To the editor:

As I rolled the garbage container to the end of the driveway, I was overtaken by the beauty of the early hour. Every single branch and twig was individually wrapped in frosty cellophane. As the sun’s rays peeked over the horizon, the tops of the trees appeared as halos, and I felt I was marching beneath a legion of mighty angel warriors.

We owe all this pristine beauty to a personal Creator. The ice clinging to the trees has order in it. There is no life in the crystals, and yet they obey the laws of nature put in place by the powerful, kind, and wise Creator – who fashioned it all for us to notice and enjoy. Psalm 95 tells us, “In God’s hands are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” God holds the moon, stars, and planets in perfect placement. He put the sun just the right distance from earth, so that we safely experience intense heat and intense cold. In 1 Corinthians 4, God commands us to be good stewards of our earthly home. We obey his command when we recycle, pick up our trash, and are mindful of waste of all kinds. God is amazing! He did not create a fragile earth! Worry about a couple of degrees is ridiculous. Instead, consider the wisdom of a warming earth.

God also created mankind; we are his. Soon there will be nine billion people on this tiny planet. Thank God for the change in climates! Thank God for areas heretofore under ice that will become arable land on which to grow crops (that will need carbon dioxide) to provide food for us and for all our brothers and sisters. There will be enough for everyone. But even on the new and improved earth, every person will still eventually die.

I thank God for sending his Son, Jesus Christ. In obedience to his Father’s will, Jesus surrendered his glory to take on human form, so that he could die as payment for every sin we daily commit. When we repent of our sins, believe that Jesus’ work on the cross pays the fine for them, and surrender to him as LORD, we are assured of everlasting life in the new Heaven and on the new Earth.

The climate on the new Earth will never change. It will be eternally perfect and will join every other piece of creation in display of the countless attributes of God, including his stunning and beautiful creativity.

Germaine Rysdahl

New Ulm