God and Nature 2026 #2
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By Drew S. McGinley
My stars, my friends. Soft words in the night sky.
In the darkest of nights, your voice whispers to me.
I know you are a voice older than man’s generations.
Yet, you called out to me from the beginning.
Even before I was, you spoke. You sang.
An instrument in the musician’s hand, I am told of something beautiful.
An old song. A comforting tale.
Each night, a song of majesty, of glory.
It invites me into a grand story.
A chorus without time, joining a great host of still voices.
The chorus cries out, Holy! Holy! Holy!
And, it comforts me.
It comforts me to know your song remains.
You remain steadfast in your radiant declaration,
Even when my song is muted, your song remains for me to hear.
It beckons me to join anew the great chorus,
To declare again Holy! Holy! Holy! despite the tumult that envelopes me.
Your whisper to me, faithful and unjudging,
It extends to me a holy light beyond mere light.
My stars, this is how I know you are my friends, and I am thankful,
You are ever-present and you speak kindly to my wayward heart.
Drew S. McGinley, DMin, BCC, is a board-certified chaplain clinician in the United States Army and an Anglican priest. He most recently served at A.T. Augusta Military Medical Center (Fort Belvoir, VA), where he was the chair of the Healthcare Ethics Committee and taught healthcare ethics and moral leadership to medical residents. His research interests include applied healthcare and environmental ethics. He spends his free time reading with his cat, rock climbing with his kids, backpacking, and playing chess with his wife over hot coffee.
My stars, my friends. Soft words in the night sky.
In the darkest of nights, your voice whispers to me.
I know you are a voice older than man’s generations.
Yet, you called out to me from the beginning.
Even before I was, you spoke. You sang.
An instrument in the musician’s hand, I am told of something beautiful.
An old song. A comforting tale.
Each night, a song of majesty, of glory.
It invites me into a grand story.
A chorus without time, joining a great host of still voices.
The chorus cries out, Holy! Holy! Holy!
And, it comforts me.
It comforts me to know your song remains.
You remain steadfast in your radiant declaration,
Even when my song is muted, your song remains for me to hear.
It beckons me to join anew the great chorus,
To declare again Holy! Holy! Holy! despite the tumult that envelopes me.
Your whisper to me, faithful and unjudging,
It extends to me a holy light beyond mere light.
My stars, this is how I know you are my friends, and I am thankful,
You are ever-present and you speak kindly to my wayward heart.
Drew S. McGinley, DMin, BCC, is a board-certified chaplain clinician in the United States Army and an Anglican priest. He most recently served at A.T. Augusta Military Medical Center (Fort Belvoir, VA), where he was the chair of the Healthcare Ethics Committee and taught healthcare ethics and moral leadership to medical residents. His research interests include applied healthcare and environmental ethics. He spends his free time reading with his cat, rock climbing with his kids, backpacking, and playing chess with his wife over hot coffee.