“Always in the background there is our vague disquiet with the artificiality or ‘anti-naturalness’ of both Christianity, with its politically ordered cosmology, and technology, with its imperialistic mechanization of a natural world from which man himself feels strangely alien.” – Alan Watts

“The fox provides for himself; but God provides for the lion.” – William Blake

Light of the sun comes through tree branches. Fox feels warm air mix with the coolness of blowing wind. He enjoys days like this. Eating a beetle and hears a sound that’s unfamiliar. Thinks it may be a bird, but it seems too loud; it’s not like any bird he’s heard before. He moves toward where the sound came.

At the edge of the wood Fox sees beyond it, instead of grass a gray smooth surface. It’s filled with small structures Fox has never seen before. The structures have various hues and shapes, but the bottoms of them are all round and dark with some variation in size. Out of the structures come animals that Fox hasn’t seen before either, all moving about the gray smooth surface, heading toward – going into a large white structure.

Fox is stunned by its’ beauty. It could maybe be a hill or a burrow. Fox isn’t convinced, the texture and shape are too different; there is no grass covering it. On top of the structure is what Fox can only think of a tree in comparison to. It’s white – Fox has never heard of a tree being white. It doesn’t have any leaves either; and only two branches near the top.

A few of the animals still outside, just outside its’ entrance – talking and laughing. Such beautiful and happy animals. Fox is filled with desire to know them. All the things Fox is seeing are beyond his words. It’s such a beautiful thing, he thinks, to find new things in nature. Scurries toward the entrance.

One of the animals notice Fox approaching, jumps back. Fox stops, doesn’t want to frighten them. The animals have on – Fox doesn’t know what to call. Mostly similar shapes, with different textures and colors. They don’t seem to be intrinsic parts of the animals’ anatomy. Fox notices that while they all seem to have fur, they don’t have much of it. And it’s mostly on their heads. How odd, Fox thinks. One of the animals starts to speak.

“What does it want? What’s it doing here?”

Fox speaks, “Hello.” The eyes of the animals widen. “I’ve never seen animals like you before. Or this habitat. But it’s very beautiful.”

Fear in the eyes of the animals.

“Please don’t be afraid” says Fox. “I can assure you I don’t have any ill intent. It’s been such a long time since I’ve come across anything in the woods I was unfamiliar with. It’s very exciting and I’d love to get to know all of you.”

One of the animals place what Fox can only think to call a paw on the shoulder of another. Still looking at Fox it says to its’ companion, “Run. Go get Preacher.” The animal runs inside.

“What’s a preacher? You all still look very frightened. There’s no reason to be, I promise.”

They stare at him, no intention of making a response.

“Oh! I think I see. You’ve never seen anything like me before. Just like I’ve never seen anything like you. Most sincere apologies. I’m a Fox. I live in the woods back there, behind me.” Fox turns toward the woods, points at it with his snout. “I’ve got a small family. Us Foxes mostly look the same; not near the variety you all have. My family and I mostly eat fruits and nuts. Sometimes we eat squirrels or insects. I’m a relatively young Fox. I’ve only been exploring the woods on my own for a short time. My parents never told me about animals like–”

One of the animals says, “Stop.”

“What’s wrong?” Fox is perplexed. What skittish creatures.

“We know what foxes are,” says the one who told the other animal to get what it called Preacher.

Fox tilts his head. “Oh. Well then. I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

“We know what you’re trying to do. You can’t fool us.”

“Fool you? I don’t–”

“Stop!”

Fox jumps a little, his fur and ears perk up.

The entrance of the structure the other animal had gone into opens. Out if it comes the one that had been sent in, with another of the animals beside him. Fox assumes this is Preacher. Preacher and the other animal walk over and join the rest of the group. Preacher’s eyes focus on Fox; scanning him. The eyes of The Preacher do not feel to Fox like they are trying to understand what they see. They feel like they are trying to understand how what they see can be used. A thought occurs to Fox.

“Are you the leader of this pack of animals?” Fox ask The Preacher.

The Preacher chuckles. “Hmmm. I do suppose you could say that.”

One of the other animals looks fearfully at The Preacher. “Ya sure we outta be talkin’ to it? That might only make it easier for it to trick us.”

“Trick you?” Fox has never been this confused. “Why would I be trying to trick you?”

Preacher smiles. He turns to the rest of the group. “It’s alright, y’all. Our Lord has prepared me for times like this. I know exactly what to do. Don’t y’all worry for a sec. Go on inside and tell the rest of the congregation that service will start a little late.”

“You sure now, Preacher?”

“I’m sure.”

A bit reluctantly all the animals except for Preacher walk into the structure. Preacher steps closer to Fox, and kneels down in front of him.

“I don’t understand.” says Fox to Preacher. “Why are they scared of me? Why do they think I’m trying to trick them?”

