Leah D. Schade
Chalice Press, 56 pages
Lent is a penitential season. Its original purpose was to prepare believers for Easter by engaging in self-examination and acts of repentance. For many it remains so, but for even more it has become an occasion for another self-help book. This book is neither.
Lent is an occasion to consider God’s creation through the beloved hymn, “For the Beauty of the Earth.” The author has identified the ways Jesus and all of Scripture bear witness to creation. Leah Schade summons us not only to rejoice in it, but to preserve it for future generations. Yes, this will undoubtably include penitential practices because God knows we have not considered the beauty of the earth deeply enough to preserve it with our lives. In that sense, it is also a self-help book but not is a self-indulgent way.
The advantage of this devotional is that it gives the structure for an individual or group to engage in prayer with action. Moreover, it calls us to consider that earth itself has a voice along with all its inhabitants. “My hope,” says Schade, “is that this Lenten devotional will help you listen for the voice of the earth and earth inhabitants through the witness of Scripture.”
Lest one think this is merely listening to trees and hills, one is also given the challenge to listen to Jesus through singing this hymn. I can imagine this being a great Lenten practice for choirs and congregations. Lord knows we need to give attention to creation as if our lives depended on it — which, of course, they do.
