ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 29, 2022
I’m certain many of you are watching the happenings in Florida very closely. In fact, some of you reading this Etching are in Florida right now. I remember my first hurricane when we were living in Naples. It ended up dropping down to a tropical storm right before landfall, but it was still pretty scary. This one is so much bigger. Of course, there are the people of Puerto Rico, who are still dealing with the devastation brought by Hurricane Fiona just over a week ago. Sadly, it is hard to even keep up with everything, and so often we forget as the news media is focused on the next bigger storm. Those of us in Houston understand that the recovery is neither quick nor easy, and we were pretty well resourced as compared to other places. What will these storms look like in five or ten years as climate change accelerates? As people of faith, who live under a rather clear mandate for compassion and tangible acts of kindness, responding is sort of necessary. Is prayer part of the response? I think it is, but prayer is not necessarily an end in and of itself. Isn’t prayer a conversation we have with God, the One who is seeking to guide us into those places where we can make a difference? It is easy to toss prayers from a safe distance when we know nothing will actually be required of us. Prayer should always be offered with some anxiety, for if we are actually conversing with God, who knows what we might be asked to do.
God, you are the Source of Love and the One who seeks wholeness within your creation. Let our prayers be an avenue by which we receive whatever we are in need of receiving. Maybe what we are called to do is only one small piece of your larger vision, so help us to always be ready to respond with a YES. Amen.
