“We must no longer be children, tossed to and from and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” Ephesians 4:14-15
It’s Tuesday, and the hurricane is coming. As you read this, we’re either leaning into Hurricane Milton, hunkered down and praying, or we’ve emerged blinking on the other side. My phone just sent a message in capital letters, upgrading the storm in our area from a hurricane watch to a hurricane warning sometime in the next 36 hours.
“THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY THAT INCLUDES TYPICAL FORECAST UNCERTAINTY IN TRACK, SIZE AND INTENSITY: PLAN, PREPARE, ACT”.
Those of us who have weathered previous hurricanes, tornadoes, nor-easters, and microbursts remember where we were when, and the aftermath. And so we watch the skies, anxious for tomorrow.
When the acting director of FEMA response and recovery outlined preparations for the pending hurricane this week, he issued a further warning. He called misinformation and conspiracy theories about the storm and its recovery “extremely damaging.”
The text from Ephesians issues a similar storm warning that we humans can be blown off course. “We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming”.
Our faith offers us an antidote to whatever storms threaten our well-being. “Speak the truth in love,” as members of one body, united and connected to Christ the head. Christ shelters us through these tumultuous times, with love stronger than death.
Our scriptures relentlessly invite us to shelter ourselves in the depths of God’s love that will not let us go. From the earliest poets of the Old Testament to the letter writers of the New Testament, we embrace encouragement like those from Song of Songs 8:6-7
“Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm,
for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
a raging flame.
Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If one offered for love
all the wealth of one’s house,
it would be utterly scorned.”
It's easy to get caught up in the fear and the drama of these perilous times. Our perceived losses may seem substantive and overwhelming. Yet emerging from our shelters to a landscape rearranged, we trust that by the grace of God, the sun will shine again.
God’s grace, mercy and peace be with you,
Rev. Dr. Anna V. Copeland
Senior Minister, The Community Church of Vero Beach, Florida
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