Eastertide
May 23, 2014

Scripture Reading: Acts 27:13-38 

Just before daybreak, Paul urged all of them to take some food, saying, ‘Today is the fourteenth day that you have been in suspense and remaining without food, having eaten nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food, for it will help you survive; for none of you will lose a hair from your heads.’ After he had said this, he took bread; and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat. Then all of them were encouraged and took food for themselves. (We were in all two hundred and seventy-six persons in the ship.) After they had satisfied their hunger, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea.— Acts 27:33-38

 Yesterday we got a hint of what was coming on Paul’s journey to Rome. Today we must deal with the full force of that disaster.

I am well acquainted with disaster. One year ago on May 20, 2013 the largest tornado in the recorded history of Oklahoma weather cut a path of destruction across central Oklahoma that was particularly devastating for Moore, Ok. Seven children were killed in one elementary school. Twenty-five people were killed in all.  By any standards, 25 was a small number of deaths after an F5 tornado with a path at times that was over a mile in width continued for 17 miles. It was still 25 too many deaths. Besides destroying two schools, the Moore hospital and many businesses and homes were gone after it had passed. While this was happening, I was sitting about ten miles away in my church with people who had taken shelter there. We watched that horrid storm on TV as it skirted Oklahoma City well south of where we were. It is a very strange mix of emotions being relieved that it did not strike us, while knowing the grave consequences facing those it did hit.

Paul gathers the starving, storm weary group of survivors on the shore after the shipwreck and serves communion. He ate the bread first before the others to show them that they needed to eat to survive. People in shock sometimes need such a simple act as watching someone breaking bread and eating it to regain their sense of self sufficiency.

If you or your congregation would like help in learning how to respond to disaster, a new book, Help and Hope Disaster Preparedness an Response Tools for Congregations edited  by Amy Gopp and Brandon Gilvin and published by Chalice Press is available on line at Barnes and Noble.

Prayer: Compassionate One, help us serve as your Body in the midst of disasters and recovery. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.