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And now for the forecast…
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In a recent review of the history of television weather forecasting, one seasoned weather presenter said that when in doubt it was always wise to say that " we are entering a period of unsettled weather". The beauty of this phrase is that it can always be said to be true! Certainly it would have been an accurate prediction of the first weeks of 2002. There have been floods in the Philippines with people crying out for dry weather, whilst those fighting the fires in Australia have longed for rain. Meanwhile, citizens of Damascus have been savouring the delights of snow on the streets! The weather makes fascinating viewing for those who are not affected by it.
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However, when we begin to reflect on these extreme conditions, it makes the world look like a profoundly unsafe place to live. Perhaps those who warned of global climate change were not scaremongers but accurate forecasters. Maybe those who think the planet will last forever are as misguided as those who thought they could hunt the stupid dodo forever. The world simply cannot be plundered ad infinitum without facing the consequences.
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As Christians our understanding of planet Earth extends up to and beyond the end of its natural life. We see it as a gift entrusted to mankind for a limited period only. At the end of that period God who made the world in the first place will make it anew. In the meantime our attitude towards the earth should be neither careless nor worrisome. Because the earth was made by God it should be looked after carefully, but because its life is limited we should care more about its short-lived inhabitants than its finite resources. There are Christians around the world at the forefront of development work and feeding programmes. It is their love for the creator of the planet and the people He has created which has put them there.
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The Bible carries one or two weather forecasts of its own, all warning of unsettled weather ahead. They are written, however, not as an amusement for the curious but a warning for the careless. "You must also be ready" - Luke 12 v. 40
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