Meditations

Prayer after Hurricane Katrina

Be present, O God, with those who are discovering that loved ones have died, that homes and jobs are gone. Embrace them in your everlasting arms.

Be present, O God, with those who suffer today in shelters, hot and weary from too little sleep and too much fear. Let them know they are not alone.

Be present, O God, with those who wonder what they will find when they return to homes battered by wind and engulfed by flood. Teach them to hope.

Be present, O God, with those who have not been able to reach loved ones, who are frantic with worry. Offer them consolation.

Be present, O God, with those who have hardly recovered from last year’s storms, who are unsure how much they can bear, who yearn only for quiet. Grant them peace.

Be present, O God, with all who respond - mayors, police, firefighters, FEMA employees, Red Cross workers, pastors, church disaster response coordinators. Their work is just beginning, and will not end for many months. Strengthen them for service.

Be present, O God, to each of us, that distance may not deter us from generous giving and enduring companionship. Help us remember tomorrow, and next week, and next month.

Be present, O God, with all affected by Hurricane Katrina. May Immanuel, God with us, take every hand and lead us home. Amen.

Adapted from John H. Thomas
UCC Minister and President
August 30, 2005

Imagination

I can imagine a candle
flickering in the dark,
or a holiday concert
in the park,
and so can you.
I can imagine an eagle
soaring in flight,
or the simple beauty
of a starry night,
and so can you.
But what we imagine
will not be the same.
Your candle may be
red, mine white;
Your concert jazz,
mine pop;
Your eagle screaming,
mine not,
And your starry night
not quite as bright.
Our imagination is a
reflection of our being;
unique and special,
a gift from Our Creator.
We can only imagine the
deep dark void
that might have been,
if imagination were
not within