Thoughts in response to Harvey and Irma.

 

Creation, Devastation, Restoration

By Kris Baker

Loving God,
In the beginning, You created
the heavens and the earth,
light to separate the darkness,
sky to divide the waters above and below,
and dry land to set apart the lower waters.
On the dry land You created flowers and trees with seeds to bear life and fruit.
In the sky You placed lights to illumine the darkness
and to nourish the seeds of the earth.
You then filled the sky with birds
and the waters with fish and whales
and all kinds of things that live under the water.
On the dry land you created cattle and pigs,
bugs and butterflies,
spiders and snakes,
– animals of all kinds.
And then you made humanity, you made my brothers and my sisters.
With each new thing you created, You looked and saw that it was good.

Lately, across your creation,
ferocious clouds are filling the sky,
storms are raging,
the heavens are crying out,
the seas and the dry land no longer are separated,
seeds of the earth, animals, and your children are under the water.
Good is hard to see.

As ones made in Your own image, O God,
Help us breathe new life into the devastated lands and into their people.

Create in each of us strength and compassion such that we can help bear the burden of our brothers’ and sisters’ darkness, bringing light again into their shattered worlds.
Create in us the knowledge needed to help our neighbors separate the waters from the dry land
and give us wisdom to help restore hope to their hurting spirits.
Create in us giving hearts so that we can provide the victims of these storms with the means to rebuild their lives
with plants and animals to nourish them,
homes to protect them,
and livelihoods to sustain them.
Create in us the courage to do all that you are calling us to do.

And, Gracious God, fill us with steadfast love and faith
that, in the end, are strong enough to look around amidst the destruction and see
that there is good.

Amen.

September 2017