But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
— Isaiah 43:1-3a
First of all, thank you to the magnificent firefighters of our city who responded so quickly to yesterday’s fires. Thanks as well to the citizen journalists of Facebook who helped us to know the source of that smoke and ash, so we could avoid panic! I had planned on talking about fires today, but didn’t realize how timely the subject would become.
Last Wednesday our family visited the Giant Sequoias along the “Trail of 100 Giants.” With so many other trees devastated by the Bark Beetle, drought, and forest fires, we marveled that these trees could grow so tall over so many hundreds of years. Looking at the tall reddish trunks of the trees, we observed splotches of shiny blackness. We assumed that they were perhaps scorch marks from fires or some type of fungus growing on the tree.
That night we started a campfire. The kids had gathered some twigs as fire-starters, but had also brought some large pieces of bark. “Can we burn this?” They asked.
“Well let’s see what happens,” I said, “I am a little worried that it will burn big and fast; let’s watch for embers so we don’t start a forest fire!”
We tossed the bark on the fire, but it did nothing. It just sat there. The flames licked around the edges, but it never caught. Eventually it started changing form. The bark oozed into a thick black foam, It never burned, or let off embers, and never settled into glowing coals. It just transformed into this black foam, which eventually, with enough heat, dissolved into ash. “So that was what was in the trees!”
Amazing, isn’t it, how God works. These trees stand tall over the years because they are adapted to fires. The flames may approach, but the bark transforms to protect the wood beneath. God has created a process whereby these trees are able to respond and protect themselves from the crisis. And the tree does this automatically, without thought.
How even more amazing that God has given us the ability to deal with the crises in our own lives. Some of these reactions are automatic. But God has also given us wisdom, intellect, and imagination. We are able to not only react, but to be proactive. We can plan, and learn, adapt, and grow. Yes, we can insist on standing our ground – on doing things the way we have always done them – and get burned. Worse, we can spread the crisis. Or we can change, act in new ways, care for one another, and persevere.
Pastor George
God of majesty and power, fill us with your wisdom and hope. Take away our pride of self. Move in our imagination to find new ways to tend to creation and to each other. Bless those on the front lines of these crises with courage, compassion, and creativity. Bring peace to those who mourn, and hope to carry on. In Christ we pray. Amen.