My wife and I have a bird feeder outside a dining room window. Various birds from the common house sparrow to more exotic song birds visit so often that I need to refill it several times a day. Our house cats, Eleanor and Lucy, enjoy watching with rapt attention the birds’ comings and goings . Occasionally they’ll call to the birds with a wobbly throaty cat imitation.

We also have squirrels visit the feeder at the end of they day. They are largely scavengers, cleaningup “the left-overs.”. I don’t mind. All of God’s creatures have gotta eat.

Over the past few months I have been impressed by the squirrels’ tenacity and dexterity. They continually find new ways to get that last seed. In their creativity I find a glimpse of grace.

We are living in a Covid era. I am hesitant to call it “post-Covid” because Covid is the latest virus to emerge from Pandora’s Box. I believe that it will be with us for the foreseeable future. We will learn to live with it. This is a new reality. We will never be able to return to a pre-Covid time. I also believe that Covid pushed existing trends ahead 10 to 20 years. The Church as well as local congregations will need to adjust to this new reality. Like “my” squirrels we will need all of the dexterity, creativity, strength, and skill to continue to fulfill our mission of going and making disciples of all people, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that Christ commanded, and most importantly remembering thatthe Risen Lord is with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28).