God Will – True Grace

(Chime) 

Welcome back to “What it is”, where, with stories and poetry, we explore being a person in this world. 

And what we might want to do about that together. 

I’m Kevin Alan McGill.

(Theme Music)

Okay so, let’s see what we have for this podcast.

There is beauty in a forest with not one leaf the same

And from majestic, jagged mountains each sand-like pebble came

What is weed to someone may be a flower in its place

And those who value difference are most apt to find true grace.

(Chime)

There is beauty in a forest with not one leaf the same.

That poem shows my thoughts on Creation and The Will of God – To me, they’re about “change and variety”.

Yet, there is a contrasting viewpoint.

Let me tell you about Ephus.  This story may sound familiar.

Ephus wanted to know the Will of God, The Creator. So, he journeyed to the wilderness and sat in silence for weeks, without food and, each day, only a mouthful of water. Eventually, Ephus fell into a trance in which God talked to him. 

When Ephus came out of his trance, he stumbled back home to share what God said. Others wrote this down.

God told Ephus that “his people” were the “favoured people”. That’s why God chose Ephus as his messenger.

God said that God was the Supreme God and that all people must accept that and follow God’s very specific rules.  If they obeyed, God would be merciful and generous. The obedient would be rewarded with paradise upon their earthly demise.  If they did not obey, God would punish them onto death and beyond.

The rules were that the favoured people must … 

develop a standardized mode of dress, hairstyle and dietary restrictions, and submissive rituals. 

build a temple and create administrators to enforce the will of God here on earth.

and, most importantly, compel all others to accept and submit to the God of Ephus.

Well, I don’t know much about Gods.  However, I do know something about people and history. 

And, with due respect, I am wondering where change and variety fits in here. 

Throughout recorded time, each century has had at least one Ephus, voicing largely the same message from God.  

That message mostly contains a call for sameness, especially concerning people.

Thousands of years of voicing the Will of God and the Ephuses either didn’t hear, failed to mention, or outright dismissed “change and variety”. 

Yet, as far as I can see, change and variety are built into everything in our world. Seasons, weather, day and night, erosion, animals, vegetables, minerals, us, etc. The whole universe is about “change and variety”.  It has been found that we carry “change and variety” in our basic genetic blueprint.  Even identical twins are not totally identical.

So, in that message from God wouldn’t change and variety at least get honourable mention?

Maybe the answer is in how God’s Will is determined. God certainly didn’t talk to me.  

I thought about life and wondered. 

Then I wrote a poem and created a story. 

Because … that’s what I do.

(Chime)

Okay so, such are the words of a Storyteller Poet who has learned the value of a poem, the worth of a story. 

To those who wish to strip us of our humanity, I say “not today”.

And hey, if you are concerned with the state of our democracies, check out my Democracy Page atkevinalanmcgill.com

Thank you for listening. Let’s get together again to explore more “what it is”.

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