A Butterfly, a Lawn Sign, & Respect in Creation

                                                             Backyard Yellow Tiger Swallowtail

 We have a good friend of a similar vintage who heads out the front door for a walk each morning and goes equipped with a bag to pick up the litter of his suburban neighbourhood. Sadly, there is no shortage of ammunition and the bag is often filled to overflowing. I admire his dedication and sometimes send him articles about others who do the same, often kids. The carelessness and disregard of so many sticks in his craw, though, and I've suggested that he find other routes as well as balance, perhaps in conservation areas which won't "harsh his mellow", as the old saying goes -- does he need a marsh to be mellow? 

This is our challenge, don't you think? As a concerned Groundling who wants to "live with respect in Creation" I write regularly about the mess we're making of the planet as humans. I even describe it as a sin from time to time. We've done our fair share of trash-bashing ourselves, as I write there is laundry on the backyard clothesline, and the neighbours are probably rolling their eyes at yet another sign on our lawn. This sign was provided by our congregation, Trenton United, I'm pleased to note. 

It's hard not to be overwhelmed by the state of things, or to be infuriated by ignorant politicians (are you listening Dougie?) yet it's also essential to give thanks for the beauty and diversity around us.

Early this morning we were on the Bay of Quinte in our kayaks and saw ospreys and herons, snapping turtles and water snakes. On arriving home I tackled cutting the grass and paused to take a photo of a yellow tiger swallowtail butterfly along our fence, the first of 2023. The dogwood is native shrub we planted several years ago and while it put on height it only managed a few blossoms. This year, zowie! And it is covered in bees, those pollinators we're threatening by removing habitat. These experiences lifted my spirit and made me grateful for God's gifts in the natural world, of which I'm part. 

I want to sustain a sense of wonder and joy in the midst of the troubling news about a climate and biodiversity catastrophe. Yes we need to be yelling "fire!" and "flood!" because that's what is unfolding all around us. I just won't live in despair, either for myself or the grandchildren I adore, because I'm called by the Creator to something better.  

                                                                 Flowering Pagoda Dogwood 

God's Spirit and Renewing the Earth

 

                                                                      Psalm 104:30 Jenn Norton

When God began to create heaven and earth, and the earth then was welter and waste and darkness over the deep and God's breath hovering over the waters, God said, let there be light, and there was light.

Genesis 1:1-3 Robert Alter translation 

I was musing this past week about yesterday's Feast of Pentecost, the Sunday we celebrate the birth of the Christian Church in those extraordinary events in Jerusalem two millenia ago. All during my ministry I focussed on Acts 2 and the enlivening work of the Holy Spirit that day. 

I wondered about what a Creation themed Pentecost would look like, or whether that would even make sense. Yet the very first verse of the Hebrew scriptures and our Christian bible says that the wind/breath/spirit of God hovered over the "welter and waste" of Creation, the translation provided by Hebrew scholar, Robert Alter. It could be argued that Acts 2 is a creation or re-creation story which resonates with the first of the two creation stories found in Genesis. The followers of Jesus are in disarray, and the enlivening Spirit transforms their "welter and waste" into a community of Good News. 

I decided to look at the psalm for Pentecost, which I never bothered to do in my preaching days. Lo and behold it was a passage from Psalm 104, the magnificent Creation psalm (see below.) I decided to reinstate the portion of verse 35 which is often expunged because it was likely added later, the bit about sinners and the wicked being expunged from the Earth. I put it back because it may be that our foolish ways will degrade our planetary home to the point where it is unlivable for humans. This will be a form of self-punishment, and sadly already is in part of the world. 

Enough sermonizing for one day? Get a life, you say? Thanks for your patience!

Let there be light amidst the welter and the waste, and may God renew the Earth. 

O Lord, how manifold are your works!

    In wisdom you have made them all;

    the earth is full of your creatures.

 There is the sea, great and wide;
    creeping things innumerable are there,
    living things both small and great.
 There go the ships
    and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.

 These all look to you
    to give them their food in due season;

when you give to them, they gather it up;
    when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
    when you take away their breath, they die
    and return to their dust.
 When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works—
 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains and they smoke.
 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.
 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
    and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise  the Lord!

