God of the Whirlwind (a prayer-poem from a safe distance)

Great, generative, expansive God,
we live in this universe beyond comprehension
on a planet we sometimes think we own,
and we narrow our vision to human-sized concerns:
paychecks and home repair, love and betrayal,
the silence of infertility or the chaotic clutter of children's clamor.
We forget how wide and unbending the continent,
how vast and all-conceiving the sea.
Yet our sacred stories bear witness that you are not uncaring,
that the sparrow no less than the sperm whale
is worthy of your fierce tenderness.
We are like the blades of grass
that flourish for a season and then vanish,
like the crimson sulfur amber leaves
that drift from outstretched limbs
to re-enter the cycle of death and transformation.
These winds, wild whirling clouds and whipping rain
that lash and batter land, sea, islands, trees,
beaches and buildings,
landmarks and lilies --
they do not speak of grace or blessing,
love or life abundant,
as far as we can see,
and so we pray to be kept out of their way,
safe from harm in your embrace.
Yet when there will be suffering,
for lilies and grass and sparrows and whales,
who are we to exempt ourselves from it?
Just one more species crying out for preservation,
when all along we have not protected others
(not our sisters who are beaten or our brothers who are bullied,
not our children who are addicted or our mothers who are neglected,
not our fathers who are trained to kill and be killed,
or our grandparents who are left alone without memory,
not even our rivers or trees or sea or sky,
who provide for our needs world without end amen).
We seek your mercy, since we see you as all-powerful,
but perhaps what we need even more is to hear
in the silence after the storm
your still, small voice
inviting us to pray
with our hands, feet, eyes, mouths,
hearts, bodies, and souls,
that the world will be made whole
that the world will be made holy
that the hole will be made well
and the well would hold out hope
for the hopeless and the powerless and the small and the still
that we all would be made one
in sorrow, in joy, in struggle, in healing,
that the whirlwind would bring no death
without new life
and that each life would be seen as precious
in the whole whirling cycle of resurrection.
May our hearts be broken open
by the breaking of others,
and our lives be made whole
by humbling ourselves to hold the broken.
In the name of the teacher healer prophet mystic
rebel servant leader king,
may it be so and ever so
in the world of the whirlwind
and the swirl of the Spirit.
Amen.

Fires in Colorado

Here in the Denver area, we have had smoky haze in the air for a couple weeks, and temperatures near or above 100F for almost a week now, but I'm trying to remain thankful since we are not in any danger from wildfire. Colorado is not the only state with fires burning, but there are several burning here at the moment, and a couple that are doing terrible damage to residential areas.

As far as I have read, there has only been one life lost to fires so far (the High Park Fire, west of Fort Collins, in that fire's first week), which is pretty incredible given the geographic spread of the destruction. However, a couple hundred homes have burned, as well as other properties, including the United Methodist Buckhorn Camp near Bellvue, and the Flying W Ranch down near Colorado Springs. Thousands have been evacuated from their homes, some for more than 2 weeks now. I wanted to share a brief prayer for the situation, and also some links to different ways people can help.

Holding in prayer:
-those who have lost homes and belongings to the fires
-those who have been evacuated and are waiting anxiously to learn whether they have a home to go back to
-those who are fighting the fires, risking their lives to protect the lives and livelihoods of others
-those who are serving and ministering to evacuees, victims, and firefighters.

God of grace and mercy, you promise to comfort those who mourn. May we know that you are with us, not in the raging flames, but in the tears and hugs of community drawing together, in the generosity and courage of those who make sacrifices for the benefit of others, in each life saved and each moment cherished as precious and holy. I confess I am skeptical about your control of the weather, since our earth's ecosystem is so complex, and this weather that is so harmful to our communities at this moment may be needed in some other part of the world; but God of healing, here in the western US we need rain, cooler temperatures, and an end to the winds that are driving these fires. We humans are barely more than ants or blades of grass in the long view of our planet, and yet you have promised that we are beloved and precious in your sight. Have mercy on your children, O God, and answer our prayers. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

How to Help:
United Methodist Links:

• Rocky Mountain Conference United Methodist News story, links & updates 
• Donate directly to RMCUMC Disaster Relief Fund at this link (under Conference Designated Giving, select Disaster Response Fund from the drop-down menu)
• Donate to United Methodist Committee on Relief, which will get involved in recovery efforts after the first response is concluded

General Statewide Links:

• The Red Cross and Salvation Army are doing good, important work, as are many other agencies
• Help Colorado Now
• Emergency preparedness and assistance, via The Denver Post 
• Agencies taking and distributing donations, via TheDenverChannel.com