Years ago, I discovered a remote Indiana State Park about one and a half hours southwest of our home in Carmel. The first time I saw McCormick’s Creek State Park, I conducted a wedding for an engaged couple that wanted an outdoor event. I had never done a wedding in a state park before but I found it intriguing and to be totally transparent, there was something peaceful and serene about the place. It had a campground and sort of an outdoor amphitheater that was very befitting what this couple wanted for their wedding venue.
While Janet and I have always occasionally talked about a second home, we have never gone ahead and done it, but there was no denying that this whole area of rolling, forested southern Indiana really spoke to me. Throughout the years, I never forgot this place that seemed to define what peace was to me.
Anyway, about a decade later, I started visiting a new client in southern Indiana. Not being one who wants to stay on interstates and expressways, I often went the “back way”, traversing the roads in rural Indiana on my way south – each time passing this state park. A year or so later, I ended up coaching one of the employees and McCormick’s Creek as halfway between us – a great place to visit and then share a lunch together twice a month. We would meet at the Canyon Inn, the hotel and restaurant that served as the nucleus of the state park. We had great meetings and I always looked forward to the peace I felt every time I arrived.
Eventually, Janet and I made the trip to McCormick’s Creek. I was anxious to show her the Canyon Inn, the restaurant and, particularly, the part of the dining room that looked out over the forest and contained numerous bird feeders that attracted all kinds of feathered friends. There was even a scrapbook that you could peruse to see how many kinds of birds lived in the area. I was hooked. Goldfinches, woodpeckers, sparrows, cardinals, blue jays and flickers were all prevalent and it was almost impossible to have lunch and not see at least fifteen different kinds of birds.
Janet loved the area as much as I did and we made it a habit to visit the state park several times a year. Now, we aren‘t hikers or campers so it may seem odd that we spent so much time enjoying McCormick’s Creek. But we did… Sometimes we would drive around through the area, but our trips always included a lunch watching the birds. And both of us just shut out the world and enjoyed the peace that inevitably accompanied our trips to the Canyon Inn.
Last Tuesday, we had a date to travel southwest and have lunch at the park. It’s so odd that as soon as we are greeted by the front gate staff, the world tends to melt away and time stands still. After all, this park was created back in 1916 and not too much has changed since then. We arrived as usual and were thrilled to get one of our usual tables overlooking the bird feeders. Colors haven’t started to change yet, but that was fine with us. That familiar feeling of divine peace washed over us.
This time we did something that we have never done before. I had read about a small waterfall in the park and after receiving instructions on how to get there, Janet and I headed down a short gravel trail and within ten minutes were were staring at a small creek, appropriately named “McCormick’s Creek” and just stood there, taking in God’s creation with the sound of rushing water in the background. I don’t know why it never occurred to me that there was an actual creek in the park!
We stayed for a while and finally decided it was time to head back home. I was sad to leave but I’m sure that we will try to go at least one more time this fall. It’s become a special place for us. Peace is so elusive in our world today that we want to maximize our time at places that so clearly put us in the frame of mind to experience God’s divine peace.
When I used to arrive on campus when I attended seminary, I had the same feeling of overwhelming peace – the same feeling we had again this week at the park. There are many verses on peace in the Bible, but tonight’s verse is probably my favorite. The apostle John wrote about peace in his Gospel and tonight’s verse quotes the words of Jesus. John recounts the words of our Savior in John 14:27. He tells us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” What great words!
My encouragement this evening is that there is nothing like experiencing God’s divine peace. It transcends our human understanding but it is something that everyone should experience, let it wash over them and recognize it for what it is – a divine encounter with our Lord. My prayer is that we will all have the patience to let peace find us – reveling in the most awesome peace that we can ever experience. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…