God as the New Moon Cradled in the Arms of the Old

This week, my seminary Spiritual Formation for Ministry class studied the practice of meditation.  We were given a task, to go on a 10 minute walk and meditate on creation while we were walking.  Then we had a discussion post thread that asked, "What was your experience of meditating on creation? What did you notice? Why did your mind drift during your experience?"

I really loved my response, so I want to record it here:

"When I went out on a morning walk, I intended to notice the trees and the living creatures. I was surprised that my mind kept looking at the moon and thinking about God revealed in the moon. This morning, the moon was a tiny sliver shining, but you could see the outline of the whole moon, and I thought of the old saying, “The new moon cradled in the arms of the old.” I thought about how God is often revealed in just a sliver and/or just an outline of the whole. I thought of the inbreaking kingdom of God, the now and the not yet, and how the moon this morning seemed an apt metaphor. My mind did wander because it was dark, and I was walking, and I didn’t want to fall or be surprised by other creatures on my walk."

Several of my small group members mentioned that moon metaphor, and I confess my thoughts have returned to that image several times.  I don't often see the moon and think about God.  I'm more of a sunrise gal, and if I'm going to find the moon worthy of notice, it's usually when the moon is full.

It was a great experience, and I'm glad to have had it.  It seems like the kind of experience that could be useful in a variety of settings, which is another reason I'm noting it here.  All of my groupmates talked about the value of the experience, which makes me think it would be worth replicating:  with students, with a parish, on a retreat . . .