The Wonder Of It All

This past week was a busy week for us that included two startling contrasts.  On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we enjoyed the beautiful, sunny, cool days at Pinebrook in the Poconos - a touch of Fall with the leaves just beginning to change.  These beautiful days added to our enjoyment of another excellent Sr. Saints Retreat.  Even though we were responsible for the music, we still were able to relax and enjoy two excellent speakers, great fellowship, too much food, and the beautiful Fall weather.  Then on Thursday we left to go to Long Branch, New Jersey, to share in our nephew's wedding.  What a contrast in weather.  A tropical storm greeted us with heavy winds and driving rain.  The ocean was wild, beating against the shore and fascinating to watch.  These contrasts in God's creation reminded me of something from Wednesday night's concert at the retreat.  Bert Kettinger, from Moody, in Chicago, presented a stirring concert. Many of you probably have heard him sing on Christian radio broadcasts.  He shared many personal experiences and used his beautiful baritone voice to sing a wide variety of hymns from our past.  But the hymn which keeps ringing in my mind is one written by George Beverly Shea, another gifted male vocalist.  "There's the wonder of sunset at evening, The wonder as sunrise I see; But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul, Is the wonder that God loves me. ... There's the wonder of springtime and harvest, The sky, the stars, the sun; But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul is the wonder that's only begun. ... O, the wonder of it all! The wonder of it all! Just to think that God loves me. O, the wonder of it all! The wonder of it all! Just to think that God loves me."   And so while we marvel at the beautiful contrasts in God's great creation, the greatest marvel is that in all of His vast universe, He has chosen to love us.  And that is a real wonder that we should never forget.