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Dear Christian friends,
"Your heart, O God, is grieved, we know
By every evil, ev'ry woe;
Upon your cross-forsaken Son
Our death is laid, and peace is won."
These words from a Polish hymn capture the mood of this day, of this week.
Today, April 19, is a day for God's people to remember "every evil, ev'ry
woe" and to reflect on God's peace. Today is a day for people of faith to
remember how God grieves for those whose lives have been touched by natural
and intentional disasters. And it is a day to renew our commitment to
bring help and hope--through our prayers, our contributions, our
volunteering.
I am writing to you from Oklahoma City, where today I was privileged to
attend the dedication of the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Five years
ago today the intentional bombing of the Murrah Center in Oklahoma City
caused unprecedented grief and heartache for the American people, killing
168 people, 19 of them children. Our church, through Lutheran Disaster
Response, was there at once, providing counseling and support. That
commitment continued through the years, as support was shown to survivors
and to victims' families who attended two federal trials held in Denver,
Colorado, and counseling that continued until last December.
Three years ago this day the Red River, flowing between North Dakota and
Minnesota, flooded Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, and numerous rural
communities over a three-hundred-mile area. Our church, through LDR and
numerous Lutheran partners, was there at once, to help meet initial needs
through the chaotic emergency stage, and to provide volunteer clean up and
supplies through the relief stage. Our church was present and active in
this recovery for two years.
Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.
Again, our church was immediately on the scene to provide loving care and
support for the students, their families, their community, their
congregations, their clergy. LDR continues to offer spiritual and
emotional support for those affected by this tragedy..
This day, this week, is a time for the church to remember and to renew.
Today as I stood side by side with our brothers and sisters in Oklahoma
City, participating in the poignant and solemn dedication service, I
reflected on the grief of loss being felt in Colorado, and on those whose
lives have been forever changed in the upper Midwest. In this Holy Week,
we renew our commitment to continue recovery efforts to those affected by
Hurricane Floyd in North Carolina. We renew our commitment to bring
assistance and services to those so suddenly affected by recent tornadoes
(in Kentucky and Georgia), as well as the monster tornado that affected
Oklahoma City and Wichita last year.
Yes, God's heart is grieved by the evils and woes we endure. But our peace
is won through the death and resurrection of his son. We are "resurrection
people," and we can show the risen Christ alive in us as we extend our
hands in love to others, even as Jesus Christ has extended his hands in
love to us.
In this week of remembering our Lord's journey to the cross and empty tomb,
please remember all whose lives have been touched by disasters. And renew
your commitment to show the power of the resurrection by praying, by
contributing, and by volunteering.
Yours in Christ,
Gil Furst
GILBERT B. FURST (written on Wed, Apr 19, 2000,11:24 pm). Director for
ELCA DOMESTIC DISASTER RESPONSE (Division for Church in Society) and
LUTHERAN DISASTER RESPONSE (a cooperative ministry of the ELCA and LC-MS)
8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago 60631 PHONE: 773-380-2822 FAX: 773-380-2493
Please visit our website: www.elca.org/dcs/disaster
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