Photo: dead tree

“In my opinion whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us. The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own. The world of creation cannot as yet see reality, not because it chooses to be blind, but because in God’s purpose it has been so limited—yet it has been given hope. And the hope is that in the end the whole of created life will be rescued from the tyranny of change and decay, and have its share in that magnificent liberty which can only belong to the children of God!

 It is plain to anyone with eyes to see that at the present time all created life groans in a sort of universal travail. And it is plain, too, that we who have a foretaste of the Spirit are in a state of painful tension, while we wait for that redemption of our bodies which will mean that at last we have realised our full sonship in him. We were saved by this hope, but in our moments of impatience let us remember that hope always means waiting for something that we haven’t yet got. But if we hope for something we cannot see, then we must settle down to wait for it in patience.” (Romans 8:18 -21)

A 7.7 earthquake hit offshore of my beloved province this week — seven times stronger than the earthquake that devastated Haiti. In the past two days there have been more than fifty sizable aftershocks, one of them a 6.4.

This week an enormously strong storm hit the east side of the continent. But I’m sure you all know about that.

As I walk around my neighbourhood this day I see images in windows and on lawns and in shops celebrating the tyranny of death and decay and erecting an open admission of the acceptance of darkness as a lifestyle.

Jesus said if the children were not allowed to praise him the very stones would cry out.

Can you hear it?

Can you hear the cries of nature, of creation, as it writhes in the agony of travail?

Can you hear it in the winds as they wail,

in the floods as they weep,

in the fires as they rage,

in the trees as they faint,

in the rocks as they groan deep in the earth?

Come Lord Jesus!

We wail

we weep

we rage

we faint

we groan.

We long to be made whole!

You are our Hope.