It was so cold last Sunday that your breath froze in mid-air. It called for a lighter touch and for compliments for those who braved the cold. Here’s the sermon at Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska, MN.
I only know three
(Expurgated Version)I only know three of the Inuit words
for snow, and they are, in translation, “the-snow-
that-falls-light-and-fluffy-and-can-be-ignored;”
“the-snow-wet-enough-to-make-two-obscene-snow-
folks-frolicking-out-in-the-yard;” and then last,
“the-white-stuff-that-falls-so-darn-wet-thick-and-fast-
that-shoveling-is-required-just-to-go-out-
for-beer.” (And that last word is said as a SHOUT!)
–
Isocrates, Greek teacher and rhetorician
All schools in Minnesota will be closed Monday out of concern for children’s safety. Governor Dayton wants no child left behind freezing at a bus stop. The prediction is 50 degrees below zero with wind chill. Meanwhile, seven-month old Barclay is practicing for his first trip outside in booties. He’s a champ, despite the slur in the narration. He’s attending his first obedience class Monday night in New Germany, MN. Unless they call school off.
The acid smog in the air
rains into rivers
and joins factory sludge
and field chemicals
on their way to the sea.The obscene slime
spreads from ocean
to ocean and from coast
to oily coast.The air cannot wash its
hair because trees and shrubs
have not been replanted
most places by most people.Wood and coal and oil burn on,
rivers are damned, mostly
unfresh water remains
turning a blue planet brown.We humans might see
our world changing,
but we see screens
and windshields more
than we see our skies.
[Thanks to Elizabeth Kolbert for her
two recent New Yorker articles
reporting on the research for this.]
Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, January 4, 2014
“Wade in the Water” keeps welling up from some deep place of yearning this morning, waiting for 2014. Like the American slaves who sang “Wade in the Water” from the waters edge, I’m wading by the banks of the old order, yearning for something already conceived in the heart but not yet delivered, the new order conceived in Mary’s Magnificat when the mighty are pulled from their thrones and those of “low degree” are lifted up. We can’t part the waters, but we can “wade in the water” – no easy thing – with expectation that “God’s gonna trouble the water.” Sweet Honey in the Rock gives voice to the old slave song.
“Cashing in on public service by lobbying for unethical corporations is offensive to the American people….” Click HERE to read the petition to stop a former U.S. Senator from turning her Washington, D.C. public service into private insider influence on behalf of the likes of Monsanto.
It’s called “Crony capitalism.”
Cutting the umbilical cord that keeps money flowing from the public treasury to private sector corporations whose lobbying resources are unmatched by the voting public is an act of patriotism on behalf of the integrity of a democratic Republic. A nation governed by Crony Capitalism is not a country “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
Consider signing the petition and passing it along to your friends. Thanks!
…L
…I
…G
…H
…T
For ten
Hours
Power
Was off
With the
Storm.
After
Sunset
We lit a
Candle
In each
Room.
The fire
From the
Grate
Kept
Us all
Warm:
We each
Prayed
No one
Else
Came to
Harm…
– Steve Shoemaker, Dec. 4, 2013
Compare the spirit of Steve’s poem with that of the survivalist at last February’s public dialogue on guns who challenged the audience to think hard about the time when the little girl from next door comes to your home because you’ve stockpiled food and her family hasn’t prepared for the catastrophe. He was making the argument against gun control. “Ufdah!” as we say here in Minnesota. There are many rooms, but we all live in the ONE house. “In my Father’s house are many rooms.”
Light a candle and say a prayer.
In harmony with the Tao
The sky is clear and spacious
The Earth is solid and full
All creatures flourish together
Content with the way they are
Endlessly repeating themselves
Endless renewed.
When man interferes with the Tao,
The sky becomes filthy
The earth becomes depleted
The equilibrium crumbles
Creatures become extinct.
The Master views the parts with compassion
Because he understands the whole.
His constant practice is humility
He doesn’t glitter like a jewel
But lets himself be shaped by the Tao
As rugged and common as a stone.
– Lao Tzu
This was sent by the Brazilian flutist and saxophonist who played last Friday evening in Hudson, WI. He is the first of the artists to respond to the Call to create artists “Before the Planetary Requiem” in the face of scientific evidence for Climate Departure. “Before the Planetary Requiem” was posted here on Views from the Edge yesterday. Interesting that his response is from one of the ancient figures of holy and practical wisdom.
Earth is crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees
Takes off his shoes –
The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.
– Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Join the Call to Artists to take off your shoes before climate departure leaves us with no blackberries to pluck. Read yesterday’s post: Before the Planetary Requiem
If scientists are right (see Nature), by 2020 the first effects of Climate Departure should already be a part of the human experience.
In light of both science and faith, Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska, MN is issuing this invitation in anticipation of Earth Day, 2020, in hopes it will catch on. The Call is conceived by visual artist and scientist John Lince-Hopkins, a member of Shepherd of the Hill:
EARTH DAY
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
A GLOBAL CALL TO CREATIVE PEOPLE OF ALL TYPES TO CREATE, PERFORM, AND DISPLAY THEIR BEST WORKS:
COMPOSERS,
MUSICIANS,
MUSICAL GROUPS,
RECORDING ARTISTS,
AUTHORS,
POETS,
VISUAL ARTISTS,
PHOTOGRAPHERS,
VIDEOGRAPHERS,
FIBER ARTISTS,
PERFORMANCE ARTISTS,
DANCERS,
…AND THOSE UN-NAMED.
JUST SEVEN SHORT YEARS TO CREATE SEMINAL WORKS ABOUT THE STATE OF OUR PLANET AND OUR REALIZATION OF THE INEVITABLE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR CLIMATE TO ALL LIVING THINGS AND THE ECOSYSTEMS THAT SUPPORT THEM.
Think Globally, Act Locally!
Views from the Edge 