Dear friends in Christ,
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. As I look forward to time with family and
friends, the scent of death and the sight of destruction are fresh in my
mind. In light of the great national sorrows caused by the September 11th
attacks, as well as the thousands across our country affected this year by
devastating tornadoes and destructive floods, the thought of "giving thanks"
this year could be a challenge. This past year I have witnessed lives and
communities in ruins. But even as smoke and dust burn the eyes - or mud and
debris impedes walking - I also have seen the reality of God's presence.
If you know me personally, you also know that Martin Rinkart's great hymn,
"Now Thank We All Our God," is especially meaningful to me as I do my
disaster response ministry.
Martin Rinkart (1586-1649) was born in Eilenburg, Saxony. He studied and
sang at the St. Thomas' School in Leipzig, and was a theological student at
the university. In 1617 he began his ministry in the town of Eilenburg,
where he served thirty-two years. Much of his ministry was done during the
horrors of the Thirty Years' War.
Eilenburg was a walled fortress city, so thousands of people made homeless
by the war came seeking refuge. Overcrowding resulted in famine and
pestilence. The Rinkart family, with their sparse resources, provided for
many of the refugees.
In 1637 the church superintendent left and two other clergymen died.
Rinkart was alone to minister to the city. Sometimes he led burial services
for forty or fifty persons in one day. His wife also died of the
pestilence, and he himself fell ill, but survived. It is reported that when
two-thirds of his congregation died, the gravediggers refused to bury them
because the highly contagious disease, so Rinkart buried them. Among those
he buried were his own wife and children.
Surrounded by this horrible suffering, Rinkart wrote this great prayer of
thanksgiving. It is a testament to his faith that, in such misery, he was
able to write a hymn of abiding trust and gratitude toward God. It is a
reminder to me to love and thank God, even in the terrible days.
And so this year...
>> I am thankful for the strength, faith and courage of those who have
suffered so much this year, for individuals and families in Kansas and
Mississippi, in Texas and Wisconsin, In Virginia and West Virginia, in New
Jersey and Washington D.C. and New York City.
>>> I am thankful for the staff and colleagues in the church, for Synods and
Districts, social ministry organizations, for our strong Lutheran Coalition
members, and for other faith partners with whom we have been privileged to
offer help and hope.
>> I give thanks for hundreds of volunteers who travel to unknown places to
help unknown people rebuild houses and lives.
>> I give thanks for pastors and lay members others who proclaim the Gospel
by word and action.
>> I give thanks for you - countless individuals and congregations - who
pour out your love, prayers, financial support, compassion, and caring.
And with the whole church I am thankful for the grace of God that upholds
and sustains us all.
"Oh, may this bounteous God Through all our life be near us,
With every joyful hearts And blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in his grace, And guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all harm In this world and the next."
Yours in Christ,
Gil Furst
Gilbert B. Furst (Written on 11/21/01, at 3:09 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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