Daba kā dāvana, sprediķis un kāpnes uz debesīm: par radīšanas mācības garīgo lietojumu

Nature awakens in many modern people a spontaneous reaction of wonder and joy. In this article, the following questions are addressed: What does the Christian faith have to say about nature and the feelings it arouses in man? If the beauty of nature testifies to God’s goodness, what about the ugliness of nature? How can man avoid getting stuck in the admiration of creation and instead continue to the Creator, without the creation losing its beauty and joy? With examples from the hymns of the German theologian, pastor and songwriter Paul Gerhard’s (1607–1676) summer hymn “Go forth my heart, and seek delight” it is shown how a Lutheran theology of creation is transformed into prayer and practice. Instead of becoming an idol that leads away from the Creator, nature can become a source of joy and function as a sermon from God and in this way become a help to reach the goal beyond the creation.