Fires in Australia, California....

Devastating bushfires are impacting communities in Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. There are also huge wildfires in California. In the European summer, Northern Spain faced its largest forest fires in two decades as the heat wave across much of Europe wreaked havoc. The lack of rain, and the escalating temperatures, mean things are tinder dry. Whether deliberately lit, or a result of lightning strikes, fires are exhausting firefighters and volunteers struggling to bring the fires under control.
The multiple fires in New South Wales (Australia) can be seen from space. The Rural Fire Service in NSW said firefighters were in "uncharted territory" and at the peak of the crisis, a record 17 blazes burned simultaneously at emergency level. More than 50 other blazes across NSW remain out of control.The property loss is substantial, with house after house in some places burnt to the ground.
Mid-Coast Council Mayor David West said, “I’m looking out of my office window and all I see is what I’m assuming people in London saw during the Second World War — it’s a horrible, horrible sight".
Climate change, or climate acceleration, is playing a part in the dramatic increase in fires, and needs to be addressed by global leaders. Recently, 11,000 scientists endorsed a global 'climate emergency' declaration, based on an analysis of more than 40 years of data on measures such as population, surface temperature, carbon emissions and deforestation.

New South Wales fires seen from space

Our prayers are with families and communities, the fire fighters and emergency workers, for those living with the reality of property loss.

What cannot be said will be wept (a quote attributed to Sappho)
You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your record? (Psalm 56: 8)
O God, when words fail
hear our weeping.
Hear our weeping,
treasure our tears,
answer our cry. Amen.
(Source: Rev Gal Blog Pals website)

When Human Voices Cannot Sing
1. When human voices cannot sing
and human hearts are breaking,
we bring our grief to you, O God
who knows our inner aching.

2. Set free our spirits from all fear –
the cloud of dark unknowing,
and let the light, the Christ-light show
the pathway of our going.
(Words: Shirley Murray,  (*v 3&4 omitted); tune: St Columba 8.7.8.7)

We pray for those affected – for courage, strength, patience, resilience and hope, to face the days and weeks and months ahead, even when the story no longer has media attention.
We give thanks for firefighters and emergency service personnel, police officers and ambulance officers, who work together to fight the wildfire and support residents.
We pray for those who must undertake the grim search for those who have died...
We pray for those who have lost homes when this fire took all in its path - homes of the rich and famous, and ordinary people who have invested their savings into their homes.
In amongst the grief, anger, loss and confusion, and unspeakable sorrow, we give thanks that so many people of goodwill are offering practical support in this time of great need.
We give thanks that the God we know in Jesus Christ journeys with us and remains with us all the days of our life, even through the dark valleys and times of sorrow and lament. Amen.
(Rev Cathie Lambert, 2011, adapted)

A Prayer for all those affected by the bush fires in New South Wales and Queensland.
Loving God, our hearts are joined with the trials and sufferings of all affected by the bush fires. Protect those in the path of danger. Open the pathway of evacuation. Help loved ones to find one another in the chaos. Provide assistance to those who need help. Where hearts are fearful and constricted, grant courage and hope. Ease the fears of all and make your presence known in the stillness of your peace.
O God, we commend to your loving keeping, all who work to bring rescue and relief, especially the firefighters, police, paramedics, medical personnel, and volunteers, – all who are helping. Give them courage in danger, skill in difficulty, and compassion in service. Sustain them with bodily strength and calmness of mind that they may perform their work to the well-being of those in need so that lives may be saved and communities restored.
Loving Lord, we come to you trusting in your mercy and knowing that your steadfast love endures forever. Comfort those who have been harmed or displaced by this disaster. Grant them your strength to meet the days ahead. Allow them to experience your peace, and grant them hope to face the future. Move in those who are able to give aid, that we may be your hands and heart on the earth.

Prayer adapted from Lutheran Disaster Response, Upstate NY

the view from the kitchen sink

fires advancing on a nursing home

the beach.... Port Macquarie

the sky turns orange

God, we know that you kindle
hearts and not bush,
and that you walk with us
into the deepest fires
as you did in the long-ago Bible story
of the three faithful ones,

This day we ask for your grace,
your courage, and your strength
to surround all those
who are fighting the bush fires
in New South Wales and Queensland.