Psalm 104:24-35 NRSVue

Come Holy Spirit, Come, on this Feast of Pentecost

 

Come Holy Spirit, Come...

As  I thought about this Pentecost Sunday the doors of St. Andrew's United Church in Sudbury came to mind. I served this congregation for eleven years and loved the contemporary sanctuary, including the sand-cast doors created by Jordi Bonet specifically for this space. 

In these days of shrinking congregations and divestment of church facilities I have to wonder whether such an ambitious creative project will ever occur again in a United Church. We've always been ambivalent about the "extravagence" of beauty in our places of worship even though art and architecture can open in our spirits a sense of God's Holy Spirit at work. 

I incorporated the words from the door in liturgy on many occasions during my years at St. Andrew's and in congregations I served afterward. 

A variation of this prayer of invocation is in Voices United, our worship resource.

God, Holy Spirit, come to us, come among us;

come as the wind, and cleanse;

come as the fire, and burn;

come as the dew, and refresh:

convict, convert, and consecrate

many hearts and lives

to our great good and your greater glory. Amen.

Voices United 197

River of the Water of Life & the Olympics

  

A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides and becomes four branches. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold,  and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.  The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Genesis 2 10-14 NRSVue

My phone tells me that the number of steps I take each week has dropped significantly but I figure that's okay. We are back on our bicycles regularly and that skews everything. We are also back on the water, canoeing a number of times during May, on the Bay of Quinte and a couple of rivers. Paddle strokes don't count as steps but they are certainly exercise.

I would paddle either in our canoe or kayaks every day, if I could. I love the experience of being on the water and all the creatures we encounter. I've had occasions when I could barely muster the energy to get our craft on the roof of the vehicle only to be rejuvenated by the rhythm of paddling and all the sights and sounds.

Humans have taken rivers for granted in just about every setting around the world and Canada is no exception. They have been used as sewers, they have been buried, they have been dammed, they have been conduits for industrial waste. Drinking from most urban rivers or swimming in them would be or should be unthinkable. Even supposedly sacred rivers such as India's Ganges are a toxic mess. 

You may have heard that France is spending billions on cleaning up the legendary Seine River which flows through Paris, in anticipation of hosting the 2024 Olympics. The proposal is for the hosts to hold events on and in the river as they did for the Olympics in 1900 but many are doubtful that the Seine could be clean enough for athletes to swim in this water without the competition being their last. It's been illegal to swim in the Seine for a century because it is so polluted. Still,this is a noble goal. 

                                                                             Don River Revitalization

Closer to home, the city of Toronto is engaged in a 1.25 billion dollar revitalization of the mouth of the Don River, rescuing it from the industrialized Port Lands which might as well be called the wastelands. This project will not only restore habitat for creatures it will greatly mitigate the risk of flooding and provide recreational opportunities for residents. Thank God that the project was initiated before the Ford government could kibosh it. One of our daughters and her partner live close to this area and are excited by the possibilities. 

The bible has plenty of rivers, actual and metaphorical. Of course, the Jordan River is central to the story of the Exodus and entering the Promised Land, while Jesus was baptized in the Jordan. 

There is the river flowing out of Eden in Genesis and the River of Life in the Revelation of John. Our Christian bible begins and ends with visions of rivers. 

While we were in Israel a few weeks ago we stopped at the traditional baptism site where people robbed in white were undergoing "kinda" baptisms, foregoing immersing their heads because the river is so polluted. What have we done? 

Taking care of our rivers and waters is surely a sacred trust.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

 Revelation 22: 1-2 NRSVue 

Pentecost and Celebrating the Diversity of Languages

 

                                                                  Canadian Language Museum 

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 

Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

                           Acts 2:1-4 NRSVue

 Listening to CBC Radio can be a "wheat and chaff" experience, with a fair number of impossibly earnest and lengthy interviews on subjects for which I have limited interest. Some of them go on...forever!

Then there are the interviews which open doors both figuratively and literally to experiences which I didn't know existed and at the end I feel that I am much the better for them.

Today I listened to the director of the Canadian Language Museum which is in North York, Ontario. As the name states clearly, it shares the diversity of languages which are the reality in the land we know as Canada, including those of the First Peoples who preceded speakers of French and English. I discovered that Mandarin and Cantonese are spoken by more people than any other beyond the two official languages. I visited the website after the interview and saw that there has been an exhibit on Yiddish, the language of European Jews before Hebrew was revived as a spoken language in the late 19th century. 

