Blame it on the Rain

“Why is this happening?” I’d been ordained a deacon for three months and still had three months more to go before I would be ordained a priest. I was bursting at the seams from seminary with terms like “systematic theology” and “historical-critical hermeneutics”.  But I was in charge of a small congregation with real needs and concerns, like trying to understand why Hurricane Katrina was barreling down on the Gulf Coast. Ministry got real.

I had heard that some people were purporting that the storm was God’s response to America’s immorality, as a way to cleanse us from our sinful ways.  I was shocked by such claims masking as theology, but I was naïve.  However, I did know that we humans are quick to look to something or someone to blame when things don’t go according to our plan, and God is an easy target, because God could change it if God wanted to, right?

I chose to preach on the blessing and curse of rain, depending on one’s perspective.  When we are in draught, we pray for rain; when there is a flood, we curse it.  Regardless, we need the rain in order for creation to work.  We only see it as a “natural disaster” when human lives are negatively affected.  That is when preparation and awareness are vital to enduring feast or famine.

I’ve heard the same rhetoric in the last week that I heard 11 years ago.  Yes, Hurricane Harvey is a natural disaster and my heart aches for those who lives are in utter chaos.  I’ve done what I could do now by giving a donation to Episcopal Relief and Development Disaster Relief (www.er-d.org) and offering prayers for the victims and first responders and politicians and all involved with trying to find some peace in the midst of chaos.

I’ll leave the blame game to others, since it is already happening and the stories are nothing new.  They certainly don’t help those with 4 ½ feet of water in their homes.  But the question is still asked, “Why is this happening?”  A friend reminded me of the best answer.  “Because it rained.”

This answer might not seem satisfying because it doesn’t blame anyone, even God, but it’s the stark truth.  The awesome wonder of Creation also creates things that are destructive to things we don’t want destroyed. There is no malevolence in the action, it just is.  Accepting that can be difficult when we are taught that someone or something else needs to be responsible. And that is where God is usually brought up short; “Isn’t God responsible for allowing this to happen?”

Yes, God created the system of rain, which enables us all to have fresh water and food and flowers, as well as droughts and floods. The core of God’s relationship with Creation is creation – and re-creation. Out of nothing – something. Out of chaos – order. Out of destruction – new life. Yet in the midst of it, that long view can be impossible to see, which is why we need to support each other in such difficult times to remind them and us they are not forgotten, by us or God.

So we continue to pray and do what we can to be helpful and not a hindrance as the aftermath for such an event unfolds.  Let’s not participate in blaming because it is does nothing but distract what need to be done, and there is much to do. 

In Christ,
Rev. Valerie+

Prayer from Bishop Andy Doyle of Texas
Heavenly Father, in your Word you have given us a vision of that holy City where the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea: Behold and visit, we pray, the cities of the earth devastated by Hurricane Harvey. Sustain those displaced by the storm with food, drink, and all other bodily necessities of life. We especially remember before you all poor and neglected persons it would be easy for us to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick, and all who have none to care for them; that, among all the changes and chances of this mortal life, we may ever be defended by your gracious and ready help; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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