Give comfort
to those who grieve loss of life.
Give hope of rebuilding
to those whose farms are destroyed,
and homes are demolished.
Give ease of fear
for children whose schools
have burned or closed for danger.
Hold in tenderness
those who count the losses
of more than three hundred koalas.

In dry bush and high wind, O Holy One,
whisper your word of peace.
Amen.
(Source: Maren C. Tirabassi, Gifts in Open Hands)

DUCC gathering, April 17-20th, 2018

The National Gathering for Diaconal Ministers in the United Church of Canada takes place in Winnipeg from April 17th-20th, 2018. Prayers for them as they gather to share stories, to gather around the Word, and to be equipped and inspired for ministry. 

Five new Episcopal Deacons ordained

Bishop Smith invited all the deacons in attendance at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral to join the newly ordained deacons. Congratulations to the five new Deacons and blessings for your ministry. 

Paris Climate Change Conference 2015

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 will be held in Paris, from November 30 to December 11. The conference objective is to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of the world. 

Below are some reflections by Rev Dr Jason John (Deacon, Uniting Church in Australia), a 1989 resolution from the Synod of South Australia on the environment, and a prayer by the Uniting Church in Australia for the upcoming Climate Change Conference. 

I wonder what is happening in your church, denomination, association, and networks in relation to climate change, and responses to the Paris Climate Change Conference? It would be great to share together some of the work of diaconal ministry agents in regards to this important issue. 

Deacons are to work with the "marginalised, oppressed, suffering, the forgotten, the unlovely."  Deacons, "hold before the church the model of service among those who suffer, and call the members to engage in such service." Deacons are called to be, "along with the scattered members of the congregation, a sign of the presence of God in the everyday world."  Deacons are to release those gifts in church members "that will enable them to share in this ministry of caring, serving, healing, restoring, making peace and advocating justice as they go about their daily lives."(Statement from the renewal of the diaconate in the Uniting Church in Australia, 1985). 
That such people exist, and that there is hope for change, was the basis of the renewal of the diaconate.  It is not only people, however, who fall into those categories.  Nobody who reads a paper, or watches documentaries, could fail to acknowledge that the environment itself has been pushed to the margins of society's consciousness until recent decades.  Defenceless individuals and communities in the animal and plant kingdoms continue to be oppressed, and to suffer.  
Many environmentalists take for granted that the exploitation of the earth is significantly if not entirely due to the so called Judeo-Christian ethic of the West.  This is, however, a very simplistic understanding, and several recent works attest to the strong thread of environmental responsibility, and love for the environment, in both the Scriptures and Christian tradition.They argue that the creation stories present humanity as intimately connected to creation, being made from earth, and charged to be good stewards, rather than exploiters of creation.  The creation is very good, it was created by Christ himself, and nothing in it is unclean. John testified against the gnostics that created matter was good.  Francis of Assisi and many of the mystics give ample testimony to their special reverence for the whole of creation.  An increasing number of Christians believe that their treatment of the environment is a reflection on their relationship with God. (Rev Dr (Deacon) Jason John)

1989 Synod resolution (Synod of South Australia, Uniting Church in Australia)

8.1 recognising that the critical state of the world's environment demands a serious and urgent response from the Christian community,

     a. draw the attention of the whole church to the church's participation in destroying the environment and the need for us to affirm in word and life:

          i. the sacredness of all creation and God's passionate concern for its care and well being;

          ii. the redemptive work of Jesus Christ which is for all the created order;

          iii. God's call for us to participate with Him in healing the earth and proclaiming the recreation and reconciliation of all life through Jesus Christ;

          iv. the consequent need for a re-orientation of our theology and its practice, in ways which express our respect for creation and all people and which do not plac development and our respect for creation in conflict.

For the Sake of the Planet

Creator God,
breath and source of life,
in love you called the world into being
and in grace you made us and call us your children.
We stand in awe of the wonder of your creation:
           its beauty and wildness;
           complexity and power;
           resilience and fragility.