This conversation seemed highly appropriate a couple of days before the Christian Feast of Pentecost, the celebration of the birth of the church. As the passage above tells us, on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit comes upon the first People of the Way in manifestations which include speaking in a variety of languages. Rather than ecstatic speech, these languages were undestood by those who were gathered in Jerusalem from around the ancient world for the Jewish Pentecost.

There are people in Canada who respond to a diversity of languages negatively and often with anger. There are conservatives who want what they presume is a Christian nation, which means white and English speaking and without respect for other religions. This often means denigration of those First Peoples and denial of the harms done, including erasure of language through the Residential Indoctrination Institutions. 

This Sunday folk at Trenton United Church will be invited to share their different language background as part of the Pentecost celebration, always a great idea. 

We need the reminders that not only are we made up of ethnic and linguist diversity, the birth of Christ's Church was marked by the mosaic of languages which signalled that the gospel of inclusion was meant for all. 

                         Soichi Watanabe (Japanese, 1949–), The Coming of the Holy Spirit, 1996.

Ooh, I Love Turtles

                                                              Turtles, Turtles, Rah, Rah, Rah

Are you old enough to remember the lengthy ad campaign which extolled the tasty virtues of the Turtles confection. Pecans and caramel dipped in chocolate, shaped like a turtle -- what's not to like? The ads used a rather bizarre combination of caricatured turtles in top hats, tails, and monocles alongside femme fatale women  crooning "ooh, I love Turtles." 

Earlier this week marked World Turtle Day and I pay attention because, well, I have a strange affection for turtles. We see them a lot when we paddle in our neck of the woods, and on various waterside walks. Happily, there are a bunch of different species including Snapping, Painted and the threatened Blandings turtles. We saw a lunker of a snapping turtle, up close and personal, while on a marsh boardwalk with two of our grandchildren recently. As I mentioned before, it was something of an "I-thou" moment as it looked up at the grandchild who'd requested a turtle quest. 

Each year I note that in different Indigenous cultures the planet is referred to as Turtle Island, which suggests a living, sentient being. We have been inclined to treat our planetary home as though it was a resource to be recklessly exploited rather than the provision of the Creator for all living creatures. Too often Christianity has been complicit in this disastrous worldview, even though scripture invites us to be stewards of and companions in Creation. 

We "turn turtle" (crummy expression, really) at our peril when it comes to the practical and spiritual responsibility to care for the Earth. I'm not suggesting we become pantheists, just faithful Christians. I appreciate the icon of Kateri Tekakwitha by Robert Lentz which honours her as a symbol of ecological balance.  

I have our collapsible shovel in our vehicle, at the ready to help a turtle across the road, should I encounter one. I want them to flourish because they are remarkable creatures, but also because they represent an important member of the marvelous web of Creation. 

Shouldn't everyone love turtles? 

                                                     Kateri Tekakwitha, Algonquin Mohawk IroquoisSaint 

A New Outreach "Bridge" in Belleville

                                                                    Bridge St. United Church

Yesterday the volunteers for the Bridge St. United Church meal ministry received a courtesy email about significant changes to the programs offered withing the church building in the partnership with various municipal entities. This letter was a preface to a decision by Belleville city council and the regional partners to purchase a building not far from the downtown which will be a hub for various services with sufficient space to do so. 

You might have noticed that I italicized the word "ministry" because while I was minister at Bridge St. I encouraged -- actually insisted -- that we use that term rather than "program." In my view the heart and lungs of congregational life were Sunday worship which informed our hands and feet in reaching out in compassionate love as Christ's people. It was a hard sell, to be honest, and the important expansion of outreach through the Bridge St. building with partners made this even more of a challenge, from what I can see, because the other stakeholders are not religious. 

I certainly support the plan to establish this hub because the outcome can be an integrated response to the needs of those who are on the margins of society and often in crisis. I know Ruth will continue to volunteer at a new location because her contribution is about the guests, not the physical site. I do wonder what this will mean for Bridge St. after decades of providing several different meal ministries. And what will this mean for the future of a congregation which has, as with so many other downtown congregations across the country, searched for a sense of purpose? 

