Among the Trees
Overwhelmed by work in front of computer screens, many people in Japan in the 1980’s headed out to the wilderness. They found comfort and energy simply by walking in nature, and came up with the term shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing”) to describe the practice. After spending some time in nature, they felt refreshed, re-energized, and even cleansed.
Yet, it wasn’t just a quick endorphin boost. Researchers found that making a habit of taking a “forest bath” – even as little as once every few weeks – often resulted in lower stress and better health outcomes.
Nature is a healing force in the world, and it is also a teacher. We learn things about God when we celebrate and give thanks for God’s wonderfully creative world, from the eclipse in the sky to the wind blowing through the trees in the forest on a spring day. Christian tradition, especially that which developed in the East, honors that though the essence of God is infinitely mysterious, we experience and feel the goodness of God when we play in the snow, bask in the sun, or watch as the rain waters our gardens.
This Sunday, we celebrate Earth Day with help from our Creation Care team who will greet the congregation at a table in the promenade. We’ll also welcome Samira Malone, formerly the Executive Director of the Cleveland Tree Coalition, who now leads the National Urban Forestry Portfolio at the Center for Regenerative Solutions, for a Trinity Forum in Cathedral Hall at 10:10; Samira and I will have a conversation on everything from the tree canopy in the Central neighborhood to the role churches and cities play in reestablishing the tree canopy across our country, for the sake of beauty but also for the sake of equity.
Earth Day is a day for confession and repentance, but ultimately for celebration and gratitude: for the gifts of snow and rain, and for the healing that comes when we walk through the goodness of God’s creation.
The Very Rev. Bernard J. Owens