God of life,
you call us to be participants in the web and wellspring of life:
          to be nurtured by the planet;
          to be nurturing of the planet;
          to cherish the world and all that lives.
But we have failed and creation groans under our weight.

God of grace,
forgive us in our brokenness:
           when we have taken too much from the earth;
           when we have not spoken out against greed and destruction;
           when we have allowed our most vulnerable neighbours to be harmed.
We seek courage and forgiveness to be made whole.

God of love,
we pray for those people, communities and nations
already suffering the devastating effects of climate change;
and we pray for the diversity of life on earth,
so much of it already threatened by our actions.

God of hope,
we pray for the world’s leaders gathering in Paris.
Bless them with wisdom and creativity,
and a shared vision of hope for all creation.
May they find the determination
to take strong action against climate change,
and the political will to act together for the common good.

Creator God,
we pray for us all,
that we might restore our relationships with each other
and work together to heal the earth.
Renew us in your grace
for the sake of your creation. Amen.

© 2015 Uniting Church in Australia Assembly

Episcopal Deacons blogging

Deacons who blog.....
Interested to peruse these blogs by Deacons in the Episcopal Church in the USA.
Betsy Blake Bennett, Archdeacon, Diocese of Nebraska
Alisa Carmichael, Diocese of South West Florida
Bill Cusano, Diocese of New York
Betty J. Kauffman, Archdeacon, Diocese of Western Louisiana
Kevin McGrane Sr, Diocese of Missouri
Rodger Patience, Diocese of Fond du Lac
Geri Swanson, Diocese of New York

Who else out there is blogging? Would love to make connections!

Remembering the carers

This reflection by Thom Shuman on the gospel text (lectionary) for the week has a focus on the one who cares for another who is suffering from illness, dis-ease and other troubles. For this woman, it is her daughter. For others, it will be family, or friends, colleagues, or even strangers. With the passing of Robin Williams, and a reminder of the darkness and suffering that so many people endure in life, it is also timely to remember those who patiently care, support, and simply love others, holding them in embrace and prayer. Many engaged in diaconal ministry will know the challenge of this kind of deep caring, and identify with the actions and words of the woman at the end - "she dropped to her knees whispering, 'help me'......"

At the end of her rope (based on Matthew 15:21-28)
she forces open her
                eyes,
   shaking the cobwebs
   from her thoughts,
      wondering how
      does three hours
         pass so quickly,
      and give so little
             rest to a
             weary soul?

once again (almost as
         ritualistically
         as the prayers
         which are never
             answered),
   she cradles her daughter,
      pouring the waters
            over her from
            head to toe,
        hoping they might
        chill the fiendish
              fires deep
           inside her;
   she picks up the
      spoon smacked out
         of her hand,
      dipping it into the
               bowl,
         trying to bring
         a few drops of
             strength
             to the cracked
                    lips;
   she listens, as the
      curses spew out
         of that broken
                heart,
        answering (as
            she always will),
   'i love you,
        you are my heart,
             you are my joy.'

laying the exhausted
      child in her bed,
   she steps outside
            for a quick
            breath of hope,
         and at the sight
               of the one
               the neighbors
               had been
         talking about, she
      dropped to her
                knees
             whispering,
   'help me . . .                   (c) 2014  Thom M. Shuman

BEATITUDES FOR CAREGIVERS

Blessed are those who care and who are not afraid to show it — they will let people know they are loved. 

Blessed are those who are gentle and patient — they will help people to grow as the sun helps the buds to open and blossom.

Blessed are those who have the ability to listen — they will lighten many a burden.

Blessed are those who know how and when to let go — they will have the joy of seeing people find themselves.

Blessed are those who, when nothing can be done or said, do not walk away, but remain to provide a comforting and supportive presence — they will help the sufferer to bear the unbearable.

Blessed are those who recognize their own need to receive, and who receive with graciousness — they will be able to give all the better.

Blessed are those who give without hope of return — they will give people an experience of God.