Here is the email, thoughtful and clear, shared with the volunteers: 

Dear Meal Program Volunteers,

We are writing to inform you of a significant development for the Drop In program currently operating at Bridge Street Church.

As you are well aware, a Drop In program for people experiencing homelessness has been operating at Bridge Street Church since May 2021 as a partnership between several organizations. Over the past year, the Drop In partners have developed a concept for “The Bridge”, a collaborative health and social service hub to provide collaborative services to individuals in one location, as a next step in the evolution of the current Drop In. “The Bridge” is led by a Steering Committee comprised of the John Howard Society of Belleville, Bridge Street United Church, Grace Inn Shelter, Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, Belleville and Quinte West Community Health Centre, Enrichment Centre for Mental Health and CMHA Hastings Prince Edward.

With support from the City of Belleville, the Steering Committee for The Bridge hub is in the process of purchasing the property at 1 Alhambra Square (formerly “The Banquet Centre”) as an ideal location for the hub. News of the City’s support for this project will be shared publicly later today. 

“The Bridge” Steering Committee is presently working through a due diligence process for the purchase and pending successful completion, will proceed with the design and construction of the hub. The Drop In will continue to operate at Bridge Street Church until a move to the new location can be affected.

Bridge Street Church has provided daily lunches to members of our community who are experiencing hunger and food insecurity, including those who attend the Drop In, since March 2020, as a continuation of its longstanding Meal Programs. We intend to continue providing meal support to The Bridge, with daily lunch meal service transitioning fully to the new location. We will seek your input and keep you informed in planning for this transition.

This is a positive development for The Bridge hub, those that it serves, and for our community. Bridge Street Church can take pride in its role in enabling and supporting the Drop In and development of The Bridge hub over the past years, and our continued role in its operation. 

 

Seven Psalms from an Aged Balladeer

Paul Simon may be 81 but his latest and perhaps last musical compilation is drawing lots of interest. He was one half of Simon and Garfunkel, after all, the adored folk/rock balladeers of another time who created sublime harmonies. The solo career which followed their break-up was eclectic and brilliant. 

                                                    Ladysmith Black Mambazo & Paul Simon 1986

Now, in old age, he has created a suite of songs with the intriguing title, Seven Psalms. Simon was raised in a Jewish family which was Jew-ish as one comedian described himself, occasional observance and a Bar Mitzvah without being particularly religious. As is often the case, though, awareness of mortality tends to focus one's thoughts, especially for those already inclined toward introspection. 

One review, written by Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin,has the title Paul Simon Gets Religion and argues that Seven Psalms is innately Jewish. Another by Jon Pareles in the New York Times begins with the header:

Paul Simon Confronts Death, Profoundly, on ‘Seven Psalms’ :The 81-year-old songwriter ruminates on mortality, faith and meaning in an album that could be a farewell.

As with others, Pareles spends much of his review pondering the spiritual content of Simon's 
album and makes an interesting connection with a couple of other iconic figures from the musical world:

“Seven Psalms” sounds like a last testament from the 81-year-old Paul Simon. It’s an album akin to David Bowie’s "Blackstar"  and Leonard Cohen’s "You Want it Darker" which those songwriters made as mortality loomed; they each died days after the albums were released...

Almost immediately, it becomes clear that the migration is from life to death, a transition the singer is preparing to make himself. He’s thinking about time, love, culture, family, music, eternity and God, striving to balance skepticism and something like faith. “I have my reasons to doubt/A white light eases the pain,” Simon sings in “Your Forgiveness.” “Two billion heartbeats and out/Or does it all begin again?”

I haven't heard any of these psalms but apparently the last word on the final song is Amen. I hope that the "amen" for this life is down the road a few more years for Paul Simon and that he will live in hope for the life to come. 

