Finding Awe and Abundance in Everyday Life

Devotional

Day 1: Created for Reciprocity with Creation

Humanity is formed from the earth and God’s breath, called to nurture and safeguard creation in a relationship of mutual care and belonging. In the Genesis account, God shapes the first human from the soil and breathes life into them, placing them in a garden not to possess, but to tend and keep. This intimate act reveals that our very identity is woven together with the earth and God’s spirit, and our first vocation is to care for the world as a sacred trust. When we live in reciprocity—giving and receiving, offering and returning—we honor our place in God’s creation and rediscover our true belonging. [42:47]

Genesis 2:7-9, 15 (ESV)
7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Reflection: Where in your daily life can you intentionally nurture or safeguard a part of creation—be it a plant, a place, or a relationship with the land—this week?

Day 2: Living with Gratitude and Abundance

God’s first word to humanity is one of abundance and permission, inviting us to delight in the gifts of creation and to live with open hands rather than in fear of scarcity. The world is not a warehouse of resources to be exploited, but a gift economy where wealth is measured by how much we share. When we trust in God’s provision and respond with gratitude, we are freed from the anxiety of never having enough and are able to participate in the flourishing of all. [44:33]

Genesis 2:16-17 (ESV)
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you can shift from a mindset of scarcity to one of gratitude and sharing today?

Day 3: Honoring Limits as an Act of Reverence

Recognizing and respecting boundaries within creation is not punishment, but a way to honor the sacredness of life and ensure flourishing for all. God sets limits not to restrict joy, but to teach reverence and the importance of living within the rhythms of creation. When we honor these boundaries, we remember who we are and our place in the web of life, living with humility and care. [45:15]

Genesis 2:17 (ESV)
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

Reflection: Is there a limit or boundary in your life or in your relationship with creation that you need to honor more fully? What would it look like to embrace that limit as a gift rather than a restriction?

Day 4: Belonging through Sharing and Community

True belonging is discovered in the web of reciprocity, where gratitude leads to sharing, and sharing sustains community and creation alike. When we see the world as a gift and respond by giving back—whether through acts of service, generosity, or care—we participate in God’s abundance and help build communities of care and belonging. This is where we find one another and experience the joy of enough. [51:10]

Acts 2:44-47 (ESV)
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Reflection: Who in your community could benefit from your generosity or presence this week, and how might you offer what you have as a gift?

Day 5: Living Awake to Awe and the Gift of Every Day

To live awake is to recognize the beauty and abundance in the ordinary, to see every meal, every breath, and every moment as a prayer and a gift from God. Awe is not reserved for extraordinary days, but is available in the daily rhythms of life when we slow down and open our eyes to the wonder around us. This posture of gratitude and attentiveness draws us back to God and to the world, ready to nurture, safeguard, and share. [53:01]

Psalm 104:24-30 (ESV)
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.
27 These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

Reflection: What ordinary place or moment can you pause in today to notice God’s presence and the gift of creation with fresh awe?

Sermon Summary

In the rhythm of our lives, awe is not reserved for the rare, postcard-perfect moments, but is available to us in the ordinary—if we slow down enough to notice. Each day, we are surrounded by the beauty of creation: the soil beneath our feet, the water that nourishes, the breath that fills our lungs. These are not commodities to be used up, but sacred gifts entrusted to us by God. Our story, as told in Genesis, begins not apart from creation but within it. We are earthlings, formed from the soil and animated by God’s own breath, placed in the garden not to possess, but to tend and keep, to nurture and safeguard.

This belonging to earth and to God is rooted in a threefold rhythm: vocation, permission, and prohibition. We are called first to care for creation, then invited to delight in its abundance, and finally reminded to honor its limits. This is not about restriction, but reverence—a recognition that life flourishes when we live within God’s boundaries. When we forget this, we fall into the trap of scarcity, believing there is never enough, and so we cling, accumulate, and fear. But God’s economy is one of gift and reciprocity, where abundance is met with gratitude, and gratitude leads us to justice and flourishing.

To belong is to recognize our mutual relationship with creation and with one another. When we see the world as a gift, our instinct shifts from taking to giving back. Stories like the food pantry at St. Gregory’s remind us that when we trust in abundance and share freely, gratitude grows into reciprocity, and communities are sustained. The invitation is to live awake—to see every meal, every breath, every moment as a prayer, and to remember that all we have is a gift.

At the table, we gather the gifts of creation—grain and grape, soil and sun, spirit and breath—and receive them with open hands. Here, we taste what it means to belong, to be bound together in God’s love and abundance. As we go out, we are called to nurture, safeguard, and share, remembering always that the world is a gift and that God is still planting love in our midst.

