Singing for Relief
Our
God and God of our fathers and mothers,
As
the flames burn, wreaking havoc upon our forests, our homes,
our
fire fighters, our sense of security, / We turn to You for comfort
and support.
Help
us to differentiate between flames of destruction / and light that
shows us Your way.
We
know that flames can destroy. / A people decimated once, twice and
more,
Having
passed through infernos set by humans filled with hate,
we
remember the destructive abilities of these flames.
Keep
us far from apocalyptic thoughts,
for
we know that You ask us to care for this world, / an awesome
responsibility.
We
also know that we can seek You in the flames.
We
recall Your Loving Hand, guiding us in our infancy:
In
a burning bush, You spoke to Moses, sending him to lead our people
out of slavery,
In
a pillar of fire, You led our people through the wilderness to the
Promised Land,
With
black fire on white fire, You wrote the Torah, our guide for living
in this world.
Through
Your light, we found our way. / Be with us now, these smoke and
fire-filled days.
Draw
us close to those harmed by these flames, hearing their cries,
responding to their needs.
Lead
us to support those who fight the fires, who care for the displaced,
who
bring healing to those suffering.
Though
our attention spans seem so short, may we be slow to forget those in
danger.
And
please bring cooling wind and rain from the heavenly realms to
Northern California.
And
may we all embrace at least one lesson spoken aloud by so many who –
facing the flames –
rushed
to pack up their valuables:
That
memories of love and of time spent with family and friends are
priceless, holy and sacred.
This
can never be taken away.
As
we rush to meet the challenge of living in this / imperfect world of
ours,
May
we slow down enough to cherish those who are truly valuable –
kadosh/holy – to us.
Baruch
Ata Adonai, Hamavdil bein kodesh l’chol.
Blessed
are You, O God, who differentiates between the truly valuable and
everything else. —“Prayer for a Time of Fire” by Rabbi Paul
Kipnes
We
add our voices to the mighty choir singing for this relief from
destruction, the cooling of the flames, hope in the midst of despair,
and rest from the weariness. As a community of faith, we stand as a
beacon of grace at the corner of Indiana and Colusa (and everywhere
else we go), even when we are surrounded by ashes and brokenness and
grief. We are witnesses to the work of the Holy which tenaciously
saturates our world and turns our eyes and hearts, once again, to the
possibilities of renewed life and widespread joy. So, let us bring a
fresh commitment to justice to the living of our days. And may this
justice stir up a compassion in us capable of meeting every need. I
believe this is the call of God.
See
you in church,
Christy
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