Malachi 3:13-4:2a,5-6
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Luke 21:5-19
Psalm 98 or 98:5-10
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences…" Luke 21:13
The 13th verse of the 21st chapter of Luke appears to have been written rather recently: wars, storms, earthquakes -- we might as well be reading today's newspaper. But this is scripture, not the news -- it has a message for us beyond mere information: Be faithful. Don't be afraid. Continue to keep the values of God's kingdom in mind.
And don't forget. That's another way in which scripture is different from the newspaper -- it's hard to keep ongoing human needs on the front page. We are easily bored -- full of shock and compassion when we hear of a hurricane, but consumed by some other story a week later. It is not that way on the ground -- four mammoth hurricanes hit our southern states and the Caribbean within the space of six weeks just a month ago, and rebuilding those communities will take years. Nobody there has forgotten, but it is no longer news here. Don't look for it on the front page. Nothing stays on the front page for years.
Episcopal Relief and Development doesn't forget. It is faith-based. Faith doesn't get bored or distracted from the ongoing reality of human need. Faith, by the grace of God, remains connected with those into whose lives disaster has come. The Episcopal parishes who were there before the hurricanes are there, still, and they, too, do not forget. Support to migrant workers stranded, homeless and jobless, by the devastation of the storm upon the local fruit-growing economy. Provision of household supplies for those who lost everything, ongoing temporary housing while former permanent are rebuilt. Food and medicine for the long haul.
You may see ERD in the local news when disaster hits -- it might be there in a sidebar, one among the list of charities to which people can donate money to help. But the work will continue long after they've stopped publishing those lists. We are there through our participation with ERD, for as long as the people of God are in need.
Episcopal Relief and Development saves lives and builds hope in communities around the world. We provide emergency assistance in times of disaster. When the immediate crisis is over, we rebuild devastated communities and offer long-term solutions in the areas of food security, health care, and HIV/AIDS. For more information on ERD, call (800) 334-7626, ext. 5129, or visit our website at http://www.er-d.org/.