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Key Takeaways

1. Awe in the Ordinary: Awe is not limited to extraordinary moments but is woven into the fabric of our daily lives. By slowing down and paying attention, we can recognize the beauty and sacredness present in the most ordinary places and moments. This practice of noticing draws us closer to God and to the world God has made. [38:52]
2. Belonging Through Reciprocity: Our relationship with creation is not one of ownership, but of mutual belonging and reciprocity. We are called to see ourselves as participants in a web of giving and receiving, where every gift from the earth invites a response of care and gratitude. This shift from consumption to participation transforms our spiritual and ecological lives. [45:58]
3. The Rhythm of Vocation, Permission, and Prohibition: Genesis offers a rhythm for human life: vocation (to nurture and safeguard), permission (to delight in abundance), and prohibition (to honor limits). Reverence for boundaries is not about restriction, but about flourishing—life thrives when we receive with gratitude and respect the limits God has set. [44:33]
4. Abundance Over Scarcity: The world teaches us to fear scarcity, but God’s creation is marked by abundance. When we trust that there is enough—not just for ourselves, but to share—gratitude leads us to justice, generosity, and community. Living with open hands, rather than clenched fists, is a radical act of faith in God’s provision. [47:39]
5. The Table as a Place of Belonging: Communion gathers the gifts of creation and places them in our hands as a reminder of God’s abundance and our belonging. Here, we are invited to taste and see that we are part of a larger story—one of grace, generosity, and shared life. This meal sends us out to nurture, safeguard, and share the gifts we have received. [53:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:52] - Opening Prayer and Blessing
[18:40] - Community Prayers and Remembrance
[21:46] - Confession and Intercession for Creation
[23:03] - Offering and Community Life
[26:30] - Hymn: We Dream of a Turning
[30:42] - Prayer of Thanksgiving
[38:52] - Experiencing Awe in Everyday Life
[41:23] - Belonging to Earth, Belonging to God
[42:47] - Genesis: The Gift of the Garden
[43:32] - Vocation, Permission, and Prohibition
[45:58] - Reciprocity and the Gift Economy
[47:39] - Scarcity vs. Abundance
[51:10] - The Story of St. Gregory’s Food Pantry
[53:01] - Communion: The Table of Belonging
[56:00] - The Great Thanksgiving
[59:13] - Words of Institution
[63:44] - Communion Invitation
[66:04] - Communion for Homebound and Sending
[75:58] - Benediction and Closing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 2:4-17 (ESV) — 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground,
6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—
7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.
11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.
13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush.
14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Observation Questions

According to Genesis 2, what materials and actions did God use to create the first human?
What specific instructions did God give the human about the garden—both what was allowed and what was not?
In the sermon, what are some examples of “ordinary” moments where awe can be experienced? ([38:52])
How does the sermon describe the relationship between humans and the rest of creation? ([42:47])

Interpretation Questions

The sermon talks about a “threefold rhythm” of vocation, permission, and prohibition. How does this rhythm shape the way humans are meant to live in the world? ([43:32])
What does it mean to see the world as a gift rather than a commodity, and how might this change someone’s attitude toward creation? ([45:58])
The sermon contrasts a mindset of scarcity with a mindset of abundance. What are the spiritual and practical consequences of each mindset? ([47:39])
How does the practice of gathering at the communion table connect to the themes of belonging and abundance in the Genesis story? ([53:01])

Application Questions

The sermon suggests that awe is available in ordinary moments if we slow down to notice. What is one ordinary place or moment in your daily life where you could intentionally pause to notice God’s presence or the beauty of creation? ([38:52])
Genesis describes humans as being formed from the soil and given the breath of life. How might remembering your connection to the earth and to God change the way you approach your daily routines or responsibilities? ([42:47])
The “vocation” given in Genesis is to nurture and safeguard the garden. What is one specific way you could care for creation this week—whether in your home, neighborhood, or church? ([43:32])
The sermon tells the story of St. Gregory’s Food Pantry, where people take what they need and give back in gratitude. Is there a place in your life where you could practice this kind of reciprocity—giving back in response to what you’ve received? ([51:10])
When you think about your own habits, do you tend to live with “open hands” (trusting in God’s abundance) or “clenched fists” (fearing scarcity)? What is one area where you could practice more generosity or trust this week? ([47:39])
The table of communion is described as a place where we receive the gifts of creation and are reminded of our belonging. How can you carry the sense of belonging and gratitude from the table into your relationships and actions this week? ([53:01])
The sermon invites us to see every meal, every breath, every moment as a prayer. What is one practical way you could make gratitude a more regular part of your daily life? ([51:54])

Sermon Clips

Where do you experience awe in our world? What causes you to pause and really stop and reflect on what you have seen around you or heard? Sometimes we take awe and we set it aside and we say it's only for those postcard days where the mountains look like they've been painted across the sky, where everything is just in the right spot. But what about in your everyday life? In your daily rhythms? [00:39:06]

