Signs and wonders - chasing rainbows

While I was cycling home from work today, a rainbow formed over Wellington's eastern hills as the sun headed to the horizon.

I stopped on Petone foreshore to gather sea debris - small bits of driftwood - from the tideline, to use in a natural pathway at home. From there, the rainbow 'landed' at Petone Wharf (closed for repairs) at one end, and up the valley, behind one of Petone's few tall buildings, at the other end. As it grew brighter, I hopped on my bike and pedalled off. I felt there was something hopeful and positive about heading towards it, knowing I'd never make it, nor find the elusive 'pot of gold' at the end of it.

The archway seemed to narrow down as I approached it, but when I got to Petone Wharf, it had - as if by magic - moved elusively into the distance. It occurred to me that chasing ideals, such as a world of justice and peace, or working for the establishment of 'God's kingdom on earth' (whatever that means) is a bit like chasing rainbows: you have an ideal, you strive for it, you head towards it. But you never quite get there, at least not in this life. And the life hereafter: well that's up to God, as is the true nature of Heaven compared to what we envision it to be.

Rainbows also speak to me of another form of hope - a hope that God will never again flood the earth as he did in Noah's day. Don't get me wrong - I don't necessarily believe in the absolute literal truth of the Noah story, though it may have some basis in an historical event (Read this article for a perspective.). In our time of long-term sea level rise arising from climate change, rainbows still remind me of God's promise, in Genesis 9: 14-15:

When I gather the clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I shall recall the covenant between myself and you and every living creature, in a word all living things, and never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all living things.

Call me naive (and my kids are playing Matilda's 'When I Grow Up' as I write by the way), but what gets me about these words is that God's covenant is with 'you and every living creature'. It's a God who cares and is compassionate for 'all living things' on this planet.

Rainbows have often appeared at significant times to speak to me of God's restoration of the earth - but also our part in cooperating in that work.

Yes, I believe the science about climate change and our complicity in it. I also believe that "nothing is impossible to God" ((Luke 1:37), and in our ability - with God's help - to change our ways, both individually and collectively. As Jeremiah 26:3 says, "Perhaps they will listen and each turn from his evil way: if so, I shall relent and not bring the disaster on them which I intend because of their misdeeds."

We need to care for the earth and each other, and share the goods. On that note, I leave you with U2's "Crumbs from your Table".

...You speak of signs and wonders
But I need something other
I would believe if I was able
But I'm waiting on the crumbs from your table ...

Blessing and curse at the beach

Down at the beach today collecting mulch - and seaweed this time - washed up by sea - it's always a fun experience: I just love this free stuff that is so abundant. BUT - this time, a few days after a storm, loads of little bits of plastic - and decomposed aluminium cans. NOT fun. There seemed to be an unusual lot of small pieces of plastic, like bits of cellophane wrappers from round cigarette packets and stuff like that. I reckon it had been mainly washed down stormwater drains, into the Hutt River, out to sea, then rolled back in on the tide.That's what brings in the good stuff - the mulch washed down out of forests, etc, into the ocean, then back on the tide.

Shame it has to get mixed in with all this unnecessary, human-created packaging and discards. Bring on the plastic-free revolution I say! Ok, I know I'm part of it - currently, but not forever. This month, there are a few more voices pushing the plastic-free, zero-waste revolution. Bring it on.This from one of my daughter's friends: two minutes a day on her efforts to go plastic-free in July. This is just the beginning:

The Accidental Gardener

Collecting mulch from Petone foreshore today, I met a lady who said that she'd been collecting it for years and putting it on her garden - it was brilliant, she said. Especially good for camellias. She'd just sold her house, so was glad that today that she could walk on by and think "Oh, I don't need to get that anymore."

She'd done her garden all organically, and she hoped the young woman who'd bought the house would appreciate it and keep her garden going.

I told her I was a very aspirational, erratic gardener - every year wanting to plan and do things properly. She said in return that that's what gardening was all about - it's a teaching thing. You learn about life. You experiment.

The biggest buzz I get out of gardening is finding useful things to feed it or embellish: the hunter gatherer thing: like mulch from the sea, or a tyre washed up on the beach: that started me on using tyres for growing things. I've just had two potatoes sprout up of their own accord in tyre columns from last year that had potatoes in it - where I obviously did not gather all.

That reminds me of the other biggest buzz I get from gardening: the accidental, when things spring up self-sown and unexpectedly. It's probably the better way, just let things grow up naturally.