• Home
  • About This Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • Comment Policy

Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
Home Creation Sunset on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

Sunset on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

Posted on May 17, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 3 Comments


While on vacation, we arrived at the Grand Canyon just in time to see the sunset on the South Rim.

Sunset over the Grand CanyonWe had the privilege of experiencing a beautiful sunset of which the pictures taken with my inexpensive point-and-shoot camera do not do justice.

In reflecting upon this scene, I thought of the hundreds of thousands of sunsets over this canyon that have been at least as glorious as this one. We serve a God who cares enough to paint in such vivid colors, even when there is no-one there to appreciate them.

I am reminded of C. S. Lewis’ discussion in the Abolition of Man about the “Green Book.” In the discussion, Lewis takes on the notion that to describe such a sunset as beautiful merely speaks of my feelings about it but says nothing about the inherent quality of the sunset itself. He takes on the authors of the Green Book who state that feelings about the sunset are subjective and not objective.

I can understand why someone would want to take the position that the feeling of beauty or glory are merely subjective. If you ascribe the objective qualities of beauty or glory to a scene as pictured above, then those qualities point to someone who built those qualities into the scene. In other words, the painting points to the skill of the painter.

Those who refuse to acknowledge that there is a God who cares enough to paint such a picture on the sky must say that the scene is not glorious or beautiful by nature. They cannot ascribe any objective qualities to the scene.

This is a shame. By refusing to see the hand of God in such delights, they miss out on the highest level of enjoyment of such a scene. In a sense, the view is wasted on them. It is like taking a 3 year old to an art museum. The three year old can enjoy the ice cream but doesn’t care at all about the paintings.

Yet, is that sunset wasted that no man sees or appreciates? I think not. In Genesis 1, at the end of each day of creation, God viewed his work and declared it good. Even if you or I are too insensitive to appreciate His handiwork, God sees it and enjoys it.

God allows us to see it and enjoy it too. It is as if we get a glimpse of what is in store for us in eternity.

How cool is that?


Filed Under: Creation Tagged With: Grand Canyon, South Rim, sunset

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

Follow Attempts at Honesty

Honesty in your Inbox

Build Stone Wall

What you build and how you build it matters to God

With 60% of young people walking away from the church, we must evaluate the foundation on which we build and how well we build upon it. The eternal destiny of the next generation is at stake and we cannot afford to continue with such a high failure rate. We must do better.

Labor Day

Summer is over already?

Traditionally, in the USA, Labor Day (the first Monday in September) marks the end of the summer vacation season. It is also the time when students go back to school and in this blogger get back to blogging. We marked some significant events this summer. We gained two sons-in-law this summer. In August, we had […]

Shame on you

Truth – the antidote to shame

Christians are to be followers of the Truth. Truth dispels shame and as a result, shame should not be a part of any church culture.

What Authentic Christian Community Looks Like

Years ago, when I first started attending church, I thought I had to “look good and be good”. I believed that I needed to appear as if I had my act together and never messed up… and if I did, no one need ever find out about it. The good news is that I was dead wrong.

A Christmas Wish

It is Christmas Eve as I write this post. I am hoping that all who subscribe to Attempts at Honesty are well in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. While I suspect that the crisis has been sensationalized by news outlets, it is a very real problem that has changed all of our lives. How […]

Post Series

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama

Copyright © 2022 · Focus Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in