Sunday, December 13, 2015

At rest in the grace of the world ...

A good morning to change out the blog header, I thought --- even though there's no snow on the ground (yet). In fact, it's raining and a high in the low 60s is predicted, although colder days are in the forecast.

This is neither a new header nor a new photo, but an older view of a place along the Cinder Path I like to walk to a couple of times a year, stand and look. Although the trimmings vary with the seasons, it always looks generally the same. Sometimes in fall, these big old oaks not far from the river are ornamented with hundreds of blackbirds, assembled for the flight south. We don't do enough looking.

My friend Judy shared (on Facebook) this morning the short piece at left by Wendell Berry, modest celebration of the value of being still in creation --- shared with countless other critters; equal stakeholders --- looking outward and listening. We all need to get out more with open minds, eyes and ears.

Berry sometimes is asked if he's a Christian --- whatever the heck that means --- and generally responds, "I am a person who takes the Gospel seriously." Not a bad answer, applicable too for many of us who have little time for the myths, fevered imaginings and machinations of organized religions but see value in building the kingdom, a process often impeded by formal creeds.

I'm hopeful this morning in part because of the good news of the Paris climate accord, reached last night and involving 195 nations. A New York Times headline writer describes it as "a healing step, if not a cure." I call it a small step in building the kingdom. Here's a brief Times piece that attempts to summarize what the  Paris accord means in the continuing effort, often frustrated, to ensure that the grace of the world endures.


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