In All Circumstances

As we all watch in horror what is happening in Houston in the wake of Harvey, all those feelings from the Detwiler fire came back. The fear and uncertainty, the despair at the scorched earth that greeted us on our return. We understand, a little, what the people in Houston are enduring.

I started thinking about the sermon I shared with you the Sunday after the fire. Here is some of our reflections on that day.

Which is easier, giving thanks in good times or bad? The answer is not as obvious as you might think. Our Pilgrim forefathers gathered together for a feast of thanksgiving after an incredibly difficult year in the New World. They lost half their population to disease and those who were left were weak and thin. Yet, they gathered together and thanked God for God’s goodness!

Horatio G. Spafford was a successful Chicago businessman who lost everything in the Great Chicago Fire. Desiring a rest and to get away, he arranged for him and his family, including his wife and four daughters, to travel to Europe. Delayed by business, he sent the others ahead of him. The ship on which they traveled collided with another and sank in just 12 minutes. His daughters drowned; his wife alone survived. Upon hearing the news, Spafford immediately left for England to join her. His ship passed over the site of the tragedy, and Spafford was moved and inspired to write the hymn “It Is Well with My Soul.” He lost his children and could still say”

“When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

We give thanks in peace or sorrow because we know that we are not alone. God is present with us. We give thanks because the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus knew joy and sorrow in his life. He lost people he loved to the cruelty and sin of men, people like his cousin John the Baptist.

We give thanks because we recognize the presence of God with us in the first responders who risk their lives to help us. We recognize the presence of God in the neighbors who go to extraordinary lengths to help, such as those neighbors who made sure the woman in labor got to the hospital to deliver her baby in safety.

Our challenge is to recognize the presence of God and to give thanks, no matter the circumstances. Keep sharing the stories of people caring for each other because that is how we see the presence of God.

Don’t give into fear because God is present with us. In the fire. In the flood. In the sunshine. In all circumstances. Give thanks.