The Afterlife -- Paul Simon -- 2011

After I died, and the make up had dried, I went back to my place
No moon that night, but a heavenly light shone on my face
Still I thought it was odd, there was no sign of God just to usher me in
Then a voice from above, sugar coated with Love, said, "Let us begin"

You got to fill out a form first, and then you wait in the line
You got to fill out a form first, and then you wait in the line

OK, a new kid in school, got to follow the rule, you got to learn the routine
Woah, there's a girl over there, with the sunshiny hair, like a homecomin' queen
I said, "Hey, what you say? It's a glorious day, by the way how long you been dead?"
Maybe you, maybe me, maybe baby makes three, but she just sher head

You got to fill out a form first, and then you wait in the line
You got to fill out a form first, and then you wait in the line

Buddah and Moses and all the noses from narrow to flat
Had to stand in the line, just to glimpse the divine, what you think about that?
Well it seems like our fate to suffer and wait for the knowledge we seek

It's all his design, no one cuts in the line, no one here likes a sneak
You got to fill out a form first, and then you wait in the line
You got to fill out a form first, and then you wait in the line

After you climb, up the ladder of time, the Lord God is near
Face to face, in the vastness of space, your words disappear
And you feel like swimming in an ocean of love, and the current is strong
But all that remains when you try to explain is a fragment of song
Lord is it, Be Bop A Lu La or Ooh Poppa Do
Lord, Be Bop A Lu La or Ooh Poppa Do
Be Bop A Lu La

                                                             Simon and Garfunkel 1968

Awe, Wonder, & God, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer

1 Teach me, God, to wonder, teach me, God, to see;

let your world of beauty capture me.

Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,

life be celebrated, joy you give.

                                       Voice United 299

A couple of weekends ago two of our grandchildren came for a sleepover. The younger, who is pushing eight years old, told Ruth in advance that she wanted to see turtles and to go out in the canoe. As you might imagine, this was music to Grandpa's ears. 

We began with an evening amble along a marsh boardwalk north of the city and we hit the turtle motherload. A large snapper was immediately alongside the boardwalk and even poked its head out of the water in what felt like an "I-thou" moment with the grandchild who wanted a turtle encounter.

The next morning we were on the Moira River and travelled up to the entrance of a maple swamp which is only traversible for a couple of weeks in the Spring We paddled amidst the giants before returning to the river and up to the noisy rapids. There we could see the eagle's nest and a white head above the huge pile of sticks. 

Even though both of them have plenty of opportunity to enjoy more urban adventures, including a junket for the Harry Potter musical, they were excited by every new discovery during these two outings. 

Is this awe? Is this wonder? It was for me, both in terms of what we were seeing and in witnessing their delight.

You might remember a blog about a recently published book called Awe: The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder by Dacher Keltner.I'm reading the book now and it's fascinating. Keltner is a scientist but he explores the ways in which art, music,nature, religion and even death can be awe-inspiring. He reminds us that Charles Darwin,once considered the nemesis of Christianity and an atheist, had a deep sense of wonder which informed his world-changing work. His wife was a life-long devout Christian. 

I want to underline insight after insight in the book but they take a dim view of this at the library. Of course, for me art, music, nature, and religion are interwoven, all aspects of Creator and Creation which make worth living. My resurrection hope isn't just a future promise but reflected in a myriad moments in this life.

A couple of days ago I heard the buzz of hummingbird wings at the feeder just over my shoulder on the deck -- a blessed sound. It then moved to the blossoms on a vine not more than a metre and a half away. I was spellbound and filled with gratitude for such a simple, fleeting moment. And, yup, I felt awe and wonder, thanks be to God, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer. 

1 O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder

consider all the works thy hand hath made,

I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,

thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,

How great thou art! How great thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,

How great thou art! How great thou art!

2 When through the woods and forest glades I wander,

I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;

when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur

and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.  R

3 But when I think that God, his Son not sparing,

sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,

that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

he bled and died to take away my sin.  R

4 When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation

and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow in humble adoration

and there proclaim, 'My God, how great thou art!'  R

Voices United 238

King: A Life, at My Bedside

 

Yesterday I secured a second mortgage and headed out to purchase an expensive copy of King: A Life by acclaimed biographer Jonathan Eig. There is no shortage of biographies of Martin Luther King Jr., and a number of them are very good. The reviews for Eig's work, including by other King biographers,  declare it to be a triumph. 

Eig had access to previously unreleased FBI files on King (J Edgar Hoover hated him) and to the audio tapes created by his wife, Coretta, after his assassination. Not only is it the most comprehensive exploration of the first 25 years of MLK's life, Coretta gets the attention she deserves for her considerable contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, along with being the anchor for the family. 

