Creation Groans

Creation groans and is in agony

we, called to free her, are her doom.

God created and all was good

but God gave her to us to mind.

Now she labors nearly in vain,

yet not without a bit of hope.

Ignorant of who we really are

God’s children walk asleep.

Creation waits with patient hope

for God’s children to awake. 

All Creation waits and yearns and longs

to hear --

the sleepers have awakened!

-------

When I wrote these words as the opening to my first chapter the situation in our world in regard to climate change was already becoming more obvious.  Today it seems there is little doubt that the change in climate that is coming to our world is caused by humanity, and is getting worse.  As I wrote:

Christianity has not been very effective as a transforming agent.  Here and there a little progress into God’s kingdom has been made, but not enough, not by far enough.  As the ongoing presence of the anointed one of God, or the Christ/Messiah, we have a mission.  We are supposed to bring about the harmonious coexistence of all peoples -- free of war, fear, poverty, hatred and intolerance.  And we are to restore to all of Creation the goodness of its being.  Only when these things are being accomplished, at least in some measure, will all of humanity know that the one we call Jesus is truly the Christ/Messiah/God. 

Salvation is not about getting yourself to heaven, it is about bringing the ways of God to earth.  God expects so much more of us, and still has faith in us to save not just ourselves, but the world.  God's faith in us astonishes me, because I often look at humanity and shake my head in doubt that we will ever wake up to our potential with God.