“Because that’s what foxes do.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve never even tried to trick anyone before. I’ve never seen any of my family try to do so either.”

Again, The Preacher laughs. “Well. That just goes to show how deep runs the deception of foxes. That they can hide their deception from even one of their own. That they can hide it even from themselves.”

“I’m. . . I–”

Preacher raises one of his paws, cutting Fox off. “Now, now. I understand. This is all very new to you. It’s quite a shock, I imagine. Don’t worry, though. I’ll explain all.”

Fox sits back on his hind legs.

“Ya see. Me and all them folk in there. We’re called humans. We, just like everything else of the earth, the Earth itself even, were created by a being called God. When God created us he gave us authority over all other living things. He made us humans special, in his own image, so that we could take care of everything else. Just like he takes care of us. That’s why us humans can understand other things, better even than they understand themselves. That’s how we know of your deceptive nature, when you yourself do not.”

Fox looks down at his front paws.

“But I. . .I’m not deceptive! I’ve always been kind! I’m not anything like what you say I am!”

Preacher scrubs his chin. “Well, I’m sure you try to be good. I’m sure, even, that you truly believe you’re good. But understand, you can’t be anything but the opposite without God. Without relying on him. God once even said that those who are not with him are against him.”

“But I–”

“You’d never even heard about God before today had you?”

“No but. . . It doesn’t make sense. It. . . I don’t. . . I. . . I. . .” Fox’s words dissolve into whimpers.

“It’s all right, now. There’s still hope for you, little fella.”

Fox looks up and into Preacher’s eyes. “What do you mean? How can there be hope if I’m deceptive? If I’ve always been this way?”

Preacher pets Fox’s head. “Well. The Lord our God is just that powerful. Through him all things can be redeemed. You can be made new.”

“Really?”

“Would you like that?”

“Of course, I would!”

“Well then. Follow me.”

Preacher stands up and walks around to the side of the church, motioning with his paw for Fox to follow him. Fox leaps up and walks just behind Preacher. They come to another entrance at the back of the church.

Before opening the entrance, Preacher turns to Fox. “You sure you want this? It’s a mighty big step to take.”

“I’m sure.” says Fox. “I wanna be redeemed! I wanna be new!”

Preacher smiles. “Glad to hear that! Come on then.”

Preacher opens the door and motions for Fox to go in first. The room is dark but Fox can still see a smooth white floor; it’s cool on his paws. There’s nothing else in the room except for another door. Preacher turns the light on. Fox shuts his eyes and reopens them slowly, letting them adjust to the brightness.

“Now, just wait right here. I’ll return shortly.” Preacher walks to the other door. Fox watches him open it and go through, but he doesn’t see what’s on the other side.

Preacher returns with two other humans following him, both in white. They have with them something, Fox doesn’t know what to call it. The top of it flat and silver, all the sides purple. The sides have a texture different from the top, and wave around with the movement of the whole. The humans bring it to the middle of the room.

“Alright.” says Preacher. “I’m gonna pick you up, and put you on top of this table.”

“And that’ll make me new?” Fox ask.

Preacher laughs, holding his sides with his paws.

“No, no. You just have to lay on top of here while these two help make you new.”

“Oh. Okay.” says Fox. “I’m ready.”

“Love that enthusiasm!” chuckles Preacher, reaching down and picking up Fox. He places him gently on top of the table. Fox sees the two humans crouch down. Beneath him he hears clanging sounds. He pants and wags his tail. The two humans stand back up. They now hold in their paws long reflective objects, with jagged, sharp edges. Fox has never seen his reflection in anything but water. Preacher grabs Fox’s head, and points it so that Fox is looking straight at Preacher.

“Now. Here’s how it’s gonna happen. In order for you to be made new, we have to take away the bad parts of you so that we can replace ’em with good parts. We have to reshape you, into something entirely new.”

Fox’s tail stops wagging.

. . .

Sunday morning a week later. Preacher greets Adam at the door. Preacher sticks out his hand and Adam takes it; he is moving slowly. He is still getting used to the new shape, the way it moves. Preacher’s squeeze hurts Adam’s hand a little; he winces.

“Still sore, huh?”

“Yeah, a little. Everything’s healing up though.” Adam smiles.

“Glad to hear, glad to hear. Go on inside, now. I’ll be in shortly.”

“Got a good sermon ready for us?”

“Most certainly, son.”
“Looking forward to it.”

“Thank ya, thank ya.” Preacher pats Adam on the shoulder as Adam walks inside.

Adam sees an open seat on one of the pews and walks toward it. Sits down, grabs one of the Bibles under the pew; starts flipping through it. Come to chapter six in Matthew. Reads the verse at the top of the page.

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin. . .”

            Adam stops reading. Starts to cry.