In the prologue Eig tantalizes with "this book seeks to recover the real man from the gray mist of hagiography. In the process of canonizing King, we've defanged him, replacing his complicated politics and philosophy with catchphrases that suit one ideology or another." 

In the past few years certain American Republicans and even white supremacists have quoted King for their purposes and his family has pushed back against the misappropriation of his words and deeds. King was a flawed person of profound faith who sensed from an early age that God had called him to act. He did in ways that resulted in him being the most hated man in America, despite and because of his relentless call to non-violent change. 

I don't know whether I'll dutifully slip this latest acquistion into the pile of books to read or dive in immediately. Either way, I'm convinced that King: A Life will be an awakening. 

Gentle Rain, Smothering Smoke, and Bees

                                                          Alberta Wildfire 

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

    and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty, 

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose
    and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out in joy and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

                      Isaiah 55:1-12 NRSVue

 This a holiday weekend in Ontario, a three-day break from work for many. Provincial parks are opening for camping and one of our daughters and her partner chose this weekend to move because of the extra day. For a lot of people there will be disappointment because its raining steadily -- who wants to camp or move in the rain? But what a blessing this is for gardeners and for the Earth. Our rainbarrels are already replenished and the potatoes we planted yesterday are thanking us.

The folks out West are on my mind and in my heart because of the hot, dry weather which has created perfect conditions for wildfires. Many provincial parks in Alberta have been closed because of the fire risk. Thousands of people are on the move, not out of choice but because of evacuations as uncontrolled fires advance on their communities.The conditions are actually a greater threat this year than in 2016 with the catastrophic Fort McMurray fire.

 Alberta and Saskatchewan have been experiencing some of the worst air quality in the world during the past week, and smoke has pushed people out of their homes as well.  This is traumatic displacement and I do pray that the weather turns for the better, including rain which could quench the fires. 

This is World Bee Day, something I wasn't aware of when I wrote about St. Valentine as the patron saint of bees a few days ago. This morning I listened to an Alberta beekeeper speaking about the effects of smoke on her livestock and all bees, both domesticated and wild. 

The smoke actually masks bees’ alarm pheromones. Beekeepers use smoke to essentially trick bees into believing their hive is on fire. They begin to eat lots of honey, thinking they need the energy to go find a new home. Engorged with honey, their abdomens are so full it makes it hard for them to sting. This temporary distraction allows the keepers to work around and in the hives with less risk of an angry rebellion. But the persistent smoke from wildfires is detrimental to the health and production of the bees. Agriculture crops dependent on bee pollination suffer as well

These climate emergency enhanced wildfires don't just affect humans. Entire ecosystems can be destroyed in these far more intense fires. And our important allies, the bees, suffer as well.

As we thank God for needed rain in our region we can't forget all the creatures who are in peril elsewhere. In some respects there is no such thing as "local" anymore, or "elswhere." The haze of high level smoke we've been experiencing here, thousands of kilometres from Alberta reminds us that responsible choices must be made for the sake of all Creation. We really want every aspect of our planet to experience joy and peace, as the prophet Isaiah foresees, and the Creator intends.

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/why-bees-are-essential-people-and-planet

There is Faith in Foxholes

  "That night, I took time to thank God for seeing me through that Day of Days . . . and prayed that I would make it through D+1.  And if somehow, I managed to get home again, I promised God and myself, that I would find a quite piece of land someplace and spend the rest of my life in peace." 

                                                                      Major Richard Winters, Easy Company survivor 

 There aren't many TV series we don't watch together but it does happen. A couple of months ago I came upon Band of Brothers which first aired more than 20 years ago, to considerable acclaim. It is about the men of Easy Company, an American regiment of the Airborne Division, US Army.

Through 10 episodes we see their demanding training in the state of Georgia, and then follow them through the hell of war across Europe until their eventual capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest retreat and stronghold in the mountains of Germany. The series is based on a book of the same name which involves interviews with those who survived -- so many didn't -- and while the episodes are dramatizations they begin with film footage of conversations with the ordinary elderly men who were extraordinary in battle and the sheer will to live through the harshest conditions.

There was enough graphic violence that Ruth decided to leave the series to watch on my own, and I gave up for a while. I did return and realized what a remarkable, compelling story Band of Brothers tells.

