GG sent this to me. It is a portion of the email from her pastor after Hurricane Irma.
ON THE STORM FRONT: TALKING HURRICANES
We give them “eyes” — the same way we say needles have eyes for us to thread — naming their hollow centers eyes, as if hurricanes could actually see what they were doing, as if they had some agency in their destructive force, as if our own hurricane watches were in some dreadful way reciprocated by the possibility of their seeing us.
We’ve been watching them for weeks now. From a televised distance, they seem made of paint. Like some technicolor ultrasound image of something as yetunknowable. Maybe it’s why the weathermen always name them early on. Though it withers the hope of insurance, tradition has it naming something is a way of knowing it. Plus, it’s easier to worry over and watch after something with a name. This is true of children, and true of enemies too. Experience tells us we onlyknow hurricanes when they arrive; and only begin to comprehend what they’re up to in the woeful wake of their departures.
A recent prayer composed by the Rev. Canon Frank Logue begins with these words: “Almighty God, who stilled the raging sea and saved your disciples from perishing in a storm, we give thanks for your presence with us in the midst of Hurricane Irma.” His prayer confirms the Gospel witness of God at work in Christ while also affirming the promise that God is with us in the storms and in the fearsome wake of storms.
God, in Christ, saves us not from the storm but in the storm. And, oh so mercifully, God’s presence is felt in the ready work of the many who enter shattered places with courage and devotion. We give special thanks for the members of our parish who serve as first responders and who work overtime in our hospitals and armed forces. We give thanks, too, for those who help their neighbors. Tony Handy has been working night and day at the fire department. Mollie Hanna and Steve Yost have tirelessly served the patients of Memorial Hospital. There are unnamed others. We name these few to give faces to the work of the many and to hold before us the gracious gift of our own two hands.
ON THE HOME FRONT: TALKING TREES AND GRACE
St. Francis of the Islands was “lucky” this week: we lost power and lines were down, but when a large oak fell onto other trees, it fell away from the church. Had it fallen the other way, we would have been less “lucky.” This makes a blessed difference. There are branches aplenty, and yardwork to be done, but our buildings stand as they were. Already many have begun to set things right again on our grounds: among them, our wardens Glenn Miller and Teri Sandford, Blake Handy, Steve Jones, Arthur Duncan, and the hard-working teams of Georgia Power, who restored our power yesterday afternoon.
Teri is organizing a clean up day for this Saturday, September 16, beginning at 8 a.m.Before Irma, we had begun a collection for Hurricane Harvey Relief to send to Episcopal Relief and Development. In the midst of Irma, not knowing what would happen, the temptation was to think we’d best hold on to that collection and send it to those in need closer to home. It’s not what Jesus would do, though. Jesus was on the side of what some call an Economy of Grace, on side giving as the needs arise, trusting there is provision enough for all of us if only we’ll loosen our hold on what we have and share it. So, following in the way of Jesus, if you would like to make an offering to Hurricane Relief, one way to do it would be to make a check out to “St. Francis of the Islands” and write ERD: Hurricane Relief and Development. In turn, the office will send one check from our parish to ERD for the relief of those in greatest need post-hurricane.
The Diocese will be receiving funds from ERD, and anyone who has restoration burdens they are unable to bear may apply to the diocese for financial assistance. For further information, speak to Lauren Byrd+, who will put you in touch with the diocesan office.
By custom our church pledge campaigns begin in the fall, which is to say, they also begin in hurricane season. Like Matthew before her, Irma came on the eve of our pledge campaign. You should receive a Pledge Card no later than next week. This year our theme is Abundant Love, Abundant Grace.The vestry chose this theme to lift up the grace of God’s provision in our midst. We will be exploring God’s abundance in our readings this fall.
Through Christ, each of you is called to trust God’s abundant grace by sharing your gifts with your families and neighbors, with poor and broken-hearted strangers, with worthy institutions and, yes, with the church, with St. Francis of the Islands. There lives the fullest grace in you. It’s the force of God’s love empowering you to love and serve his kingdom.
God has an eye on us: we are the stewards of Christ’s vision.
Thanks be to God,
Lauren Byrd+
ON THE HEART FRONT: SAYING PRAYERS
Today and in the days ahead, we pray for communities shattered by storm and for their mournful residents: for the people of Texas, Louisiana, the Caribbean, Florida, the Keys, Georgia, South Carolina, and Mexico. We pray also for the people and city of Savannah, for the safe travel of returning evacuees, for the care of those most vulnerable in our community, and for all God’s creatures in search of home.
Gracious God, you are the Lord who does wonders. Send down your blessings on the men and women who serve in the midst of disaster, for first responders, physicians and nurses, and hospital workers; for those who serve in the National Guard and in the Police and Fire Departments; for those who keep watch and keep on working for our common good at risk to their own safety; and for all volunteers who tend the broken-hearted and homeless.
Our times are in your hand, O Lord. In the midst of uncertainty, lead us by your never-failing grace as we seek to be agents of healing and hope. Walk with us through difficult times, watch over us in danger, and give to us a spirit of love and compassion for those who suffer and mourn. And finally remind us that you have promised never to leave us so that even in the storm your love may be felt, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.