Pastor’s Pen for September, 2011

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5.16)

As I sit writing this message on Labor Day, the word “labor” has a very special meaning for us this year.  Despite its roots in the organized labor movement of the 19th Century, it is hard to use the word “labor” these days here inVermont without thinking of the efforts being made to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Irene.  While Labor Day usually is focused on the work that people do for pay, this year, the focus should be on the army of volunteers who have labored tirelessly to help their struggling neighbors.  Federal, state, and local officials all deserve recognition for their efforts to cope with the damages, but it is those countless volunteers that deserve comment.  In a day when so many people live with only minimal contact with their neighbors, this crisis has brought forth an outpouring of energy, generosity and compassion that is so rare.

Some people (and insurance policies) refer to natural disasters like this as “acts of God.”  In my opinion, that description badly distorts the truth.  I do not see signs of God’s presence in the raging waters that wreaked such havoc near and far, but in the heart-felt responses of the volunteers who were inspired to reach out to those in need.  Even those who have no religious background and claim no religious affiliation have felt an irresistible force at work within them, calling them to reach beyond themselves – a force that more spiritual folks would identify as the Spirit of God.  That is where I see God’s activity most clearly.  The flood waters may have inflicted many losses, washing away property, roads and bridges.  But God has acted even more powerfully to provide us with something even more precious and enduring: the love and compassion of our neighbors; the material gifts that meet our daily needs, and the relational bridges that turn strangers into friends. 

In the days ahead, when people remember the floods of 2011, I pray that they will not think first of the waters that washed so many things away, but of the kindness and caring that flowed into their lives in even greater waves.  Those are the waters of love that flow directly from God, and those waters will always be more powerful than any storm! 

                                                                        – Duane