No doubt many of you have been hearing and reading reports of the recent devastation in the Midwest due to flooding. Record rainfalls and saturated earth has led to flooding beyond compare. Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana are only a few of the states that have been hit the hardest.
Sometimes it's hard to imagine what it must be like to live through a flood of that magnitude. We can only hope that faith will take people through the devastation and restoration that lives will be restored. In the midst of the flooding however, people seem to lose hope because everything is in ruin, lives are shattered, and what can be seems like it will never be revealed.
Flooding is a not too distant memory for many in Western Pennsylvania. It wasn’t too long ago that we were cleaning up our own houses when record rainfalls caused our rivers and streams to rise. Some people call them 100 year floods, others call them floods of the century. Regardless of what you call them, a flood is a flood.
Bishop Gregory Palmer of the Iowa Area was our guest preacher at Annual Conference Last week. While he was here, his own Annual Conference was dealing with the flooding. I can only imagine what it must have been like for him to be so far away – yet provide so much hope. Bishop Palmer spoke a lot about hope, hope that is restored, hope that can be revealed. We do not give up hope, but yet we remain steadfast in our conviction that God will see us through this. He has said openly as well as in print, “Remember, when you pass through the waters, God will be with you.”
That word of promise has come up so often in my scripture reading, “God will be with you,” or “I will be with you” is a promise that begins in Genesis and continues throughout the entirety of scripture. We hear it with Abraham and Noah, we hear it as a promise to Isaac and Jacob. We hear it with the prophets and we hear Jesus promise his Spirit to the Disciples. The promise of God’s presence is important for us as people of faith.
God’s promise is real in our lives. He promises to be with us always. His Spirit guides and protects us, reminds us of his love for us, and reminds us of Christ’s teachings. When we feel at our weakest, God is at his strongest.
As we remember those who are living through the floods in the Midwest this day, I hope that you will take some time to remember them in your prayers. Lift them up and pray that they might know God’s presence even in the midst of the devastation.
Finally, we have an opportunity to reach out in ways that go beyond prayer. Through the United Methodist Committee on Relief, we can respond to the need by contributing financially. Our financial gifts become a tangible presence of God for the people living in the midst of trouble. Consider giving. As the Bishop noted to us, this can be a second flood – a flood of compassion.
Donations for UMCOR's relief efforts in the Midwest can be made to Domestic Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670. Checks can be dropped in church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087.
I look forward to seeing you all soon. Please pray for me, and know that I am praying for you.
Greg
Sometimes it's hard to imagine what it must be like to live through a flood of that magnitude. We can only hope that faith will take people through the devastation and restoration that lives will be restored. In the midst of the flooding however, people seem to lose hope because everything is in ruin, lives are shattered, and what can be seems like it will never be revealed.
Flooding is a not too distant memory for many in Western Pennsylvania. It wasn’t too long ago that we were cleaning up our own houses when record rainfalls caused our rivers and streams to rise. Some people call them 100 year floods, others call them floods of the century. Regardless of what you call them, a flood is a flood.
Bishop Gregory Palmer of the Iowa Area was our guest preacher at Annual Conference Last week. While he was here, his own Annual Conference was dealing with the flooding. I can only imagine what it must have been like for him to be so far away – yet provide so much hope. Bishop Palmer spoke a lot about hope, hope that is restored, hope that can be revealed. We do not give up hope, but yet we remain steadfast in our conviction that God will see us through this. He has said openly as well as in print, “Remember, when you pass through the waters, God will be with you.”
That word of promise has come up so often in my scripture reading, “God will be with you,” or “I will be with you” is a promise that begins in Genesis and continues throughout the entirety of scripture. We hear it with Abraham and Noah, we hear it as a promise to Isaac and Jacob. We hear it with the prophets and we hear Jesus promise his Spirit to the Disciples. The promise of God’s presence is important for us as people of faith.
God’s promise is real in our lives. He promises to be with us always. His Spirit guides and protects us, reminds us of his love for us, and reminds us of Christ’s teachings. When we feel at our weakest, God is at his strongest.
As we remember those who are living through the floods in the Midwest this day, I hope that you will take some time to remember them in your prayers. Lift them up and pray that they might know God’s presence even in the midst of the devastation.
Finally, we have an opportunity to reach out in ways that go beyond prayer. Through the United Methodist Committee on Relief, we can respond to the need by contributing financially. Our financial gifts become a tangible presence of God for the people living in the midst of trouble. Consider giving. As the Bishop noted to us, this can be a second flood – a flood of compassion.
Donations for UMCOR's relief efforts in the Midwest can be made to Domestic Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670. Checks can be dropped in church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087.
I look forward to seeing you all soon. Please pray for me, and know that I am praying for you.
Greg
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