Every time I crest that slight rise and I see the water out before me with the gentle moving grasses, I take a deep breath and I remind myself that there is beauty right there in front of me if I slow down enough to recognize it. That right there in the middle of my ordinary moment, I am gifted with this. [00:40:17]

Scripture and faith remind us that the story of who we are begins not apart from creation, but right there within it. Week by week, we're going to ask, what does it mean for us to belong to the land, to one another, and to God? And how does that belonging call us into gratitude, to justice, and care? [00:41:12]

To name the world as a gift, she writes, is to feel your membership in the web of reciprocity. If we acknowledge that everything we consume is a gift, we would take better care of what we are given. That line on some level feels like a perfect doorway into the Genesis reading that Ms. Pua just gave for us, where we meet the first human being formed from the earth, breathed into by God's Spirit and placed in a garden, not to own it, but to tend and keep it. [00:42:04]

In the second creation story of Genesis, we are invited to linger in the garden. The story does not begin with commands or rules, but with intimacy. God kneels down and gathers up the soil and shapes a human being. Breath fills lungs, dust becomes life. We are earthlings woven of spirit and soil together. And immediately we are given a place to belong. [00:42:47]

Our very first calling is not to use creation up, but to care for it, to guard it with our very life. Permission. Then comes the wide invitation. You may freely eat of every tree. God's first word is a word of abundance. Freedom. Permission to delight in what has been provided. The world is overflowing with gift. [00:44:06]

Life flourishes when we recognize limits and live within them. This rhythm is essential to our humanity as breath is to our body. Receive the gift. Live with gratitude. Honor the limits. And give back with care. When we forget this, we forget who we are. But to remember is to rediscover our belonging to earth and to God. [00:44:55]

Belonging begins with recognizing that our lives are bound to the land that we walk on. And to all that God has created. Genesis says that we are formed from the very soil and then filled with God's very spirit. So we are actually never separate from the soil that is within us. Dust to dust, we say. [00:45:26]

Reciprocity is more than fairness or balance. It is a way of living in mutual relationship. Giving and receiving. Offering and returning. It's what happens when we see ourselves not as consumers of creation, but as participants within it. [00:46:02]

Creation is not a warehouse of resources that we are supposed to extract. It's a gift economy, a world where abundance is met with gratitude, and gratitude leads us back over and over again to God. In a gift economy, wealth is not measured by how much we have, but by how much we share. [00:46:52]

Scarcity whispers, there is never enough. Scarcity drives us to accumulation and to anxiety, to ecological crisis. Scarcity teaches us to live with clenched fists. But a gift economy of God's creation says something entirely different to us. There is enough. There is not only enough for me, but there is enough for me to share. Gift leads us to gratitude and to justice and to flourishing. [00:47:24]

We flourish when we live in reciprocity with creation that is around us. We flourish when we live in reciprocity with one another. We flourish when we trust abundance instead of that gnawing feeling that there will never be enough. [00:48:32]

Imagine the shift if water and food and soil and breath itself are considered gifts for us. Imagine if our first instinct wasn't, what can I take, but how can I give back? [00:48:52]

Instead of the question, what can I have? The question is, how can I give back? Belonging is discovered in that web of reciprocity. Where land sustains us and in turn we protect the land. Where God breathes into us and we live in that breath. [00:49:58]

Gratitude has turned into reciprocity and reciprocity has sustained that ministry. Today, the Food Pantry is one of the largest distributors of fresh food in the San Francisco area. Serving thousands of people every single week. This is where the Genesis story whispers to us. The story of the garden is still within us. There is enough. And when we share, we find one another in it. [00:51:18]

The world is not ours to use or to mine or to exploit. But rather to receive and then to share. When we forget, when we shrink into fear or scarcity, we stop being willing to see God in one another. To see God in the land that we walk in. To see God in the awe that is around us, not just one day, but every day. [00:51:54]

Look again at the beauty around us. The soil that holds the seeds and the water that carves the rivers. The fruit of the trees and the bread of the field and the breath of our lungs. All of it is a gift. All of it is abundance waiting to be received. [00:52:26]

To live in this web of reciprocity is to live awake. To belong to the earth and to God. And that is the invitation before us. A life of awe. A life where every meal and every drop of pain and every breath is a prayer. [00:52:46]

Here we taste what it means to belong. Here we are reminded of God's abundance. And that it is more than enough. That gratitude always leads us back to the world. Ready to nurture, to safeguard, and to share. [00:53:32]

Friends, as we go out from this place, remember that the world is a gift. Belong again to the garden that God has planted. And to the love that God is planting still. Amen. [00:53:52]

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