Isaiah 40:1 NRSV
Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.
Chaos rides into town on a dark horse and changes everything.
Lord, we shout out against the unwanted tempest.
Into the darkness of night, against the unholy wind,
we cry out against the very forces of nature itself.
The whirlwind brings unimaginable pain, loss, and suffering.
Our world’s very identity as a “heavenly oasis of life” trembles in the night.
Rescue! Rescue! We shout out for rescue!
And then the Light appears.
Daybreak chases the darkness away.
Darkness retreats and the Light of the Son moves into the wound.
At first, all we see is devastation.
Bricks no longer stand at attention guarding our false sense of perfect structure.
Roofs have surrendered to the whims of the sky – protecting us no more.
Walls that once created strong barriers, now bow down in broken humility.
Then we see “something else” as help rushes in.
It comes from next door.
It comes from the next town.
It comes from the next county.
It comes from the next state and from places far, far away.
Transformation begins as goodness grapples with the hurts.
Human hands come to hold, to hug, and to help hang on tight.
Human hearts open wide – wider than they even knew they could open.
Resources rise up to meet up with human needs in a Divine way.
The truth is people come together when the truth is revealed.
What truth you ask?
It’s the truth that we matter to each other.
It’s the truth that we are in this world “together” – not alone.
It’s the truth that we need each other more than we ever truly appreciate.
At the end of the day, we stand not in darkness, but in the Light of this truth.
Comfort each other. Care for each other. Let gentleness, generosity, and kindness burst forth from your very being.
See the Holy Wind of God transform chaos into order.
See the Holy Wind of God transform people into community.
See the Holy Wind of God transform strangers into family.
May we all be one family of God standing in the Light together
with (and without) the storms of life.
After all, the storms of life are not what draw us together.
It’s the undeniable fact that at the center of our being, we care for each other.
Where does a notion like that come from?
It does not come from a heart focused on itself.
I believe it comes “from above.”
Open your eyes and see with your soul.
What you see when you do is others just like you.
