Black and White?: 13 December 2009

Just three days ago winter came to our corner of the world in a furry with the onset of a blizzard transforming the landscape from the various shades of brown to what I refer to as a world of black and white. At first the snow fell gently covering the ground little by little. But soon the storm really hit and as travel became down right dangerous the task at hand was to try to keep up with shoveling a path from the house to the garage. Before long the strong winds kicked in causing various heights of mounded snow everywhere (especially in front of our door). The pile of plowed snow on the side of our driveway is at least half the height as it was last year…in February!

As the snow began falling and despite the increasing accumulation and wind the chickadees showed up for the first time at the feeder and the downy woodpeckers flew in often for sustenance at the suet cages. At first glance it appeared both species only added to the black and white of the winter landscape. I couldn’t help thinking with this being the first significant snow of the season, it’s going to be a good long time before Mother Nature graces us with the vibrant colors of spring. But as the woodpecker moved around on the suet cage, the small tuft of red on his head gave a welcome reminder that, as with most things in life, not all is black and white.

Such too was the case for the people Israel in the prophet Zephaniah’s time – not all the prophet preached was doom and gloom. The hallmark of the biblical prophets was their gift of being able to keep an eye on the past reminding the people of where they came from and how the Sacred One moved in their ancestor’s lives, to be keenly aware of what was going on in society in the present time, and to look toward the future and offer both warnings and comfort and hope. Though Zephaniah openly pointed out the people’s transgressions – smugness, rebellion, treachery and lack of faith – the book of this prophet ends with the foretelling of a hopeful future for the people - a joyful song (3:14-20)!

Although the long, harsh, black and white winter has just begun, the promise of spring’s return with all its vibrant and colorful life awaits us. I wonder…amid all our hustle and bustle of holiday preparations can we pause a while to ponder the miracle of that first Christmas and how it still provides the promise of a hopeful and bright future of many colors for us all?

Peace on the Journey.