All earth is waiting to see the Promised One,
And open furrows await the seed of God.
All the world, bound and struggling,
Seeks true liberty, it cries out for justice
And searches for the truth.
Thus says the Prophet to those of Israel:
A virgin mother will bear Emanuel,
One whose Name is, God With Us.
Our Savior shall be through whom
Hope will blossom once more in our hearts.
Mountains and valleys will have to be made plain.
Open new highways for our God.
Who now comes closer for all to see.
Open the doorways wide as can be.
In lowly stable the Promised One appeared.
We feel his presence on earth today.
For Christ lives in us, and is with us now
Again on arriving, Christ brings us liberty.
In today's Lion Lamb blog I write about the challenges Donald Trump is experiencing squeezing five billion dollars out of American legislators to build a border wall with Mexico. This may be another failure for The Donald, poor guy.
I note that this reluctance may sound like welcome news but the "build a wall" mentality has seeped into American sensibilities in a profound way. Hearts have been hardened to the extent that millions, including many Christians (?) have accepted that taking young children from the parents of migrants and incarcerating thousands of refugee teens in a facility designed for a few hundred is acceptable. Not only is the proposed wall inhumane, it would have a profound effect on other creatures as well, including the denizens of the National Butterfly Center. Here is a portion of a piece in The Guardian:
On any given day at the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, visitors can see more than 60 varieties of butterflies. In the spring and fall, monarchs and other species can blanket the center’s 100 acres of subtropical bushlands that extend from the visitor center to to the banks of the Rio Grande river, where their property, and US sovereignty, ends.
“It’s like something from Fantasia,” said the center’s director, Marianna Wright. “When you walk you have to cover your mouth so you don’t suck in a butterfly...”
“...Border walls are death sentences for wildlife and humans alike,” said Amanda Munro of the Southwest Environmental Center, an organization that works to restore and protect native wildlife and habitats. “They block wild animals from accessing the food, water and mates they need to survive. They weaken genetic diversity, fragment habitat, and trap animals in deadly floods. At the same time, they drive desperate asylum seekers to risk their lives in the unforgiving desert.”
One of my favourite Advent hymns is All Earth is Waiting which offers a vision of a world in which the Promised One, Jesus the Christ, is Good News for all of Creation. I pray that hope will blossom, doorways will be opened wide, and the wall will not be built.
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