Several episodes allude to the Christian faith of the men, and in segments  six and seven this comes to the fore. A medic, Eugene Roe, struggles with the horror he has seen and his sense of helplessness. Yet he connects his role as "Doc" with his grandmother. Speaking to another medic he offers: 

You know my grandmother was a [healer] .Laid her hands on people and cured them, took away sickness, cancer, you name it.  I remember she used to pray a lot.  Talked to God about the pain she pulled out; asked him to carry it away.  That's what she did."  

In another scene a church is being used as a makeshift hospital, and in another the sisters of a Convent sing the office before a group of attentive men. A chaplain leads a communion service from the hood of a jeep, men say the rosary during lulls in the heat of battle, another chaplain gives the last rites while under heavy fire. 

It's strange, but I would not characterize Band of Brothers as overtly "religious" and yet the themes of faith in foxholes recurr. 

In doing some reading I discovered that Major Richard Winters, a central figure in the story was a devout Christian. While in Great Britain before deployment he attended Sunday worship faithfully and his Christian convictions were a bedrock during the chaos of years of battle. This anecdote shared in an article was striking: 

However, his most powerful spiritual experience during the war happened outside any walls at all, when he found “church” while hiking the Alps at the close of his mission in Europe:

l experience during the war happened outside any walls at all, when he found “church” while hiking the Alps at the close of his mission in Europe: The aisle is two mountain ranges down which you can see for ten miles at least. At the end there’s just a series of mountain peaks. 

A storm came up and the dark clouds covered everything but the far end, where the sun shone through on those magnificent peals [sic]. The color was all shades of rose, a light, soft rose, nothing hard or bright, but just rays of light coming through the clouds. There were the most beautiful stained glass windows I’ve ever seen, or hope to see. What a wonderful place to pray. What a magnificent church. I’ll never forget it.

Uncommon Courage and a Small Light

 

I’m going to let it shine
Oh, this little light of mine
I’m going to let it shine

This little light of mine
I’m going to let it shine
Let it shine, all the time, let it shine

Hide it under a bushel? No!
I’m going to let it shine
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I’m going to let it shine
Let it shine, all the time, let it shine.

We're watching our way through the excellent drama series, A Small Light. It's about the courageous efforts of a woman named Miep Gies who, along with her husband and co-workers, hid Anne Frank, her family, and four other Dutch Jews in a secret apartment above Otto Frank.s business premises during World War II.

The acting is excellent, the story is well told, and while only three episodes have been released so far there have already been lots of thrilling and moving moments. As we watch we wonder whether we would have summoned the courage to put ourselves at risk for the sake of those who were targetted by the Nazis. The invaders enlisted the help of non-Jewish neighbours in every country they invaded in Europe.

 During our recent visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem we were reminded of the complicity of Germans and people from Poland and Ukraine and Romania and other nations in killing six million Jews, 1.5 million of them children. Canada has a shameful history of not accepting Jews who were attempting to flee a murderous regime. 

There were 20,000 Dutch people who aided Jews during the war in a variety of ways, including hiding children. We know that many of them were Christians, including Corrie Ten Boom's family. Ten Boom's book The Hiding Place became a bestseller and was made into a film. Several family members, including Corrie, were incarcerated for their efforts and the father died in prison.

Sadly, Anne and her sister Margot perished in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp a few months before the end of the war.Miep Gies found and hid Anne Frank's diary after the family was arrested and Otto eventually published it.  Miep lived to be 100 and she often spoke about the ability of even an ordinary person to “turn on a small light in a dark room.” It brings to mind the old children's hymns "This Little Light of Mine" and "Jesus Bids us Shine" which are both based on the verses in Matthew 5, part of the Sermon on the Mount.  

I need the reminders of how others have maintained their moral compass in dark times, often motivated by their faith in a god of justice and compassion. 

1 Jesus bids us shine with a pure, clear light,

like a little candle burning in the night.

In this world is darkness, so let us shine,

you in your small corner, and I in mine.

2 Jesus bids us shine first of all for him;

well he sees and knows it if our light grows dim:

Jesus walks beside us to help us shine,

you in your small corner, and I in mine.

3 Jesus bids us shine, then, for all around;

many kinds of darkness in the world are found:

sin, and want and sorrow; so we must shine,

you in your small corner, and I in mine.