Nature Praising God: Towards a Theology of the Natural World

This book was written during the lockdown caused by the Covid crisis: streets were emptied, churches closed down, and all of a sudden we began to hear the sounds of nature. A new relationship with nature developed in which new questions arose: is God present in nature? Is communion with God in nature possible? Is there a relationship between the God of creation, the God of history and the God we worship in Sunday liturgies. This book seeks to explore some of these questions by going back to the Bible. In the Old Testament it discovers texts that talk about Nature praising God. In the Christian tradition it shows that nature is understood as a living community, is graced by God, and has a sacramental character to it. More particularly the Incarnation of the Word made flesh in Jesus is of profound significance for a new understanding of nature and the way we worship. The Incarnation reveals the integrity of nature, the sacred character of the natural world and the presence of some form of 'interiority' in the life of nature An awareness of nature praising God stands out as a rebuke of humanity's self-absorption at the expense of other creatures, a critique of a man-centred view of liturgy, and an invitation to join the cosmic choir in giving glory to God . The overall result of these explorations is the outline of a new theology of nature praising God, with lessons for the way we worship God in our churches today.