No Man Is An Island

In many of our minds this morning are the images of the disaster in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Our hearts go out to those who are suffering great losses.

These horrible losses touch each one of us. As John Donne said;

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

We share in these losses. A part of ourselves is suffering right now. We respond by doing whatever we can to help those who are in such desperate need.

Our response to this disaster is important for reasons connected with our faith as well. There are those who find such stories of natural disaster and ask us “Where is your God now?”

I don’t have a good response to that question. All I know is that there are reasons why the laws of nature are in place. We can’t see the big picture. We don’t know what further disasters would result if these laws were suspended. And the result is that sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Natural disasters do not challenge my belief in God. A scenario which would call into question my faith would be imagining the high winds and floods, and then see no one showing up to help, no one risking their own lives to save someone else, see no communities rushing to provide aid , see no relief agencies spring into action, see no one acting in the name of their God to offer help, aid, and prayers.

If that was the response I saw, if I witnessed no response from those who are safe, then I would say that there is no such thing as a compassionate God.

Critics of religion are quick to point out that radical terrorists invoke the name of God when they commit their atrocities. What these critics often miss is people of faith responding to help those in need.

When we are faced with this present disaster, we see that our hands become the hands of God, our feet the feet of God, our words the words of God. As Stan Purdum, a writer and Methodist minister puts it: “This is a time to urge the church to be the church, and remember that when Jesus told us to love our neighbor, he had a really big neighborhood in mind.”

Sometimes, our religious tradition seems so complicated, doesn’t it? When that happens, I find it helpful to remember Jesus’ summary of the law:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Love God, and love your neighbor. Pretty simple, really. But we need to remember the order of priorities. Our relationship with God must come first, otherwise we have little to offer our neighbor.

In this morning’s Gospel, Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." It is Jesus in our midst that makes the difference. Without the belief of Christ among us, we would be nothing more than a social club.

When we work together in the name of God, Christ works with us. When we reach out to those who are hurting in the name of God, we are empowered to re-present Christ to those in need of a word of hope. When we become the united body of Christ, working together towards common goals with Christ in our midst, we can literally transform the world.

Let us respond with the compassion of God to those suffering from hurricane Katrina. Let us also allow this tragedy to sharpen our vision so that we can see more clearly those in need all around us. Let us respond to those who are suffering, both spiritually and physically, with the healing power of God’s love.

Let us pray;

O God, we remember when the disciples of Jesus were terrified after a long night on a turbulent sea. When they cried to you for help, you stilled the sea and brought them to safety. We ask now that you comfort and still the hearts of those suffering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

We pray for those who have been displaced and who now must return to homes destroyed or damaged by the storm.

We pray for those whose lives were lost and for those who now must grieve the loss of a loved one.

We pray for those who are attempting to offer help and relief to victims.
While we wonder why such devastation can occur, where lives and property can seem held so capriciously in the hand of what is uncontrollable, we know, O God, that you count every hair on our head and that our names are written on the palm of your hand.

Let your loving grace wash over those who must now face damaged lives, homes, and possessions. Hold them close to yourself until they are sure of the security of your loving embrace. Calm their hearts and still their souls, O Lord. We ask this for the sake of your love. AMEN.

September 4, 2005