmth and power of our Creator in the Gospel to poor lost, cold, dead sinners? As the Psalmist sings The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1). But there is more for our beautiful Creator made:

THE BEAUTIFUL EARTH

Do you not perceive a beauty in the very earth on which we walk. The marvellous beauty of the glorious scenes our eyes behold when we walk out on the downs, climb the rugged hills and mountains looking out over the beautiful vistas that open up before us. Many are the times when we have looked out from the high places and thought of Moses when in his dying moments from Mount Nebo he looked forward into the promised land which of course speaks to us of the future glory to which, as Christians, we are travelling (Deuteronomy 34:1-4). What a beautiful Creator He is who gives us these pointers to the new heavens and new earth into which we shall come. Look down into the lush valleys where the rivers make their way. What beauty is to be seen there. They are beautiful in their own right but what a beauty there is as we ponder the deep, deep river of God’s grace which flows beautifully on and from which in the valley of this world we draw our blessings and strength. We cannot leave the earth without being reminded of:

THE BEAUTIFUL SEA

Look out over the ocean and its vast expanse. Ponder its great depth and power. Are we not reminded of the beautiful love of God towards us. Paul gathers it up when he writes to the Ephesians of the width and length and depth and height of the love of Christ which passes knowledge (Ephesians 3:18-19). What love it is that brought the Saviour down from heaven to pass through the incredible tempest of life and the cross to bring a people home to glory. A love that is deeper than the deepest sea and vaster than the vastest ocean—a love that is infinite and eternal! Yet we perceive even more as we look at:

THE BEAUTIFUL VEGETATION

How beautiful is the provision of God for all His creatures. The lush meadows for food together with the fruit and vegetables to thrill our taste buds. How beautiful the herbs which He has made for the good of the health of fallen men. Is it not wonderful to see that though sin has brought disease and sickness into the world yet God has provided many a remedy and palliative in the herbs which even today we are still discovering. O the manifold goodness of our beautiful Creator who cares even for His fallen creation by giving it food and everything necessary to maintain life. Small wonder that God looked out at the end of each day of creation and saw that it was good until on the sixth day He could see everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good (Genesis 1:31). That brings us to think on:

THE BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

Listen to the birds singing, watch them fly through the heavens with the beautiful splash of colour that they make. Who can watch the flashing kingfisher without amazement or see the colourful birds of paradise without being filled with awe. Observe the gulls wheeling and crying as they glide so effortlessly over the sea and cliffs. I well remember watching a fish eagle in Kenya swooping and diving over Lake Victoria. What a sight it was yet the song of the birds and the strength of the eagle are little in comparison with the song we shall sing one day to our Creator and the strength He gives to those who are weary of sin and this world (Isaiah 40:31). Then there are the beautiful animals in all their variety. Some have been tamed by man (James 3:7) while others retain their wild beauty. Each is beautiful in its own way and brings glory to its Creator. How wonderful that this beautiful Creator should tame, by His grace, men that have risen up against Him in sinful rebellion. Has He tamed you? In the climax of His creative activity God made:

A BEAUTIFUL MAN AN WOMAN

Here at the pinnacle of the created order we find the image of this beautiful Creator. Adam, formed out of the dust of the earth and Eve taken from his side (Genesis 2:7,21-22) was a beautiful reflection of the God who made him. Like his Maker, man was able to enjoy the creation that surrounded him and of which he was the crowning glory. Like his Creator, Adam had a moral capacity and spiritual part which could bring conscious glory to his Maker. He could love and demonstrate that love in the worship of the beautiful triune God who gave him life and breath and all things. What grief it must have caused the Creator when that beautiful image was broken and cracked by sin so that the beauty was to a large extent gone for ever. I cannot leave these rambling thoughts without pointing to:

THE BEAUTIFUL MAN PAR EXCELLENCE

I refer of course to Jesus, the uncreated man, in whom dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). The unspoilt and perfect man bringing the glory and beauty of the Creator into the creation He had made. We may ask ‘Why?’ The great Creator made Himself a house of clay in order that His creation should be restored to its original beauty. What a beautiful day will dawn when we shall be part of the new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwell (2Peter 3:13).

Pastor