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RSSThe Desert Blooms
by The Rev. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton
12/14/2007
Isaiah 35:1-10
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11
Psalm 146:4-9
or Canticle 3
or Canticle 15
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. -- Isaiah 35:1
Ice every where yesterday and today: encasing what's left of the leaves, bending thick branches right to the ground and snapping them like twigs. It encases the power lines, too, and the electricity goes down. Floods in the Pacific Northwest: high winds and rain overflowed the backs of small rivers and creeks and turned them dangerous. Homes and businesses and farms have been destroyed. Eight people died. And the anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami approaches.
Human beings are so vulnerable to nature. We are small, in comparison to the forces of nature, and we are not without power for long before we understand afresh just how small.
In the Pacific Northwest emergency, Episcopal Relief and Development supports the local church that must turn suddenly into an emergency center, supporting people who are accustomed to light and heat at the flick of a switch. And in ongoing work throughout the world, ERD accompanies the lengthy task of supporting the development of communities where nobody has ever had an electric light.
Those communities are probably wiser about managing without things than we are: they are accustomed to it. They already know a lot about wresting a living from a harsh environment. But even people accustomed to hard times can be overwhelmed: hard times are one thing. Disaster is another.
Here is a picture from an ancient prophet: the desert in bloom. Plants growing in a hard place. Things will not be disastrous forever. Friends are on the way; indeed, they are already here, in spirit and in support.
